Ascension Day: What Does It Mean to Believe in a Christ Who Ascends?

Can you name a hymn that narrates the Ascension of Jesus Christ?

I couldn’t—not immediately, anyway.

Earlier today, I went looking. I found hymns that speak to the ongoing implications of Christ’s Resurrection—songs that celebrate his victory over death and proclaim Easter joy. But I struggled to find anything that directly tells the story of the Ascension itself. And that surprised me.

I ask because Thursday, May 29, 2025, is Ascension Day—and I wanted to know what song I should be singing.

Ascension Day, or the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, always falls on the sixth Thursday after Easter. According to Acts 1:3 and following, Jesus remained with his disciples for 40 days after his resurrection. During that time, he gave evidence of his bodily resurrection and instructed them—reminding them they would soon receive power from the Holy Spirit and become his witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Then, suddenly and stunningly:

“After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.” (Acts 1:9)

The Ascension is also described in Mark (the longer ending, 16:19–20) and Luke (24:50–53). John’s interpretation—especially in 3:13; 6:62; and 20:17—is more poetic and symbolic, but still present. Elsewhere in the New Testament, the Ascension is referenced in Acts 2:33; Ephesians 1:20–23; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:14–16; and 1 Peter 3:22. And of course, the Nicene Creed affirms:

“[Jesus Christ] ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.”

And yet—how often do we actually talk about it?

In over twenty years of ministry in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), I’ve never been part of a congregation that intentionally celebrates Ascension Day. That’s not a criticism; I haven’t observed it either. But it’s curious, isn’t it? For an event so central to the story of Jesus, it doesn’t seem to occupy much space in our liturgical imagination.

Still, I believe Ascension Day offers more than a historical note. It offers a lens—a way of seeing. It gives us an opportunity to reflect not only on what happened, but on what keeps happening. Because “Ascension faith” isn’t just about what took place in Acts 1. It’s about how we live now.

Four Dimensions of Ascension Faith

1. Ascension Faith Is Faith in the Ongoing Presence of Christ

One of the major instructions Jesus gave during those forty days was about the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4–8a). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ—his ongoing presence among us. Through the Spirit’s work, we continue to experience Jesus not as a memory, but as a living presence. Ascension does not mark Jesus’s absence. It testifies to his nearness in a new way.

2. Ascension Faith Is Faith in Christ’s Glory and Authority

A prayer from The New Handbook of the Christian Year puts it beautifully:

“As [Christ] reigns as King in our hearts, may we rejoice in his peace, glory in his justice, and live in his love.”

To speak of Christ’s glory and authority isn’t mere spiritual pageantry. Christ’s authority is always consistent with his character. To glorify Christ is to honor his humility, his justice, his self-giving love—not bravado, not coercion. In the Ascension, Jesus is lifted up not only in space, but in meaning.

3. Ascension Faith Is Confidence That We Are Heard

Hebrews 4:14–16 assures us that when we pray, we are heard by one who understands. Our great high priest has walked our roads, felt our pain, known our joys. We are not speaking into silence. We are heard by one who has lived it all with us.

4. Ascension Faith Is Devotion to the Work We’re Called to Do

As Jesus ascended, two messengers asked the disciples, “Why do you stand here looking into the sky?” It’s a rhetorical question—and maybe a gentle rebuke. Jesus will return, yes. But in the meantime, there is work to be done. There is good news to share, neighbors to love, justice to embody. Ascension doesn’t pull us out of the world—it plants us more deeply in it.

So maybe we won’t hold a special worship service this Thursday. Maybe it will pass quietly, without candles or banners. Even so, I hope we’ll pause. I hope we’ll consider what it means to live in the in-between: between Resurrection and Return, between promise and fulfillment.

One of the Psalms for Ascension Day is Psalm 47, which calls out in verse 6: “Sing praises!”—three times in one line.

As for me, I’ll be leaning into Charles Wesley’s hymn:

Hail the day that sees Him rise, Alleluia!
To His throne above the skies, Alleluia!
Christ, the Lamb for sinners given, Alleluia!
Enters now the highest heaven, Alleluia!

Because Ascension isn’t just an ending.
It’s a sending.
A calling.
A promise still unfolding.

Faithfully,

Rev. Dr. Andy Mangum

Regional Minister and President