Sunday May 17th 2026 Worship Service

Devotional

Day 1: Clouds and Unanswered Questions

The disciples stood gaping at the sky as Jesus vanished into clouds. Two men in white robes broke their trance: “Why stare upward? This Jesus will return the same way he left.” Their question hung like mist – not condemnation, but redirection. The kingdom wouldn’t come through skyward longing but through Spirit-empowered witness. [35:07]

Jesus’ ascension marked a pivot, not an ending. The disciples had to release their dream of political restoration. God’s kingdom would spread through their testimony, not Roman defeat. The cloud that received Jesus became a curtain closing on old expectations.

You’ve likely mourned lost “golden ages” – fuller pews, societal influence, personal vigor. What happens when you stop staring at that empty sky? Name one way your hands can serve Christ’s present mission today.

“After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky?’”
(Acts 1:9-11, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal where you’re clinging to outdated expectations of how His kingdom should work.
Challenge: Write down three “what once was” memories you need to release. Burn or tear the paper as a prayer gesture.

Day 2: Baton in a Popsicle Stick

Jesus spent forty days preparing followers for their relay race. No grand political revolution – just a wooden baton of gospel truth passed to calloused hands. The disciples initially fumbled this transfer, asking about restored kingdoms. Jesus refocused them: “You’ll be my witnesses.” [19:01]

The baton wasn’t a trophy for the elite. Fishermen, tax collectors, and women received equal responsibility to run their leg. That splintered popsicle stick you received? It’s your baton – not for decoration, but for action.

Who told you about Jesus? Picture their face. Now imagine someone future generations will picture because YOU shared the story. What’s one sentence about Christ you can pass to someone this week?

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
(Matthew 28:19-20, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for trusting you with His message, then name one person who needs to hear it.
Challenge: Carry your “baton” (pen, keychain, etc.) all day as a reminder of your witness role.

Day 3: Prayer as Active Waiting

The disciples returned to Jerusalem not to mourn, but to prepare. They “devoted themselves to prayer” – not passive waiting, but expectant collaboration. Their Upper Room became a spiritual greenhouse, cultivating readiness for Pentecost’s fire. [37:10]

Prayer fuels mission. Like stretching before a race, it aligns hearts with God’s pace. The disciples could’ve wasted days drafting political manifestos. Instead, they let prayer rewrite their priorities.

When has waiting made you restless rather than ready? Set a timer for five minutes today. Breathe deeply, then whisper: “Come, Holy Spirit. Make me useful.”

“They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”
(Acts 1:14, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one anxiety about the future, then pray “Your kingdom come” over it.
Challenge: Text a prayer partner: “Let’s pray at 3pm today” – then do it.

Day 4: From Egypt to Emmaus Road

God never restores – He resurrects. The Hebrews didn’t rebuild Egyptian pyramids in Canaan. Emmaus Road travelers didn’t resurrect crucified Jesus – they met transformed Christ. Our faith walks forward, fueled by manna and broken bread. [41:33]

Nostalgia distorts. The “good old days” of Christendom often excluded outsiders. Jesus builds with living stones, not museum relics. Your church’s future won’t mirror 1950s Sunday schools – and that’s holy.

What modern “Egypt” tempts you to retreat to comfort? How might God be leading you toward new wilderness lessons?

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
(Isaiah 43:19, NIV)

Prayer: List three new things God is doing in your community. Thank Him for one.
Challenge: Visit a local park or café. Pray silently for people there as “living stones.”

Day 5: Wind, Flame, and Unpredictable Spirit

The Holy Spirit arrived as violent wind and dancing flames – nothing like the temple’s eternal lamp. Religious leaders craved control; God sent chaos. The Spirit still disrupts our Egypt nostalgia, propelling us toward unwritten futures. [18:12]

You can’t manage the Spirit like a baton handoff. Wind scatters seeds. Fire purges deadwood. Our task isn’t to direct the blaze, but to follow its light.

When has God surprised you by burning old plans? What ember from that fire still warms you?

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
(John 14:26, NIV)

Prayer: Ask the Spirit to highlight one tradition needing release and one new step requiring courage.
Challenge: Open a window for five minutes. Let the wind remind you of the Spirit’s presence.

Sermon Summary

Acts tells of the risen Jesus returning home to God and handing the work to his followers. The image is simple and sharp, like a relay: the baton changes hands so the race can keep going. Jesus grants a promise, not a political program. He names the Holy Spirit as the power and names the scope of witness as Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Then he is lifted up, a cloud receives him, and the disciples stand there looking up, confused and hoping for the old kingdom they had heard about.

The disciples’ question gives the heart of the tension. Memory reaches for restoration. They want Israel made great again, like David’s day. But Jesus refuses nostalgia. The kingdom of God is not the kingdom of Israel rebooted. Resurrection already signaled it: what once was can no longer be. Death used to be the end; in Christ it becomes a beginning. Exodus taught it too. Slavery in Egypt is not an option once God has freed a people. God does not turn the clock back. God builds a future.

The angels ask why the disciples are still staring at the sky. That question turns their gaze from yesterday’s dream to tomorrow’s promise. They walk back to Jerusalem and do not just wait around. The text says they devote themselves to prayer. Their waiting is active, expectant, and obedient, because Jesus has set the terms. Power will come, and that power will make witnesses, not warlords. The church will not conquer Rome, it will proclaim Christ. It will not restore an old order, it will become a new people shaped by mercy, justice, healing, and joy.

