Living the Sequel 05.17.2026

May 17, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Clouds and Commission

The disciples stood gaping at the sky as Jesus vanished into clouds. Two angels snapped them from their stupor: “Why stare at heaven? He’ll return the same way.” Their question pierced the disciples’ paralysis. Jesus had just promised power through the Spirit for global witness—but frozen awe threatened to replace action. [16:36]

Jesus’ ascension wasn’t abandonment but enthronement. By rising to God’s right hand, He claimed authority over every nation. The disciples’ job wasn’t to chart His celestial movements but to move their feet toward neighbors and nations.

You’ve seen God’s power—answered prayers, unexpected grace, moments of courage. But do you linger in spiritual nostalgia while the world aches? What “cloud” distracts you from the work Jesus has placed before your feet today?

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
(Acts 1:8-9, NIV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to shift your gaze from heavenly speculation to earthly mission.
Challenge: Write down one place or relationship where you’ve been “staring at the sky” instead of engaging.

Day 2: Forty Days of Unfinished

For forty days, the resurrected Jesus ate fish, walked roads, and opened Scripture to His followers. He didn’t dazzle crowds but prepared witnesses. When they asked about political restoration, He redirected them: “Wait for the Spirit’s power.” Their hunger for quick fixes met His call to steady obedience. [12:38]

God’s kingdom advances through Spirit-empowered persistence, not earthly shortcuts. Jesus invested in flawed people over flashy strategies. The disciples’ post-ascension work began with sitting—waiting in prayer until Pentecost’s fire fell.

We crave tidy endings, but God works through process. Where are you rushing outcomes instead of letting the Spirit set the pace? Name one situation where you need to trade impatience for prayerful trust.

“He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised.’”
(Acts 1:3-4, NIV)

Prayer: Confess your temptation to bypass God’s timing. Ask for patience to wait on the Spirit.
Challenge: Set a timer for 5 minutes today. Sit silently, hands open, repeating: “Your power, not mine.”

Day 3: Hands Lifted in Blessing

Jesus ascended mid-blessing, hands outstretched over His disciples. Those same hands bore nail scars. His final act wasn’t a miracle or sermon but a benediction. The disciples walked back to Jerusalem joyfully—not because they had a plan, but because they carried His blessing. [30:35]

A blessing is both gift and charge. Jesus’ wounded hands commissioning them meant their work would cost something too. But His posture assured them: this mission flows from grace, not grit.

You’ve been blessed to bless. How can your hands—literal or metaphorical—extend Jesus’ scarred mercy today? Whose burden feels too heavy for your unaided strength?

“When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.”
(Luke 24:50-51, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for His enduring blessing. Ask Him to make your hands instruments of His love.
Challenge: Text one person today: “Jesus’ blessing is on you. How can I pray?”

Day 4: Bookmarks and Fire

Ascension is a bookmark, not an ending. The disciples kept returning to the temple, praising God as they awaited the Spirit. Their worship wasn’t passive—it fueled readiness. Like a smoldering wick, they stayed positioned for ignition. [16:21]

God’s story always demands a “Part 2.” The Bible’s last page isn’t Revelation 22 but your neighbor’s healing, the meal shared, the addiction broken. Jesus’ departure created space for the Church’s holy subplot.

What chapter is God writing through you right now? Where have you settled for “The End” when He whispers “To be continued…”?

“They worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.”
(Luke 24:52-53, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to kindle fresh anticipation for His next move in your life.
Challenge: Open your Bible to Acts 1:8. Underline “you will be my witnesses.” Write your name beside it.

Day 5: Peanut Butter Grace

A child smears peanut butter everywhere—unselfconscious, lavish. The sermon urged: “Live like that with grace.” The disciples’ witness spread through homes, synagogues, and prisons because they let God’s love stick to everything. [45:09]

Your story—quirky, scarred, ordinary—is the Spirit’s chosen medium. Tabitha sewed tunics; Peter preached; you have your own verbs. Witness isn’t about polish but proximity to Jesus’ heart.

Who needs the “peanut butter” of your unguarded kindness today? What makes you hesitate to leave grace’s messy fingerprints?

“You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
(Luke 24:48-49, NIV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to make you reckless with compassion.
Challenge: Do one intentionally “messy” act of love today: buy groceries for a stranger, sing aloud in a parking lot, handwrite a forgiveness note.

