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- Lifted Up in Glory
"Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.'"
Dear Friends,
There's something transformative about lifting our eyes heavenward. Perhaps you've felt it—that sacred hush during worship, when tears flow freely as your spirit reaches beyond what eyes can see.
The disciples experienced this on Ascension day as they watched their beloved Teacher, Friend and Lord being "carried up into heaven" (Luke 24:51). Imagine the holy wonder that filled the air around them!
Think back to a time when you watched someone you love walk away—at an airport gate, going off to college, or perhaps a hospital room? That ache in your chest, that mixture of pride and loss?
I think the disciples felt something similar, but infinitely deeper.
We so often rush past this sacred moment in Scripture, eager to get to Pentecost's fire. But pause here with me, in this sacred moment—between earth and glory—a divine coronation took place. This was not simply a departure, but the triumphant exaltation of the risen Christ to the right hand of the Father.
 | At His ascension, Jesus was enthroned “far above all principality and power and might and dominion” (Ephesians 1:21), with all things placed “under His feet” (Ephesians 1:22). |
Let this truth sink in: the very same Jesus who walked the dusty roads of Galilee now reigns from heaven’s highest throne as King of kings and Lord of lords.
As Kathryn Kuhlman often reminded believers, "No wonder we can come boldly to the throne of grace, because on that throne sits One with scars in His hands!"
Don't miss what happened in that moment of ascension: Jesus didn't simply rise to heaven—He raised you with Him. "But God...made us alive together with Christ...and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-6).
This isn't poetic language; it's our spiritual reality.
The angels' gentle question to those upward-gazing disciples resonates through centuries: "Why do you stand gazing up into heaven?" The question wasn't meant to rebuke their wonder but to kindle their mission. Yes, look up—but then move forward.
Heaven has received your King, and that King has poured His very Spirit into your being. You're not abandoned; you're commissioned. You're not orphaned; you're empowered. The hands that hold the universe together are the same hands guiding your next step.
His ascension didn't end His presence—it multiplied it. Now Christ works not just before you or beside you, but within you.
For reflection: In this moment, close your eyes and picture yourself seated with Christ in heavenly places, looking down at your greatest challenge. From this vantage point of victory, what does the Holy Spirit want you to see differently? What authority has He given you to speak into this situation?
Anchored in His promises,
– The Living Gospel Letters Team