The Feast of the Ascension of the Lord

May 25, 2017
The Feast of the Ascension of the Lord

Daily Reading
Acts 1:1-11
Psalm 93
This week’s sermon text: James 4:13-17

Field Notes
On the 40th day after Easter, Jesus “ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty” (Apostles’ Creed). The day traditionally commemorates the mystery of the incarnation and the end of Jesus’ physical presence on Earth, drawing together both his humanity and divinity.

Rev. Adam Hamilton, in his recent book “CREED,” suggests that the end of Jesus’ incarnation begins something new. Do you remember Jesus telling the disciples that his leaving would benefit them? Hamilton says, “I take it to mean that the Church incarnates Christ in the world today. God became flesh through Jesus, and in the same way Jesus, after his ascension to Heaven, becomes flesh through the Church. We are meant to continue the ministry that Jesus began, to represent Jesus to the world. Jesus said it this way, ‘As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.'”

Moreover, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. “When we speak about the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of God, we are speaking of God’s active work in our lives; of God’s way of leading us, guiding us, forming and shaping us; of God’s power and presence to comfort and encourage us and to make us the people God wants us to be. The Spirit is the voice of God whispering, wooing, and beckoning us. And in listening to this voice and being shaped by this power, we find that we become most fully and authentically human.” – Adam Hamilton’s “Creed: What Christians Believe and Why”

Questions for the Field

• In what ways are you surprised and encouraged by the benefits of Jesus’ death and resurrection?
• How have you felt the nudge, the pull, the whisper, and the shouts of the Holy Spirit in your life?
• Where have you seen the work of the Spirit in the church?

Family Field Talk

• Discuss this statement: The Holy Spirit is the life-breath of every day.

Prayer Guide
Holy Spirit, help me to seek those moments of listening that are so necessary to hear your voice. Holy Spirit, help me to live awake to your work, ready to be sent. Holy Spirit, rest in my heart as a deep yearning. Amen.