The Seventh Sunday of Easter: The Sunday after Ascension Day – May 17, 2026

The Sunday after the Ascension is a threshold moment. Jesus has been lifted up—taken from the disciples’ sight—and yet the Holy Spirit has not yet come. It is a moment suspended between what was and what will be. A moment of holy uncertainty.

And that is where so much of the Christian life happens: in the in‑between, in the waiting, in the listening, in the discerning.

Ascension is not about Jesus leaving us. It is about Jesus transforming the way he is present with us. And it is about our own transformation… our readiness to grow, to change, to step into the new thing God is bringing forth.

In Acts, the disciples ask Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”

It is the question of people longing for clarity. People who want a plan. People who want to know what comes next.

And Jesus does not give them a timeline. He gives them a calling. “You will receive power… and you will be my witnesses.”

Transformation begins when we stop asking, “When will things go back to the way they were?” and start asking, “What new thing is God preparing us for?”

The disciples stand staring at the sky, frozen between awe and confusion. And two messengers appear and say, “Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?”

In other words: Don’t get stuck staring at what was. Don’t cling to the past. Don’t wait for Jesus to return in the same form he left.

Ascension invites us to look forward, not backward. To trust that God is already ahead of us. To believe that new things are springing forth even when we cannot yet see them.

The disciples return to Jerusalem—not to hide, but to pray, to listen, to discern. They gather in the upper room in expectation, not fear. This is the posture of transformation.

Psalm 68 paints a picture of a God who is not static but moving—leading, scattering what harms, lifting up the vulnerable, preparing a home for the lonely, sending rain to refresh the weary.

This is the God of Ascension: A God who leads us forward. A God who makes a way where there was no way. A God who transforms wilderness into promise.

When God is on the move, we are invited to move with him.

1 Peter speaks to communities undergoing change and uncertainty. “Do not be surprised,” he writes, “at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you.”

Transformation is rarely comfortable. Growth is rarely easy. New things rarely emerge without disruption.

But Peter also says: “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.” “Cast all your anxiety on him.” “Discipline yourselves.” “Resist.” “Stand firm.”

This is not passive waiting. This is active discernment. This is the posture of people preparing for something new.

Ascension is not an ending. It is preparation for Pentecost. It is preparation for the Spirit. It is preparation for the next chapter of God’s work in us.

In the Gospel, Jesus prays for his disciples—and for us. He prays that we may be one, that we may be protected, that we may be filled with the same love the Father has for him.

Jesus does not pray that we stay the same. He prays that we be transformed. He prays that we grow into the fullness of God’s love. He prays that we become people ready for the Spirit’s work.

Ascension is Jesus handing the mission to us—not because we are ready, but because the Spirit will make us ready.

The Sunday after the Ascension invites us to ask: What is God calling us to release? What is God calling us to embrace? Where is God nudging us to grow? What new thing is springing forth in our lives, our parish, our community?

Transformation is not about abandoning the past. It is about letting the past become fertile soil for what God is planting next.

The disciples return to Jerusalem to pray, to listen, to wait, to discern. They gather not in fear but in expectation.

This is our calling too: To gather. To pray. To listen. To discern. To be open to the Spirit who is always doing something new.

Ascension is not about Jesus going away. It is about Jesus going ahead. It is about Jesus drawing us into a new way of being his people. A people who trust the Spirit. A people who discern change. A people who welcome transformation. A people who believe that new things are always springing forth.

May we walk into this week with open hearts, open hands, and open eyes—ready for the new thing God is doing in us and through us. Amen.