Welcome to Things Unseen This New Monday. Do you know what week this is? I mean, what week

in the Christian year so-called? Thursday this week is Ascension Day in the Christian

Year. In some church traditions, the Ascension of Christ is celebrated the same way Easter

and Christmas Day are celebrated in other denominations and churches. And whatever you

think about observing the Christian year, the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ does

really matter. It's an important moment in the gospel and it's actually also a significant

event for our Christian living. But I wonder if you've given much thought to the Ascension

of Jesus? If not, I hope you stay with us this week because that's what we're going

to try to think about. But first of all, let me answer a question. How important was

the Ascension of Jesus to the authors of the New Testament? Well, Luke certainly thought

it was. The last paragraph in his gospel describes it and then, right at the beginning

of his second volume, the Acts of the Apostles, he describes it at even greater length and

then Peter refers to it in his sermon on the day of Pentecost and then he assumes it

when he explains the miracle at the beautiful gate of the temple in Acts 3. And the Ascension

of Christ also lies behind Stephen's experience as he was being martyred. And if you think

about it also behind Saul of Tars' experience on the Damascus Road and behind many other

passages too, John tells us how Jesus spoke about it in John chapter 6 verse 62 and then

in his farewell conversations with his disciples. And there are other passages like Ephesians

1, 20 to 23 and Philippians chapter 2 verse 9. God highly exalting the Lord Jesus and

then in Philippians chapter 3 verse 10, he's now in heaven and we're waiting for him to

return. And he has ascended and is seated at the right hand of God, Sis Paul, in Colossians

3 verse 1 and it's implied in various places in Hebrews. Think of Hebrews 4 verse 14, Jesus

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