Let us pray (in silence) [that we may consciously live in the presence of the Risen Christ]
pause
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that we, who believe your only-begotten Son, [only-begotten One]
our redeemer,
ascended this day to heaven,
may also in heart and mind there continually dwell;
through Jesus Christ
who is alive with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
The above is my reworking for my Book of Prayers in Common in which I seek to provide a set of collects with history and commentary.
Christians have been praying the above prayer on the Feast of the Ascension for over 12 centuries – shared through the Reformation into the Roman Missal and Books of Common Prayer. Surprisingly, it was removed from Roman Catholic rites in 1970, but then restored again in 2002.
For commentary and reflection: Ascension
The Easter Candle continues burning through to (and including) the Day of Pentecost.
Any comments, suggestions, resources, of course, are welcome below in the comments section.
Ascension Day to the Day of Pentecost is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in the Southern Hemisphere. Northern Hemisphere Christians have their Week of Prayer for Christian Unity from 18-25 January. Many seem to miss the irony that Christians cannot even agree when to pray for Christian Unity!
What about shifting the Ascension metaphor from the dimension of space (Jesus is going up) to the dimension of time: Jesus is going ahead of us, into the/our future?
Some Sundayise Ascension Day, transferring its celebration to the Seventh Sunday of Easter.
Resources beyond this site:
Textweek
Resourcing Preaching Down Under