The pull of gilded memories still tempts the church. Christendom’s full pews, school prayers, cultural privilege. But the Spirit is wind and flame, not cement. The early church is not the medieval church, the 1960s church is not today’s congregation, and today’s congregation will not be tomorrow’s. That is not failure. That is the pattern of Easter. God creates, redeems, resurrects, renews. The baton in every disciple’s hand is simple and weighty. Tell the story. Share the mercy. Love the neighbor. Trust the promise. Pray with open hands. The future will not look like the past, but Jesus has not left his people alone. The same God who led slaves through a sea, the same Christ who rose, the same Spirit who set a people on fire, accompanies the church now. Come, Holy Spirit, come.

Key Takeaways

1. What once was can no longer be [39:57] This refrain names the Easter pattern. God does not rewind history, God resurrects it into something new. The church honors memory by giving thanks, not by trying to re-create it. Freedom from nostalgia makes room to notice the future God is already growing. [39:57]
2. The Spirit empowers witness, not restoration [39:10] Jesus refuses a political reboot and promises power to testify. The church’s authority is cruciform, carried in proclamation, healing, and shared life. When the aim shifts from control to witness, love becomes the strategy and the result. [39:10]
3. Active waiting looks like devoted prayer [36:42] The disciples return to the city and lean into prayer. Their patience is not passive; it is training the heart to recognize the Spirit when the wind rises. Such prayer readies desire, steadies fear, and keeps a community available to God’s next move. [36:42]
4. Nostalgia distorts God’s future work [32:28] Selective memory edits out the pain and props up golden-age myths. That haze makes people miss the Spirit’s present leading. By telling the truth about the past, the church can release it and receive the better future Jesus actually gives. [32:28]
5. Witness is the baton in every hand [19:01] Jesus hands the same task to every disciple, not just to a few. Ordinary voices carry the extraordinary story. The load feels lighter when it is shared, and testimony grows strong when it is simple, honest, and close to the ground. [19:01]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:44] - Community announcements and events
[04:27] - Remembering Verna with compassion
[08:23] - Honoring dedicated disciples
[11:20] - Land acknowledgment and call to worship
[16:32] - Relay race and the baton image
[17:44] - Jesus returns home to God
[18:12] - The call to witness explained
[23:30] - Malcolm Guite’s Ascension sonnet
[30:24] - Golden-age nostalgia named and tested
[32:48] - Disciples’ hope for restoration
[34:43] - “To the ends of the earth”
[36:42] - Active waiting through devoted prayer
[39:10] - The Spirit’s power for mission
[40:54] - God builds the future, not the past
[42:30] - Offering and dedication
[50:55] - Prayers of the people
[56:54] - Benediction of courage and peace

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Acts 1:6-8 (ESV)
“So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’”

Observation Questions

What question did the disciples ask Jesus before his ascension, and how did he redirect their focus (Acts 1:6-8)?
The sermon mentions the disciples “stood there looking up, confused and hoping for the old kingdom.” What specific example of “gilded memories” does the preacher give from modern times? [30:24]
How does Exodus 16:3 (“If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!”) illustrate the danger of longing for the past, as discussed in the sermon?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus refused to answer the disciples’ question about restoring Israel’s political kingdom but instead promised the Holy Spirit’s power?
The sermon says, “What once was can no longer be” is an “Easter pattern.” How does Christ’s resurrection fundamentally change how God works in history compared to human efforts to “restore” the past? [39:57]
The preacher compares the Holy Spirit to “wind and flame, not cement.” What does this metaphor suggest about how the Spirit shapes the church’s mission versus human attempts to control outcomes?

Application Questions

Where have you seen yourself or others in the church “gazing at the sky” — clinging to nostalgic ideas of how things “used to be” — instead of embracing God’s new work? What practical step could help shift that focus? [32:28]
The sermon describes “active waiting” as prayerful preparation rather than passive inaction. What does “devoted prayer” look like in your life when facing an uncertain future? How could you practice this with others? [36:42]
The baton image reminds us that every disciple is called to witness. What simple, honest way of sharing God’s love feels most natural to you right now (e.g., serving, listening, creating)? How might you start doing this “close to the ground” this week? [19:01]
The preacher warns that aiming for “control” distorts the church’s mission. Where do you feel tempted to prioritize influence, comfort, or cultural power over sacrificial love? What would it look like to release that desire? [39:10]
The sermon says, “The future will not look like the past, but Jesus has not left his people alone.” What current change in your community or church feels unsettling? How could you lean into trust instead of fear?

Sermon Clips

``God creates, redeems, forgives, loves, resurrects, and renews, but what is past is past. God does a new thing. Christ showed us that in his ministry, his death and resurrection, and his ascension. And the Holy Spirit shows us that through the church right from its beginnings. What once was can no longer be. But then what can be? Well, we have to wait to see what God will do. [00:41:18] (36 seconds)

And the disciples keep looking up, wondering what the heck just happened because let's face it, the Ascension is weird. But also probably wondering where is the kingdom of God they expected Jesus to bring? Where is the restored Israel of their memories and stories? But the kingdom of God is not a restored Israel. The future that Jesus offers to his followers is not composed from fragments of memories and stories of the past. [00:35:07] (33 seconds)

What once was can no longer be, but as the spirit was with us, then the spirit is with us now, and the spirit will be with us in the future. So, friends, we need not fear even when the future is not what we expected or wanted. God, Christ, and spirit is with us. This is good news. And so with God's love, Christ's mercy, and the spirit's power, go forth and proclaim this good news. [00:56:39] (30 seconds)

We trust that God is with us just like God was with the Hebrews in the desert and just like the Holy Spirit was with the early church. That's what scripture reveals to us. And it can also help to remind us that current political movements that recall the glory days of a country and want to restore it back to a Christian nation based on some group's idealized fragments of memory are actually not paying attention to how God works. [00:40:46] (32 seconds)

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Sunday May 17th 2026 Worship Service - Ascension Sunday