And it happened that while He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
Luke 24:51, LSB
When Jesus arose and ascended to the Father before all the disciples, He went with a blessing and a promise. His blessing was for all to be filled with the Holy Spirit and a calling to baptize and make disciples of all nations. His return promises to restore all things and carry all believers to Himself. In our lives, we are called to live in expectation with the full knowledge that a time of restoration will come. The blessing will help carry us through the struggles and suffering that we will face until His return. We have been warned that we will not know the days and times, but we may have confidence that all things will be restored, and we will be with Him in eternity. As the disciples watched our Lord arise, they were watching and waiting. First awaiting the coming gift of the Holy Spirit and then the work to call others into the faith began in earnest. In the time of waiting, they prayed and worshiped. As we await, let us pray and worship and carry that out into the world so that all may come to know the peace that comes with Christ our Lord. Let all know that He will come again and that all may be ready so they too may know His peace.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.