Ascension

Definition and Meaning

The Ascension (literally, "rising to heaven") refers to the risen Jesus Christ being taken up into heaven in the sight of his disciples. The Apostles' Creed, which many churches confess in worship, includes the words "he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty." The expression "sitteth on the right hand" is understood to mean that Christ shares in the authority and reign of God.

Many Protestant denominations regard the Ascension as the event that links the Resurrection and the Second Coming. They also teach that the ascended Christ intercedes with God on behalf of believers (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25) and sends the Holy Spirit (John 16:7).

Biblical and Historical Background

According to the first chapter of the Book of Acts, Jesus appeared to his disciples for forty days after his resurrection (Acts 1:3). He was then taken up into heaven, and a cloud received him out of their sight; angels declared that he "shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:9–11). Brief accounts also appear in Luke 24:50–51 and Mark 16:19. The Old Testament records that Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:11).

The feast commemorating the Ascension is known to have been observed in many regions by around the fourth century.

During the Reformation, the question of where the human nature (the human body) of the ascended Christ is located became intertwined with the Eucharistic controversy.

• Lutherans held that because Christ's human nature is united with his divine nature, it can be present everywhere. On this basis they affirmed that the body of Christ is truly present in the Lord's Supper.
• The Reformed churches, following John Calvin, held that Christ's body is in heaven. They explained instead that the Holy Spirit unites those who partake of the Lord's Supper with Christ.

The Heidelberg Catechism, a Reformed confessional document, addresses the Ascension in Questions 46–49.

Practice in Korean Churches

In the liturgical calendar, Ascension Day falls on the fortieth day after Easter, a Thursday. Because it is a weekday, many churches observe the following Sunday as Ascension Sunday.

The manner of observance varies by denomination and congregation.

• Churches that follow the liturgical calendar relatively strictly, such as the Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea, observe Ascension Day as a major feast.
• Some Methodist and Presbyterian churches that make use of the liturgical calendar preach on Ascension texts on Ascension Sunday.
• Many churches that do not formally keep the liturgical calendar hold no special festal service but treat the Ascension as a sermon theme in the period between Easter and Pentecost.

Korean Protestant denominations, including churches that do not use the Apostles' Creed in worship, show little disagreement over the doctrine itself, which holds the Ascension to be a historical event. Differences appear mainly in how the feast is observed and in how the location of Christ's body is explained in connection with the Lord's Supper.