Ascension Day
Almighty God,
Whose only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven: May our hearts and minds also there ascend, and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
(Anglican Book of Common Prayer, 2019)
Psalm 93:1-2 NRSV
The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved; your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.
Acts 1:4-11 NRSV
While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So, when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Psalm 47:5-9 NRSV
God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm. God is king over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted.
BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD ABOVE
Charitie Lees Bancroft
Before the throne of God above I have a strong and perfect plea: a great High Priest Whose name is Love, Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands. My name is written on His heart. I know that while in heaven He stands, no tongue can bid me thence depart; no tongue can bid me thence depart.
When Satan tempts me to despair, and tells me of the guilt within, upward I look and see Him there, Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died my sinful soul is counted free. For God, the Just, is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me; to look on Him and pardon me.
Behold Him there, the risen Lamb! My perfect spotless righteousness. The great unchangeable I AM. The King of Glory and of Grace.
One with Himself, I cannot die; my soul is purchased by His blood. My life is hid with Christ on high, with Christ, my Savior and my God; with Christ my Savior and my God!
Honored, Glorified, Exalted
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
