Collect:
Risen, ascended Lord,
 as we rejoice at your triumph,
 fill your Church on earth with power and compassion,
 that all who are estranged by sin
 may find forgiveness and know your peace,
 to the glory of God the Father.

Comment
The first few verses of the book of Acts summarise the time between Jesus’ resurrection and his ascension: he gave the disciples many convincing proofs that he was alive, he taught them about the kingdom of God, and he told them to wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Holy Spirit. The disciples wondered whether the Old Testament prophecies about blessings for Israel were about to be fulfilled at last, and asked Jesus about it. They knew that Jesus had promised them significant positions in the coming kingdom. But the future Jesus now prepared them for was not what they had anticipated.
Jesus first tells them not to spend time thinking about God’s timetable.
The perfect future world will come, but only the Father knows what the timetable is, and we don’t need to know. What we do need to know is that we have work to do, and the resources to do it with.
The resources we are given are the Holy Spirit himself. At the time of this conversation he had not come upon the disciples; when he does, says Jesus, ‘You will receive power’. That power is not a force or strength which we are given for our own purposes. It is the power of the Spirit, and is never separate from him. Since the Holy Spirit is divine, the third person of the Trinity, his power is divine power. Since the Holy Spirit is in believers, his power is within us. Since the Holy Spirit came upon the whole church – not just the apostles – this promise of Jesus is for us as well as his listeners.
There is a purpose for this power. It is so that we might be witnesses, giving testimony about Jesus all over the world, so that people all over the world might believe in Jesus and receive from him forgiveness and eternal life with God as his people, God’s sons and daughters. The power of the Spirit takes our weak and inadequate lives and words, and uses them to transform other people’s lives. We do our best, as followers of Jesus, to live the way he wants us to and to say what needs to be said.
But we know that God’s power does not depend on how perfect our lives are and how convincingly we speak. All God needs is our willingness to live, speak and think as his agents here on earth, wherever we may go.
Jesus ascended into heaven. He went up, and everyone who was watching knew where he went. He is there today, reigning with all authority in heaven and on earth, bringing his kingdom into being. While we are bearing witness to his love, the Holy Spirit is at work, and Jesus’
reign is gently being extended. He is not exercising his authority as if he were a tyrant! However, one day he will return to earth in all his glory, and God’s kingdom will be fully revealed. What a day that will be!

Questions
1) How open are you to the Holy Spirit living and working in you? What areas of your life might you keep him out of?
2) Where do you see God at work most obviously these days?