Sermon Summary

We celebrate Ascension as a hinge in God’s story: the risen Christ ascends to reign from heaven, blesses the church, and hands the mission to us. We do not treat the ascension as an ending but as the start of a sequel in which the church continues Jesus’ work. We remain sent into Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth to call people to repentance, to offer forgiveness, and to show new life in Christ. We also remember that the blessing Christ gives looks like power from on high, not worldly wealth; the Spirit equips ordinary people to witness in ordinary ways.

We refuse to stay fixed staring at what has passed. Nostalgia and fear can paralyze us, but remembering that Christ reigns moves us into action. We live as baptized people, washed and redeemed, accountable to tell the truth of what God has done in our lives. Each of our stories carries a unique witness; our gifts—whether sewing, music, reading to a child, writing a letter, or bringing a meal—become means of grace when we use them to serve the neighbor.

We hold two truths together: the world remains broken and God truly reigns. That tension calls for patient waiting for promised power and bold engagement when that power arrives. The waiting before Pentecost models dependence on the Spirit rather than hurried independence. When the Spirit comes, we step into a mission shaped by courage, holy love, and joy; when we act now in ways shaped by that hope, the world sees a different picture of what life can be.

We insist that no one falls outside this story. The gospel calls all people without exception and imagines a church that reflects the breadth of humanity. We practice inclusion by embodying compassion and by using our feet, hands, and eyes to bring mercy and justice into everyday places. We go out together, confident in our baptismal identity and in the Spirit’s power to make our witness effective and life-giving.

Key Takeaways

1. Ascended Christ reigns and sends We accept that Jesus rules over all realms and authorizes the church to act in his name. We carry a mission, not a suggestion, to proclaim repentance and forgiveness so others may taste new life. We must let his reign shape our priorities and our courage in the face of fear. [13:13]
2. Our witness continues the story We understand witness as telling and living the specific truth of what God has done in our lives. We offer testimony in ordinary forms—service, art, presence—and those small acts extend the gospel into places words cannot reach. We commit to being faithful narrators of God’s work. [33:37]
3. Power comes from the Holy Spirit We wait for and rely on Spirit-empowerment rather than human resources or flashy signs. The promised Spirit furnishes us with boldness, wisdom, and unity to fulfill the mission. We act in dependence, trusting the Spirit to make our ordinary witness effective. [29:51]
4. Blessing is spiritual, not material We reject scarcity thinking that equates blessing with wealth or comfort. God’s blessing equips us with presence, power, and purpose, not bank accounts or status. We steward spiritual gifts to serve neighbors and to resist the world’s false measures of success. [31:19]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[07:06] - Opening Prayer and Ascension Call
[11:24] - Reading from Acts 1
[13:49] - Children’s Message: Story Continues
[24:55] - Gospel Reading: Luke 24
[27:28] - What Ascension Means Today
[30:04] - Key Points: Lord, Blessing, Mission
[39:35] - Call to Witness and Action
[46:36] - Waiting for the Spirit
[63:54] - Eucharistic Prayer and Sending

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Acts 1:6-11 (NIV)
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Luke 24:44-49 (NIV)
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Observation questions

In Acts 1:8, what does Jesus say the disciples will receive to accomplish their mission, and where does he send them?
The angels ask the disciples, “Why do you stand here looking into the sky?” (Acts 1:11). What does this imply about their posture after Jesus’ ascension?
According to Luke 24:47, what two things are to be preached to all nations?
The sermon mentions that “blessing looks like power from on high, not worldly wealth” [31:19]. How does this contrast with common cultural ideas of success?

Interpretation questions

Why do you think Jesus emphasizes waiting for the Holy Spirit’s power (Luke 24:49) instead of sending the disciples out immediately?
The sermon states, “The world remains broken and God truly reigns” [38:24]. How does this tension shape the way believers engage with suffering and injustice?
Acts 1:8 connects the Holy Spirit’s power with being witnesses. What does this suggest about the relationship between divine empowerment and human action?
The sermon warns against nostalgia paralyzing us [36:26]. Why might looking backward hinder the church’s mission?

