Ascension Day: The Forgotten Feast of the Church Calendar

On the fortieth day after Easter — this Thursday, the 14th of May — Christians who follow the church calendar will observe Ascension Day. It is one of the oldest feasts in the Christian calendar, older than Christmas as a formal observance. And yet, for most British churchgoers, it passes largely unremarked.

This is a loss worth naming.

What the Ascension Actually Was

The accounts in Luke 24 and Acts 1 describe a physical departure. Jesus, having appeared to His disciples over forty days since the resurrection, was "lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9). The disciples stood gazing upward until two angels gently interrupted them: "This same Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go."

It would be a mistake to read this as simple disappearance — Jesus slipping out of the room, as it were. The Ascension is a coronation. It is the moment at which the risen Christ, bearing in His glorified body the marks of the nails and the spear, takes His seat at the right hand of the Father. All authority in heaven and on earth, He had declared, had been given to Him. The Ascension is when that authority is formally enthroned.

Why It Matters Now

The Ascension matters for at least three reasons that remain immediately relevant today.

First, it means we have a reigning King. History is not rudderless. The one who made the world, redeemed it at the cross, and rose from death is presently reigning over it. That is either the most important truth in the universe or a comfortable fiction — there is no neutral ground.

Second, it means we have a living intercessor. "He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25). The ascended Christ is not absent and inactive. He is perpetually present before the Father on behalf of those who are His. Our prayers are not sent into a void.

Third, it is the precondition for Pentecost. Jesus told his disciples plainly: "It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you" (John 16:7). The giving of the Spirit — which we celebrate a fortnight after Ascension — flows directly from the ascended Christ's intercession and gift.

Marking the Day

How might you mark Ascension Thursday? Many churches will hold a service — often a midweek evening gathering. Our events listing may carry services in your area. Alternatively, reading Acts 1 and Hebrews 4:14–16 slowly, and sitting with what it means to have a great high priest who has "passed through the heavens", is a worthy observance in itself.

The church calendar exists not to add religious obligations to our diaries, but to shape the rhythm of our lives around the shape of the Gospel. Ascension is part of that shape — and a day worth pausing for.