Ascension Day marks the 40th day of Eastertide. It is a feast day to celebrate Jesus' ascension into heaven 40 days after He rose from the dead. This is a day to celebrate Christ being exalted from the suffering servant on earth to the Lord of all. (Source) This site here has a good timeline on the history of Ascension Day.
There are liturgies online for this Holy Thursday. Acts 1:6-12, Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:19-20, and Luke 24:50-53 are some of the Scripture references for Jesus' ascension.
This blog here has some ideas on how to celebrate Ascension Day, such as making themed foods, song/video/picture suggestions, and more.
Ascension Day is not among the most well known holidays in the Protestant Church. At its core, this is a day to remember Jesus' ascension into heaven and what that means for us.
Read the ends of the Gospels and the start of Acts to review what the Bible records about the ascension.
Find songs that celebrate Jesus' authority and kingship. (One way to do this is to look for songs that mention Jesus/He/His/Him, more than it mentions I/you/me/us. Many songs in our hymnal seem to spend more time talking about us than the recipient of our worship!)
Make a special meal for today. Many of us do not have time in the middle of work week to plan an elaborate feast, but we can do small things to make the meals we have special. For example,
*Weather permitting, eat outside, in view of the sky
*Set a white tablecloth on the table to symbolize the clouds or a blue tablecloth to symbolize the sky
*Listen to something about Ascension Day during your meal (a sermon, song, or video clip)
*Discuss what it means that Jesus is Lord of All. Consider how your life is different as a result of this truth.
*Exalt Jesus. Praise Him. Worship Him. Ponder the names of Jesus.
*Imagine what Jesus might have taught His disciples in the 40 days between His resurrection and ascension into heaven.
*Ask the Spirit to give you an outreach or service idea to do on Ascension Day. What is a way you can minister to someone, meet one of their needs, or bless them? What is one aspect of Jesus' example you are being called to follow?
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