Bishop Job, Father Alexey Surayev, Deacon Andrei, president of “Orthodoxy – V” Kim Lopushinsky and altar servant William Golovaychuk.

Sermon on Ascension of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

On this day, the Thursday of the sixth week of Pascha, dear brothers and sisters, we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ from earth to Heaven in His glorified body. You have heard about the event of the Ascension from the Evangelist Luke and from the Acts of the Apostles, which Luke also wrote.

After His Resurrection, Jesus remained on earth for forty days, appearing to His Disciples in various places. He ate, drank and conversed with them, verifying and assuring His Resurrection.

On the fortieth day after Pascha, Jesus appeared to His Disciples in Jerusalem. He gave them His last commandment, to go forth and preach in His Name to all the nations. At the same time, He told them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait until they were clothed with the power from on high by the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them. Having said this, Jesus led His Disciples to the Mount of Olives. Then He lifted up His hands and blessed them. And as He was speaking to them with words of fatherly blessing, Jesus departed from them and ascended into Heaven, being received by a shining cloud, indicating His divine majesty. He gradually disappeared from the sight of the Disciples as they gazed at Him. And as they stood thus, two angels in brilliant white robes appeared to them in the form of men and said to them: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven”. In these words is fulfilled and defined the doctrine concerning the Son of God and His Word, in the Confession of Faith.

After our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled all His great dispensation for us, He ascended in glory into Heaven, and sat on the right hand of God the Father. His Disciples returned from the Mount of Olives, rejoicing in the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit.

What is the purpose of this feast and what is its meaning? The Fathers say that Christ’s Ascension to Heaven is also our ascension to Heaven. We are all called to ascend in Jesus Christ to a life of holiness and to the blessedness of the Kingdom of Heaven. In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul clearly says that our true Homeland is in Heaven with Jesus Christ, who is glorified unto the ages. Our life on this earth is a passing prelude to true, eternal life.

This is the meaning of the Feast of the Ascension. We are called to grow toward the true Homeland, which is Heaven, that is the Kingdom! Here we live by the Holy Spirit, whom the Church considers to be the pledge of eternal life. This is the meaning of the Christian life.

O Christ our God, Who didst ascend in glory, have mercy on us. Amen.

Photo report from the Parish feast of the Ascension of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ Russо-Greek Orthodox Church, Skaro, Alberta.