We live in 2025, and we read from texts that stem back to 650 BCE. The thinking and knowledge we have today is, understandably, very different than it once was. One of the gifts of the progressive theological movement is the ability to have our feet planted in two different areas of thought. One foot is firmly planted in the historical thinking of an early time, and the other planted in the modern times in which we live. Ascension Sunday is a piece of the church that stems back to the 4th Century. It comes from a time with an ancient worldview: “heaven” was physically “up” there and “earth” was “below.” Today, with our modern-day understanding, the idea of Jesus rising into the clouds may feel more mythical or symbolic rather than literal. But there is still so much here for us today! I think this Sunday of the Ascension STILL offers wisdom and truth to the church and guides our faithful living as disciples of Jesus.
As we engage with the text this morning, I would like to suggest that the Ascension is less about Jesus going "somewhere else"…rising to the heavens. I would like to suggest that this text is more about Jesus being elevated to divine authority. It means Christ now reigns over all creation…not from a distant sky, but from the center of the divine presence that transcends space and time.
We are people of Easter; people of the empty tomb; people waiting for his return. Yet…Christ is not gone—with the Ascension we are assured that He is globally and universally present and empowering our ministry that we offer in His name! The Ascension reminds us that Jesus is no longer limited to one place and time…back then. He is available to all people; he is found in all places; he is with us through all time. We gather for worship today, on Ascension Sunday, and we stand in a liminal space. A moment of holy transition. A moment where the heavens are fully embedded in the earth around and within the reality in which we live.
In the Ascension story that Pam read in Acts 1, the disciples are caught between what has been and what will be. Jesus, their teacher, their friend, their Lord, has been raised. The realm of death could not contain him. God’s power was even greater than the power of crucifixion. Over 40 days, the resurrected Jesus has taught them, comforted them, and spoken to them about the kingdom of God. And now—He is leaving. Leaving…again. And yet, He promises something greater is coming. This is what we affirm over the bread and wine at Communion: “Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again!” The promise is not about a loss, but the promise is about gain: If this day is anything, it is a clarion call towards action. This IS the time—to step into the world; This IS the time – to be empowered by Christ’s Spirit; This IS the time – to take up the mission we have been given. I think that this is what the text is getting at with the transmission of power unto each of us: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” This is not the time to wait. This is not the time to stall. This is the time to be the Church!
Yet human nature in these challenging moments of call is to waffle; to worry; to wonder…The disciples ask, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” (v. 6) It’s a fair question. They were looking for clarity… certainty…restoration. Maybe even comfort. And Jesus gives them a call forward; the time is now; and he gives the beginnings of the Jesus’ movement…a mission. Jesus says: “It is not for you to know the times or periods… But you will receive power… and you will be my witnesses.” Jesus shifts them from a question of when to a reality of living faith…NOW.
This is as liberating as it is scary. Jesus is essentially saying: This is not about predicting God’s calendar. It’s about participating in God’s purpose. And the same is true for us. We live in uncertain times: political division in North America (and other parts of the world), conflict and war, climate change, economic instability, and (frankly) even weariness in the Church itself. We ask…we pray: “Is this the time when God will fix all of this? Will things ever get better?” And, so, Jesus responds—not with a timeline, but with a calling: “You will receive power… you will be my witnesses.” And this is the wondrous beauty of the Ascension. When Jesus ascends…He does not abandon; He empowers. He entrusts His mission over to us and empowers us the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is power! It was the same Spirit that hovered over creation that brought all into being…light and dark…land and sea…all Creation. It was the same Spirit that descended at Jesus’ baptism proclaiming “You are my son, the Beloved, in whom I am well pleased. It was the same Spirit that brought New Life from the tomb and opened the possibility of life for all! And that same Spirit is now given to the Church. This is not Jesus’ parting gift. This is the promise of Jesus’ eternal presence. The gift of the Holy Spirit is the engine of mission. We are not left alone—we are lifted up and empowered.
And in this time when our churches feel anxious—about so much: attendance, budgets, or the future—we must remember this: We are not running on our own strength. We are running on resurrection power. We are running on the power of the Holy Spirit that is departed upon us! To the uncertainty of the disciples who felt abandoned…who felt lost without Jesus, the angels ask a powerful question in verse 11: “Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” It’s more than just a gentle rebuke. It’s also an assurance. Jesus will return—but there is work to do now. And to our uncertainties and our fears, this text assures us that This IS the time…This IS the time to live the gospel, to be witnesses, to proclaim hope, to be community, to serve, to speak truth, to walk in reconciliation, to care for creation, to follow the Spirit’s leading. This IS the time!
Friends, the United Church of Canada is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Next Sunday will be the BIG CELEBRATION! And we think about: A century of ministry. A century of witness. A century of evolving faithfulness. We give thanks for all that has been—for the congregations built, the lives touched, the justice pursued, and the gospel proclaimed in uniquely Canadian and courageous ways.
But the Ascension reminds us that we are not here just to remember the past. We are here to step boldly into the future. Jesus didn’t say, “You were my witnesses.” He said, “You will be my witnesses.” That future is now. So, as we approach our centennial, let us not simply be a church looking back, (or the church looking up to the heavens), but let us be the church moving forward. Not asking “when will things change?” but proclaiming: “This IS the time.” Our mission focus as a denomination is composed of three key areas. Bold Discipleship: This emphasizes nurturing deep spiritual growth and faith development. It calls people to follow Jesus with courage, compassion, and a commitment to justice, especially in the face of societal challenges. Daring Justice: This involves confronting systems of oppression and working for equity, reconciliation, and environmental sustainability. It means being active in justice-making, not just in words but in transformative action. And lastly, Deep Spirituality / Daring Leadership: This focus area calls for inspiring, equipping, and supporting leaders—both lay and ordained—to be visionary, faithful, and adaptive in a changing world. It invites the church to reimagine how to lead with creativity and courage. Together, these guideposts call the church into a bold, justice-seeking, and spiritually grounded future.
This is a GREAT time to take stock in where we are a church! So where are we looking? Are we staring at the sky, waiting for answers, wondering when God will act? Or are we looking at the street—at our neighbourhoods, our city, our country, our world—and stepping forward with Spirit-filled courage? Christ has ascended, yes. But the Spirit has descended and empowered YOU…the CHURCH. And now, the Church must move. We must live our faith. You must take up the mantle of YOUR ministry and live it out!
Earlier in the service we sang a wonderful song inspired by St Teresa of Avila: “Christ Has No Body But Yours.” It is a reflection of her deep spirituality and sense of Christian responsibility. It emphasizes that we are now the living presence of Christ in the world, called to act with compassion and justice. "Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours."
And the assurance we receive on this Ascension Sunday is that we are empowered to BE his body: his hands, his feet, his eyes. We don’t need to look into the heavens and wait…the time is NOW; we don’t need to be uncertain…we have been empowered…equipped…blessed. We are the church.
Thanks be to God for this gift and responsibility!
Amen.