The Ascension of the Lord

Acts 1:1-11 (JB)

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Why are you standing here looking into the sky? Jesus has been taken into heaven.

In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning until the day he gave his instructions to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God. When he had been at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. ‘It is’ he had said ‘what you have heard me speak about: John baptised with water but you, not many days from now, will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’

Now having met together, they asked him, ‘Lord, has the time come? Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth.’

As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. They were still staring into the sky when suddenly two men in white were standing near them and they said, ‘Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same way as you have seen him go there.’

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Acts 1:1-11 (NRSV)

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

In the first book, Theophilus,

I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning

until the day when he was taken up to heaven,

after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit

to the apostles whom he had chosen.

After his suffering he presented himself alive to them

by many convincing proofs,

appearing to them during forty days

and speaking about the kingdom of God.

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.”

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Ps 46:2-3, 6-9 (JB)

R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:

a blare of trumpets for the Lord.

or

R. Alleluia.

All peoples, clap your hands,

cry to God with shouts of joy!

For the Lord, the Most High, we must fear,

great king over all the earth. R.

God goes up with shouts of joy;

the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.

Sing praise for God, sing praise,

sing praise to our king, sing praise. R.

God is king of all the earth.

Sing praise with all your skill.

God is king over the nations;

God reigns on his holy throne. R.

Ephesians 1:17-23 (JB)

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians

He made Jesus to sit at his right hand in heaven.

May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit and how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers. This you can tell from the strength of his power at work in Christ, when he used it to raise him from the dead and to make him sit at his right hand, in heaven, far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or Domination, or any other name that can be named, not only in this age, but also in the age to come. He has put all things under his feet, and made him as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Ephesians 4:1-13 (JB)

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians

To the measure of the full stature of Christ.

I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all.

Each one of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. It was said that he would:

When he ascended to the height, he captured prisoners,

he gave gifts to men.

When it says, ‘he ascended’, what can it mean if not that he descended right down to the lower regions of the earth? The one who rose higher than all the heavens to fill all things is none other than the one who descended. And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.

Short form

Ephesians 4:1-7. 11-13

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians

To the measure of the full stature of Christ.

I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is father of all, over all, through all and within all.

Each one of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. The one who rose higher than all the heavens to fill all things is none other than the one who descended. And to some his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Ephesians 1:17-23 (NRSV)

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,

may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation

as you come to know him,

so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened,

you may know what is the hope to which he has called you,

what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,

and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power

for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

God put this power to work in Christ

when he raised him from the dead

and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,

and above every name that is named,

not only in this age but also in the age to come.

And he has put all things under his feet

and has made him the head over all things for the church,

which is his body,

the fullness of him who fills all in all.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Ephesians 4:1-13 (NRSV)

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians

I, the prisoner in the Lord,

beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling

to which you have been called,

with all humility and gentleness, with patience,

bearing with one another in love,

making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit

in the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit,

just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,

one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

one God and Father of all,

who is above all and through all and in all.

But each of us was given grace

according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Therefore it is said,

“When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive;

he gave gifts to his people.”

When it says, “He ascended,”

what does it mean but that he had also descended

into the lower parts of the earth?

He who descended is the same one who ascended

far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles,

some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,

to equip the saints for the work of ministry,

for building up the body of Christ,

until all of us come to the unity of the faith

and of the knowledge of the Son of God,

to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

Short form

Ephesians 4:1-7. 11-13

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians

I, the prisoner in the Lord,

beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling

to which you have been called,

with all humility and gentleness, with patience,

bearing with one another in love,

making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit

in the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit,

just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,

one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

one God and Father of all,

who is above all and through all and in all.

But each of us was given grace

according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles,

some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,

to equip the saints for the work of ministry,

for building up the body of Christ,

until all of us come to the unity of the faith

and of the knowledge of the Son of God,

to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Matthew 28:19, 20 (JB)

Alleluia, alleluia!

Go and teach all people my gospel.

I am with you always, until the end of the world.

Alleluia!

Matthew 28:19, 20 (NRSV)

Alleluia, alleluia!

Go and teach all people my gospel;

I am with you always, until the end of the world.

Alleluia!

Mark 16:15-20 (JB)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

The Lord Jesus was taken into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God.

Jesus showed himself to the Eleven, and said to them, ‘Go out to the whole world, proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’

And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Mark 16:15-20 (NRSV)

A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark

Jesus appeared to the eleven, and he said to them,

“Go into all the world

and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.

The one who believes and is baptized will be saved;

but the one who does not believe will be condemned.

And these signs will accompany those who believe:

by using my name they will cast out demons;

they will speak in new tongues;

they will pick up snakes in their hands,

and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them;

they will lay their hands on the sick,

and they will recover.”

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them,

was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere,

while the Lord worked with them

and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.