What the Ascension Means | 5/17 Millbrook UMC Traditional Worship

Devotional

Day 1: Thirst at the Festival’s Peak

Jesus stood shouting through temple crowds during Sukkot’s final feast. Dust coated pilgrims’ feet. Empty water jars commemorated desert wanderings. “Let anyone thirsty come!” He offered not ritual remembrance but rivers from within. The Spirit would soon flow through cracked clay vessels. [27:27]

This moment fulfilled centuries of longing. God’s presence once confined to temple courts now dwelled in human hearts. The thirsty could drink directly from the Source rather than broken cisterns.

You’ve tasted both living water and the world’s grit. What parched place needs Christ’s spring today? When will you pause to drink deeply?

“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’”
(John 7:37-38, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal one area where you’ve been drinking from polluted wells.
Challenge: Set a phone reminder at 3 PM to silently pray “Flood my desert” while cupping your hands.

Day 2: Clothed with Power

The disciples huddled in Jerusalem, remembering Jesus’ final charge. He’d promised not leave them naked to life’s storms. Power from on high would wrap them like Elijah’s mantle. No longer orphans—they’d wear authority to heal, forgive, and resurrect. [33:33]

This clothing transforms spectators into stewards. The Spirit’s mantle fits all sizes—fishermen, tax collectors, you. Its fabric withstands persecution, doubt, and failure.

What mission have you avoided, fearing you lacked proper “garments”? Where do you need the Spirit’s mantle today?

“And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
(Luke 24:49, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one way you’ve relied on self-sufficiency instead of Spirit-power.
Challenge: Write “CLOTHED” on your wrist; touch it when facing tasks requiring divine strength.

Day 3: Rivers Through Cracked Ground

A woman drew polluted well water. A leper hid behind stones. A thief hung parched. Yet where sin abounded, living water burst through cracks—cleansing, healing, forgiving. The Spirit still flows through imperfect vessels. [39:43]

God specializes in cracked conduits. Your fractures don’t disqualify—they direct the current. Every scar becomes a tributary.

What broken place might God want to make a channel? When did shame silence your stream?

“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ Now this he said about the Spirit.”
(John 7:38-39, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for a past wound He’s using to water others.
Challenge: Pour a glass of water today; drink slowly while praying for someone who hurt you.

Day 4: Polluted Waters vs. Purifying Spirit

The world offers bitter streams—pride’s sulfur, hatred’s brine, greed’s sludge. Each sip distorts God’s image. But the Spirit filters our intake, replacing poison with love, joy, peace. [40:03]

Fruit grows where living water flows. One cup of kindness can dilute a sea of cruelty.

What toxic drip have you normalized? Which fruit needs cultivation?

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
(Galatians 5:22-23, ESV)

Prayer: Name one “polluted water” you’ll stop drinking this week.
Challenge: Perform an anonymous act of kindness using $5 or less.

Day 5: Staring at Clouds or Striding Earthward

Disciples craned necks as Jesus ascended. Angels snapped them back to reality: “Why stand gazing?” The kingdom comes through feet on soil, hands in dirt. Heaven invades earth through soup kitchens, hospital visits, reconciled relationships. [42:42]

Ascension commissions us downward, not upward. Every mundane act becomes throne-room business when done in Christ’s name.

What ordinary task can you reclaim as holy ground today?

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
(Matthew 6:10, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to show His glory in one routine moment today.
Challenge: Pick up litter while praying, “Your kingdom come here.”

Sermon Summary

We gather to remember that Ascension marks enthronement, not abandonment. We recall Jesus’ promise to return to the one who sent him so that the Spirit could come. We trace how Jesus connected law, prophets, psalms, suffering, and resurrection into a single redemptive story so that we might remember who God has been and who God will be. We accept the commission to witness, not as mere witnesses of facts, but as people whose lives the risen Christ transforms and propels into mission.

We recognize that the church does not run on human charisma or clever plans. We depend on being clothed with power from on high, meaning the Spirit equips and sustains our work. The text frames the Spirit as living water that flows from within believers, a gift that arrives because Christ reigns. That living water purifies what the world pollutes, shaping our character and forming the fruit of God in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

We name the polluted waters around us. The world offers alternatives that teach hatred, pride, and selfish impulsivity. Drinking that water distorts the image of God we must reflect. We admit temptation to join others in those waters because it feels easier than following the Spirit. We choose instead to drink from the well that cannot be corrupted so that living water can replace the poison of injustice, neglect, and dehumanization.

We move from theology into practice. The Ascension calls us to bring heaven to earth now. We commit to being agents of God’s kingdom by working for justice, feeding the hungry, sheltering the vulnerable, and sustaining one another in joy. We respond in worship, prayer, and generosity so that the Spirit can flow through our lives into our neighborhoods. We return to Jerusalem with great joy, not frozen in the clouds, because the risen and reigning Christ equips us, pours out the Spirit, and sends us as a renewed people to make visible the kingdom of heaven here and now.

