May 17, 2026 10:00 AM Contemporary Ascension & Music Sunday Worship LIVE!!

Luke sets the scene with Jesus doing what he had promised. He opens minds to understand Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms, and he names the shape of the gospel: the Messiah suffers, rises on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness are proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning in Jerusalem. The text then speaks a vocation: “You are witnesses of these things.” It adds a wait: “Stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Finally, the risen Lord lifts his hands in blessing, ascends, and leaves a people worshiping with great joy, blessing God in the temple.

The ascension image has long captured Christian imagination. A cloud receives him. Sometimes only the hem of a garment can be seen. Sometimes only the soles of his feet. Yet the question keeps surfacing: did this really happen, and how? One reading says yes, just as written. Another calls the story a metaphor the early church used to confess a living Lord. A third says mystery: not all details fit first‑century sky maps, but something real happened that outruns the categories. The church has struggled to voice that reality. So the better question becomes, what truth does this story proclaim?

The ascension marks an ending and a beginning. Jesus’ local, time‑bound presence ends. The church’s global, Spirit‑empowered witness begins. The ascended Christ is not absent; he is present to all people, everywhere, all the time. At the center stands a promise: “I am sending upon you what my Father promised.” “You will be clothed with power from on high.” “You will receive power… and you will be my witnesses.” The promise steadies a believer when wisdom runs thin, grief deepens, or words fail. But the same promise also moves a believer out of the safe places.

That moving power shows up in ordinary rooms. A midlife shift from the trading floor to a hospital chaplain’s badge brought an uneasy friendship with Brenda, a Pentecostal saint who rolled her eyes at careful answers and quiet prayers. Over time, silence turned into listening. Listening turned into presence. And presence, in the hour of dying, became a strong sense of the Holy Spirit’s nearness. In the simplicity of those moments, needs were met on both sides. As Walter Wangerin wrote, by grace “someone’s hurt shall find healing in you,” not always, but “in the fullness of its own time,” because “the power shall be given unto you.” That is why the church keeps Ascension. It is a day of blessing and a day of promise. The Lord goes up, and the Lord sends power.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The ascension begins the church’s witness The story closes Jesus’ earthly chapter and opens the church’s calling to testify. The blessing at Bethany becomes fuel for a life of worship that spills into mission. Joy in the temple becomes speech to the nations. The ending is also the launching. [27:48]
• 2. Christ clothes his people with power “Stay… until you have been clothed with power from on high” is both command and comfort. The power is not pumped up from within but given from above, in due time. Waiting becomes obedience, and obedience becomes capacity. The gift fits the work. [20:56]
• 3. The Spirit consoles and disrupts comfort The promised power strengthens the fainthearted, but it also sends disciples into rooms they would not choose. Consolation and calling are a matched pair. Growth often arrives by way of discomfort, where humility makes space for the Spirit’s voice. [30:08]
• 4. Honest mystery can deepen obedience The church does not need to solve the mechanics of the cloud to live inside its meaning. Naming the limits of explanation can protect wonder and keep cynicism at bay. Mystery, received in faith, sharpens attention to what Christ actually commands. [26:51]
• 5. Ordinary moments carry Spirit‑led healing A hospital bed, an awkward conversation, a last embrace can become altars where the Spirit quietly works. Needs are met, not by flash, but by faithful presence. In the right moment, power arrives, and love does what it was sent to do. [32:57]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [20:19] - Gospel reading: Luke 24:44-53
• [22:04] - Ascension Sunday in the calendar
• [23:25] - Why Ascension feels neglected
• [24:50] - Images of the Ascension in art
• [25:23] - Did this really happen? Three views
• [27:26] - The real question: what truth?
• [27:48] - End of presence, mission begins
• [28:26] - Promise: power from on high
• [29:22] - Power for hard seasons
• [30:08] - Power beyond the comfort zone
• [30:26] - Story: chaplaincy and Brenda
• [32:57] - In due time, power is given
• [33:41] - Blessing and sending

Bible Reading
Luke 24:44-53 (ESV)
44 Then [Jesus] said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 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.” 50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.

Acts 1:8 (ESV)
“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.”

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Observation questions

1. According to Luke 24:44-47, what three parts of Scripture did Jesus say must be fulfilled, and what three events/actions define the gospel’s shape?
2. The sermon mentions that the ascension story is sometimes debated as literal, metaphorical, or mysterious. What example from art (Fra Angelico or Salvador Dalí) stood out to you, and how does it depict the ascension? [24:50]
3. In the story about Brenda and the hospital chaplaincy, what shifted in their relationship over time? What need was met in both of them? [32:24]
4. What two things does Jesus’ command to “stay… until clothed with power” (Luke 24:49) combine, according to the sermon?

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Interpretation questions

1. Why might the ascension be described as both an “ending” and a “beginning” for the church? How does this dual purpose shape the mission of believers?
2. The sermon says the Spirit’s power “consoles and disrupts comfort.” How might the same power both strengthen someone in grief and push them into uncomfortable situations?
3. The story of Brenda and the chaplain highlights “faithful presence” over flashy solutions. Why do you think ordinary moments (like a hospital visit) can become “altars” for the Spirit’s work?
4. The sermon suggests that “mystery, received in faith, sharpens attention to what Christ actually commands.” How might over-explaining the mechanics of the ascension distract from its practical implications?

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Application questions

1. Jesus told the disciples to wait for power “from on high” before acting. What is a situation in your life where you feel called to wait for God’s timing rather than forcing a solution? How can you practice obedience in the waiting?
2. The Spirit’s power is promised for both hard seasons and uncomfortable callings. When have you experienced God’s power strengthening you in a difficult time? When has it pushed you beyond your comfort zone?
3. The chaplain’s story shows how “ordinary rooms” can become spaces for healing. Where in your daily life (work, family, community) could you practice “faithful presence” instead of waiting for a dramatic opportunity? [32:57]
4. The sermon warns against letting debates about the ascension’s mechanics overshadow its meaning. How can you focus more on living “inside the meaning” of Christ’s promises rather than getting stuck in unanswerable questions?
5. Brenda initially dismissed the chaplain’s quiet faith. Have you ever felt inadequate or judged in sharing your faith? How might the promise of “power from on high” free you from comparison or fear? [31:25]