Ascension of the Lord: Go and Make Disciples, 5/17/2026, 8:00 AM

The Ascension sets the pattern. Christ, who came down at Christmas, now goes up to the Father. “Heaven touches earth” when God takes flesh. Now “earth is taken to heaven” as the Son returns to the throne with a human body. That movement is the church’s hope and the disciple’s goal. The path is open. The destiny is clear. To be with God forever.

Baptism sends the disciple into that pattern. The church is washed and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. The disciple is sent as a messenger. The pattern is not heroic showmanship, but a steady life that looks like the Master’s. Justice. Mercy. Forgiveness. Hope. The church lives that way so that God receives glory, and so that the forgotten are remembered and the afraid are told they are not alone.

The Ascension also tells the truth about hardship. Christ knew rejection, fear, and death. So the disciple should not be surprised by any of it. But the pattern holds fast. Death is not the end. The promise stands. There is life beyond, because the Risen One has gone before.

The angels speak into that promise and correct the church’s posture. “Why are you standing here looking up?” Spectating gives way to vocation. He will return, but the hour is not revealed. Therefore readiness is not panic. Readiness looks like daily faithfulness.

So each day gets lived as if it could be the last. Hope is not put off to tomorrow. Joy and longing are not delayed until the calendar is certain. Today becomes the field for obedience. Until he returns, the church has a job to do. Continue his work. Hand on what has been received. Give it away without cost. The pattern he set is the path each disciple is destined to walk.

Key Takeaways

• 1. The Ascension completes the Incarnation. The Son who came down now goes up with a human body. Heaven does not abandon earth; it lifts it. That movement gives the church a concrete hope and a real home. The disciple’s finish line is communion with God. [22:53]
• 2. Christ’s pattern becomes daily vocation. Baptism doesn’t just cleanse; it commissions. The life of Jesus becomes the template for ordinary choices: justice, mercy, forgiveness, and hope. The Spirit strengthens what baptism starts, so witness can be both humble and bold. [21:18]
• 3. Hope matures by sharing his sufferings. Rejection, fear, and even death do not mean the pattern is broken. They mark the road he already walked. Holding to his way in those places teaches a hope deeper than comfort. It leans on the promise of life beyond death. [24:56]
• 4. The angels end passive stargazing. “Why are you standing here looking up?” is a loving rebuke that turns wonder into mission. The return is certain, but the timetable is not. Faithfulness means doing the next entrusted task instead of waiting for perfect clarity. [25:38]
• 5. Until he returns, keep giving the gift. The church’s job is clear: continue his work and share what has been received, freely and without cost. The pattern is not a private path but a shared road others can walk. Generosity becomes the way hope multiplies in the world. [27:26]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [07:20] - Collect for Ascension
• [20:50] - Easter joy and mission
• [21:18] - Pattern of the Master
• [22:16] - Christmas stamped by Ascension
• [22:42] - Earth taken to heaven
• [23:29] - Justice, mercy, forgiveness, hope
• [24:22] - Sharing Christ’s hardships
• [25:38] - Angels end the stargazing
• [26:52] - Live today as the last
• [27:26] - Continue his work freely
• [28:52] - Creed of the Church
• [39:31] - Eucharistic offering
• [64:10] - Blessing and dismissal

1. What question do the angels ask the disciples in Acts 1:11, and how does the sermon connect this to the church’s mission? [25:38]
2. According to the sermon, how does the Ascension “complete the Incarnation” and redefine the relationship between heaven and earth? [22:53]
3. The sermon states that baptism “commissions” believers. What specific actions or attitudes are tied to this commissioning? [21:18]

1. Why might the angels’ question, “Why are you standing here looking up?” challenge both the disciples’ posture and modern-day tendencies toward passive spirituality?
2. The sermon claims that “death is not the end” because Christ’s Ascension opens the path to eternal communion with God. How does this truth reshape how believers view suffering or hardship? [24:56]
3. The phrase “today becomes the field for obedience” suggests urgency. How does living “as if it could be the last day” differ from anxiety-driven urgency? [26:52]

1. Justice, mercy, forgiveness, and hope are named as marks of a life patterned after Christ. Which of these feels most challenging to embody in your current season, and what practical step could you take this week to grow in that area? [23:29]
2. The angels redirect the disciples from stargazing to mission. What distractions or habits in your life might be keeping you from actively “continuing his work”? How could you reorient your focus?
3. The sermon emphasizes sharing what has been received “freely and without cost.” Who in your life needs to hear the hope of Christ’s Ascension, and how could you intentionally share it with them this month? [27:26]
4. How would your daily choices change if you truly believed “the path is open” to eternal communion with God? What specific fear or hesitation might this truth dissolve?
5. The sermon warns against delaying joy or longing until “the calendar is certain.” What is one way you can practice hopeful, present-tense joy today, even amid uncertainty?