Mothers’ Union Devotion for Ascension 2022

And he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’ Luke 24.46-49

It has been a while since I last wrote to you for Easter Day but as the Monday after Easter saw the lifting of the final legal restrictions in our churches it seemed a natural time to draw to a close the Coronavirus devotions. I realise that not everyone feels safe or are able to return to the pattern of physical worship or community activities they did before lockdown. For our own mental and physical fitness, the good of our Mothers’ Union and the people we serve we must, however, strive to resurrect and transform our meetings, activities and worship over the coming months.

Tomorrow is Ascension Day a time of enormous change for the disciples. All the ministry they had undertaken previously was carried out knowing they could return to the physical presence of Jesus. From that day onwards it seemed they were on their own and that must have felt like a very scary and exposed place to be. They soon understand that this is not the case. Things are different, Jesus may not be with them physically but they are not alone. In just 10 days’ time they received the gift of the Holy Spirit, the one who will guide them, sustain them and inspire them to carry out the work that Jesus commissioned them to do.

That work did not end when the disciples, the first hand witnesses to the physical Jesus, died. That work must be continued by each and every one of us today because we are all called to spread the good news of Jesus’ love to everyone we speak to, meet or have some other form of contact with. As the Mothers’ Union here in this diocese, we show that love through our community projects, our AFIA caravan, our table fellowship and our daily wave of prayer which reaches out to all nations. Perhaps the annual reminder of Jesus commission this Ascension Day can help us renew our personal commitment to the work and prayer life of Mothers’ Union and so refresh us in our mission and ministry in this diocese.

With all my love and prayers

Revd Sandra