Application questions

Your unique story and gifts (like sewing, music, or serving meals) are meant to extend the gospel [33:37]. What ordinary skill or passion could you use this week to show God’s love to someone?
The angels’ question, “Why do you stand here looking into the sky?” challenges inaction. What is one area where you’ve been “staring” at the past or waiting for perfect conditions instead of stepping forward?
The sermon says, “God’s blessing equips us with presence, power, and purpose” [31:19]. How could focusing on these three things change the way you pray or make decisions?
Jesus sends his followers to “the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Who in your life feels like “the ends of the earth” to you—someone overlooked, excluded, or hard to love? How can you intentionally engage them?
The disciples were told to wait for the Spirit’s power [46:36]. Where do you need to slow down and depend on God’s timing rather than rushing ahead in your own strength?
The sermon insists “no one falls outside this story” [42:16]. What practical step could your small group take to embody inclusion and compassion for those marginalized in your community?

Sermon Clips

63s

#SpeakYourCalling

“``Speak what you were called to speak. Do what you were called to do because the world is waiting for a church that isn't dead or asleep. The world is waiting for the church that is filled with the spirit and on fire because of what God has done for all the world in Jesus Christ. Christ. Christ has died, Christ is risen, the spirit has come, and Christ will return. The question is, in the meantime, will we witness to the love we have received in our lives, and will we make a difference in the life of others proclaiming the good news that comes in Jesus Christ, our lord and our savior. Can I have a witness?”

40s

#WitnessBySpirit

“But god doesn't promise that as the blessing. The blessing is that you will do this work under the power of the most high, that the spirit of god will lead you into the world to accomplish what god has called you to do. And the amazing thing is that those first disciples believed that. What was their job? Their job was to be a witness. And what does a witness do? But tell the truth as they have experienced it.”

56s

#BaptizedAndSent

“Christ provides the spirit, a community, and a power that is unlike no other in the holy spirit. So Jesus reigns. Jesus blesses us. Jesus sends us out with a story to live and tell, and Jesus empowers us to tell that story and live it out in our lives. And all we have to do is recognize, maybe remember, that we are baptized children of God, washed in the blood of Christ, redeemed for a life of purpose, sent out into the world to share what God has done for all people, all people.”

56s

#WaitForTheSpirit

“So on Ascension Sunday, the disciples wait because it's important that on the day of Pentecost or before Pentecost, that the disciples didn't go back into the world and do this work in their own power because they would have failed, and we wouldn't be here today. But we wait for the father to send us what has been promised, and then we trust that the holy spirit is strong enough, wild enough to put us where god needs us to be to be the most effective in sharing the love that God pours into the world. You are a vessel. You are an instrument.”

41s

#UseYourGifts

“You know what you're gifted with. You know what you enjoy. You know your passions, whether it be music or art or reading. And you say, well, preacher, how can reading be a gift? Have you ever gone to your local elementary school and offered to read to children? And their faces light up as if, oh my gosh, I don't know this person, and it seems like he or she cares about me, and they can't wait to hear the story.”

53s

#AscensionIsPartTwo

“So today, Luke 24 and acts one, the ascension isn't an awkward ending to the story of Christ. It is the beginning of a sequel, of a part two. Now many people say that, especially with movies, the sequel is rarely ever as good as the first one. They ought to leave it alone. There's a few exceptions to that. I'm not gonna name any of them because we might have a disagreement on what those are. But Luke's gospel tells the story of what Jesus began to do and teach, and then Acts Luke follows up by opening and making clear that the story isn't over yet.”

43s

#JesusIsLord

“First is that the crucified one is lord and he reigns in heaven over all the earth. Not Caesar, not presidents, not governors, not legislatures, not empires, not fear, not death, nothing rules in the place of Jesus. Jesus blesses. Luke says Jesus ascends with his hands lifted in blessing. And he has given the disciples marching orders. You are to go into all the world beginning in Jerusalem and share this good news that you have heard.”

47s

#YourStoryMatters

“Your story is important, and nobody else's story is like yours. You are a washed in the blood child of God, redeemed by a spirit that the world cannot even compare. Remember that, and then go into the world. And when you see hardship and when you hear the cries of the needy, remember that that's god asking, can I have a witness? And stand up and be who you were called to be.”

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Living the Sequel 05.17.2026

Devotional

Day 1: Clouds and Commission

Day 2: Forty Days of Unfinished

Day 3: Hands Lifted in Blessing

Day 4: Bookmarks and Fire

Day 5: Peanut Butter Grace

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Living the Sequel 05.17.2026

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