Key Takeaways

1. Ascension means enthronement not abandonment Ascension places Christ on the throne so that the Spirit can come. We must reject the idea that glorification removes divine presence. Because Christ reigns, the Spirit equips the church for active witness and mission rather than leaving us stranded or passive. [30:40]
2. Spirit empowers the church's witness The church receives power from the Spirit, not from human talent or plans. We must wait for and rely upon this clothing of power so our testimony carries life. The Spirit enables faithful action that transforms communities rather than merely impressing people. [33:33]
3. Drink from Christ the living water The Spirit flows as living water from those who believe, cleansing what the world pollutes. We must learn to draw deeply so our words and deeds issue from renewal rather than from scarcity or fear. Living water sustains perseverance in love and service. [27:27]
4. Spirit purifies producing fruit in us The Spirit removes impurities and forms the fruit that reflects God. We should name specific vices the world promotes and invite the Spirit to replace them with love, joy, and peace. Spiritual formation matters for faithful public work and daily holiness. [39:43]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:41] - Announcements and Invitations
[13:57] - Passing the Peace
[26:53] - Gospel Reading from John 7
[28:05] - Remembering God’s Story
[30:40] - Ascension as Enthronement
[32:20] - Commission to Be Witnesses
[33:33] - Wait to Be Clothed with Power
[39:43] - Spirit Cleanses and Forms Fruit
[41:32] - Call to Bring Heaven to Earth
[44:28] - Prayer for Living Water
[53:41] - Offering and Stewardship
[60:23] - Sending with Joy

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 7:37-39 (ESV)
"On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”' Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."

Luke 24:46-49 (ESV)
"And [Jesus] said to them, 'Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.'"

Observation questions

In John 7:37-39, what does Jesus compare the Holy Spirit to, and what condition is required for believers to receive this gift?
According to Luke 24:46-49, what three-part story does Jesus connect to the disciples’ mission? [31:26]
The sermon contrasts "polluted waters" with the Spirit’s fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). What specific worldly attitudes are named as examples of "polluted water"? [37:00]

Interpretation questions

Why does Jesus link the giving of the Spirit to his glorification in John 7:39? How does this connect to the Ascension? [35:10]
What might it mean practically for the church to be "clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49) instead of relying on human strategies? [33:51]
How does the metaphor of "living water" address both personal spiritual renewal and public acts of justice mentioned in the sermon? [38:06]

Application questions

Where have you been tempted to drink from "polluted waters" of hatred, pride, or selfishness recently? What practical step could help you return to the "living water" of Christ this week? [37:27]
The Spirit’s fruit includes peacemaking and kindness. What conflict or injustice in your community needs these qualities to replace "polluted" responses like bitterness or neglect?
Jesus calls believers "witnesses," not just observers. What ordinary moment this week could become an opportunity to visibly reflect God’s love or justice through your actions? [32:58]
The sermon urges believers to "bring heaven to earth" through service. What one act of feeding, sheltering, or advocating could your small group commit to together in the next month? [42:21]
How might prioritizing prayer and worship ("drinking deeply") reshape your daily choices to rely less on your own plans and more on the Spirit’s power? [44:28]

Sermon Clips

50s

#AscensionIsEnthronement

“``Ascension is not abandonment, it is enthronement. It is Jesus returning to the father taking his rightful place in glory while preparing the way for what comes next. In Luke's gospel, before Jesus ascends, he gathers the disciples and says, these are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you. Before Jesus sends them, he reminds them. He helps them connect the dots, the law, the prophets, the psalms, his suffering, his resurrection, it was all a part of God's redemptive story for us.”

56s

#SpiritPurifies

“God removes the impurities. That is what the holy spirit does. It helps remove those impurities. The spirit removes what is harmful and forms within us the fruit of God. Love casts out hate, joy ends bitterness, peace quiets strife, patience transforms impatience, kindness melts away cruelty. Goodness resists corruption. Faithfulness ends faithlessness. Gentleness turns away from pride. Self control guides us away from selfish impulsivity.”

45s

#RiversOfLivingWater

“Do you hear that? The spirit comes because Jesus is glorified. Ascension is not interruption of God's work. Ascension is what makes Pentecost possible. Christ ascends, the spirit is poured out on all of us. Because Christ reigns, the church is empowered. Because Christ is glorified, we are not left alone. The ascension means Jesus is not absent. Jesus is reigning and because Christ reigns, rivers of living water now flow through all of us.”

52s

#LivingWaterCleanses

“Pride distorts the image of God that we're meant to reflect and replaces that image with ourselves. But here is the good news. God does not leave us alone. God does not leave us polluted. That is why Jesus came and that is why the spirit was sent. Jesus is the source of the living water, a well that cannot be corrupted or destroyed and much like a well that filters water through layers of soil and dirt and sand and gravel, God removes the impurities.”

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What the Ascension Means | 5/17 Millbrook UMC Traditional Worship

Devotional

Day 1: Thirst at the Festival’s Peak

Day 2: Clothed with Power

Day 3: Rivers Through Cracked Ground

Day 4: Polluted Waters vs. Purifying Spirit

Day 5: Staring at Clouds or Striding Earthward

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

What the Ascension Means | 5/17 Millbrook UMC Traditional Worship

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