Jesus Goes Up, Comes Again
Month 12: On Mission & Finishing Well · Family Worship
Today's Scripture
Read together: Acts 1:9-11
9 After He had said this, they watched as He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”
Memory Verse
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””— Matthew 28:19-20 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Romans 7–9
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 337 of 365 — "no condemnation in Christ Jesus," and nothing can separate us from the love of God.)The Heart of It
Today we worship. We've come to a moment worth standing up and singing about. The disciples listened as Jesus spoke His last words. He told them, "you shall be witnesses to Me… to the end of the earth." Then "He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight" (). The risen Jesus didn't fade away. He didn't quietly disappear. He went up. We call this the Ascension. He went up to take His throne at the right hand of the Father. He reigns there as King. And He prays for us right now (). The disciples stood there with their heads tipped back, staring at the sky. Then two angels gently asked them, "Why do you stand gazing up into heaven?" The point wasn't to keep staring. The point was to go and tell, while they looked forward to His return.
Then the angels added the best promise of all. "This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go" (). It is the same Jesus. Not a different one. Not just His teaching. The living Lord with the scars in His hands is coming back. That's why this family on mission can also be a family at worship. We are not waiting in fear. We are working in hope. Every dish we wash, every kind word, every gospel conversation happens between the day He went up and the day He comes again. So we lift our hearts and sing. We know the One we serve is enthroned now and returning soon. Worship is simply remembering who Jesus is. And then a glad love we can't hold back comes pouring out.
Around the Table
Jesus went up, up, up into heaven on a cloud. And one day He's coming back! That's why we sing and cheer for Him.
Let's do it: Reach your hands way up high. Then sing the loudest praise song you know to King Jesus!
The same Jesus who went up is the same Jesus who's coming back. While we wait, we don't just stare at the sky. We go and tell others.
Let's talk: What's one thing our family can do for Jesus while we wait for Him to return?
The Ascension means Jesus reigns now at the Father's right hand, and He prays for us. This same Jesus will come back in the same way He went. Mission and worship flow from both of these truths.
Let's go deeper: You know Jesus is reigning right now, and you know He is certainly coming back. How should that shape the way you live an ordinary Tuesday?
💬 Conversation Starter
Imagine an honored guest you love is coming back to your house. But you don't know the day. How would you spend your time while you waited?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
The Ascension and the promised return aren't wishful thinking that someone added later. They were preached as eyewitness events from the very start. The disciples "saw Him go" (). And the same careful writers we trust for the rest of the story wrote these things down too. So we hold this hope with confidence. We share it "with gentleness and respect" (). It rests on real testimony, not on guesswork.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Family worship can drift into duty. It can become a box you check before bedtime. The Ascension is the cure. Worship is fueled by seeing who Jesus really is. He is not a memory or a moral teacher. He is the reigning King at the Father's right hand. He is praying for your family this very minute. And He is certainly coming back. So lead your kids to lift their eyes. But notice the angels' nudge, too. Don't only gaze. The two truths must travel together: the upward look of worship and the outward push of mission. A home that worships without witness becomes sentimental. A home that witnesses without worship burns out. Hold both. Sing tonight like men and women who serve a present King and await a returning Lord. Let your children catch a faith that is glad, not grim.
Draws on: Sam Storms, Pleasures Evermore: The Life-Changing Power of Enjoying God.
Let's Pray Together
"Lord Jesus, You reign on heaven's throne. And You are coming back. We worship You! Fill our home with gladness. Keep our eyes lifted to You. Send us out to tell others until You return. In Jesus' name, amen."
The same Jesus who went up is coming back. So we worship Him now and work for Him gladly while we wait.