Ascension Prayer

Prayer for the Ascension:
Lord Jesus Christ, forty days after Your Resurrection You led Your disciples out to Bethany and, lifting up Your hands, You blessed them. And as You blessed them, You parted from them and were carried up to heaven. The disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

You told them before You ascended: 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'

You also said: 'When the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'

Lord, You ascended in Your human body — You took our humanity with You into the presence of the Father. Where You are, we hope to be. Your Ascension is our hope: that human nature, redeemed in Your flesh, can enter the glory of God.

As we wait for the fulfillment of Your promise, fill us with the same joy that filled the disciples. Help us to be Your witnesses where we are — to our families, our neighborhoods, our workplaces. Let us not stand staring at the sky but go forth to make disciples, trusting always in Your presence with us until the end of the age. Amen.