The Ascension of our Lord May 16-17, 2026
“The Next Step” Acts 1:1-11
Rev. John R. Larson Ascension Lutheran Church Littleton, Colorado
About two weeks ago I conducted the funeral service and the graveside for Irene Densmore, a longtime member of Ascension. The order at the graveside is usually the same. When the family has taken their seats I begin with some Scripture, some prayers, the committal of the body or the ashes. We pray the Lord’s Prayer and I say a benediction. And then there is a pause. We’re not done. Even though I have said my last words, that event is not done until the folks from the mortuary tell everyone that it is done. Sometimes the wait before their arrival is a few seconds. Sometimes it is a bit longer. There can be an uneasiness in those moments of silence. But when the official pronouncement is made, “Folks, this now concludes this service, thank you for attending”, there is a sense of completion. I guess we been told that we can take the next step in the order of that day.
On the first Ascension Day, 40 days after the resurrection of Jesus from the grave, there was a sense of uncertainty among the 11 apostles. Our reading from Acts 1 says, “After Jesus said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’” (Acts 1:9-11)
Jesus ascends from earth to heaven. I wonder how long they stood there gazing at the sky. They were looking, straining, wanting to see this last glimpse of Jesus as He left. And then the two men, I assume they were God’s angels, were the voice of authority. “You can leave now.”
What would the next step be? What’s next for them? I assume there was some uncertainty for them. Uncertainty is a terrible feeling. We can feel lost. We can move but we don’t really go anywhere. We don’t know what the future holds. I think for millions of people this month can contain a flood of worry and uncertainty. We had our preschool graduation this past Thursday and I know that when the middle of August comes for them, and their family, there will be some tears when they get dropped off at kindergarten. Some of those little ones may think, “Can I just go back to Miss Melina’s class?” (Miss Melina is our pre-kindergarten teacher.) The eighth graders will head to high school. The top dog one year becomes the bottom of the pole the next year. Graduation from high school or from college can be met with stress. What is the next step? Will I find a place? A job? New friends?
The next step is an amazing step. Why can I say that? It is because God has said it. In a writing from Pastor Jeff Gibbs he recounts, “My pastor preached a sermon once in which he proclaimed that the risen Jesus is Lord of all – of everything. I remember him saying words to this effect: Jesus is Lord of your suffering, whatever it is. This means that when you are suffering, Jesus is closer to you than at any other time. This also means that when I experience suffering, that suffering must obey Jesus because he is its Lord, and he will use the suffering for his purposes and for my good.” (Jeff Gibbs, Matthew 21:1-28:20, Page 1381)
The apostles had much fear about that day. In John’s Gospel we read about that day. “Jesus said, “Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief.” (John 16:5-6) Later Jesus says, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” (John 16:19-20)
The next step in the life of Jesus was always a purposeful and redeeming step. He left heaven and took on flesh and was ‘God with us’. His first step was a step down. He began His ministry and called for people to repent, turning away from the sins that consume us, and turning toward Him. That is a step that asks for a new heart. You need one? I need a new one. Every day. The next step for Jesus was a step toward sacrifice. On Holy Thursday He tells His followers that He is the Lamb of God who would be sacrificed for the waywardness of all of God’s sheep. The next step? Good Friday. He said, “What shall I say, ‘Father, save me from this hour? No, it is for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” (John 12:27-28)
The next step? What a step!! He knew where He was going. He knew what He was doing. Jesus said, “We are going to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life.” (Matthew 20:18-19) Easter!!
Step after step for you and me. But He wasn’t done, even after the resurrection. There is no greater day than the resurrection day but this day, the day of the Ascension, was the next step. In Luke’s Gospel we read, “When He had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.” (Luke 24:50-51)
But they needed the strength to take one more step. They needed to be filled with God’s Holy Spirit. On the Ascension Day Jesus knew exactly what would be needed for them. “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5) A few verses later Jesus promises, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” (Acts 1:8)
Did you know that He gave that power to you? At your Baptism God gave you the Holy Spirit. Today is Confirmation Sunday for two of our youth. Walter and Juliette take that next step. They confess with their own mouth what God gave them when He placed His hand upon them in Baptism. Today they receive grace from Jesus at the Table of our Lord.
Our faith cannot be stagnant. No, it is ever growing. Jesus grows our faith. We are ever confident in God’s hand in our life. We are never alone. Jesus said, “I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you.” (John 14:18) Jesus says, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)
What is your next step in life? Afraid? Apprehensive? Just plain terrified? Every next step that Jesus took led to something greater. He did it for us – and He still does. Whether we are going to handle the hardest things in life, the world that seems to leave us in perplexity, our life with its great challenges, we don’t do it alone. Like Gibbs’ pastor said, “The risen Jesus is the Lord of all – of everything.” If the next big step in your life is eternity – life is growing short – then listen to what Jesus says about that next step, “I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3)
Last week in The Denver Post a wonderful feel-good story was written about Jean De Servien-Kenwood. De Servien-Kenwood attended the University of Colorado in the 1960’s. He was from France and while at CU he began work on his doctorate. But life got in the way of completing his thesis. He and his wife moved to New Jersey and began teaching careers.
But he had made a promise to his wife, who had died in 2020, that he would submit his thesis and earn a Ph.D. This past Saturday, at the spry age of 91, Jean De Servien-Kenwood became Dr. Jean De Servien-Kenwood. Humbly he said of this next step, “I’m going to be 92 very soon, so for my age group, I think I’m doing fine. I have nothing to complain about, and I’m ready for whatever is next.” The good doctor said he is now writing his fourth novel. So much for retirement.
On that Ascension Day the next step for those earliest Christians came with some fear but it was answered by God’s power and purpose. Our next step? I can’t wait to see!! I can’t wait to see what God will do!! Amen.
