In Acts 1:1-11 Luke begins Acts with an account of the Ascension.  The Ascension of our Lord marks the point at which His ministry ends and that of the apostles (and ours) begins. 

After Jesus was crucified, died and buried and rose again he visited his apostles several times offering proof of his suffering and death and his resurrection until the day he was taken up into heaven.  On that day he told his apostles that they would receive the gift promised by God, the Holy Spirit, and that the Spirit would empower them to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

After Jesus said this he was lifted up and a cloud took him from their sight.  Angels came to the men, still looking up into the sky although they could no longer see Jesus, and told them that Jesus has been taken up but he will return in the same way they saw him going into heaven.

We, too, have received the gift of the Holy Spirit and we have been empowered, as the original apostles, to be witnesses of Christ’s life, ministry, death and resurrection.  We also know, as the apostles knew, that Jesus would return again.  We too can take comfort in Jesus’ parting words in the Gospel according to Matthew: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age (or end of the world).”

Graced with the gifts bestowed upon them the apostles went out to make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to teach his commandments and all that he taught them.

This is our mission as well.  Every baptized Christian is empowered by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to witness to the truth, to spread the Gospel (good news)!

The Psalm this week is Psalm 47: God Mounts His Throne, an AWESOME song of joy and rejoicing!!

Peace,

Elaine