The Feast of the Ascension
Prayer
Let us pray;
Today, we pause to celebrate the Feast of the Ascension.
A Reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 28:16-20
“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore 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 everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The very name of our ministry, Ascension, holds the full story of Jesus’ life, his service, his death, and resurrection because it was at that moment Jesus entrusted his healing ministry to his followers. The disciples continued to pass this ministry on from one generation to the next throughout the centuries. This story includes our historic sponsors. It is because of this story that in 1999, the first two of our historic sponsors brought their healthcare ministries together to form one organization. They chose the name Ascension precisely because of the unbroken link to Jesus entrusting his ministry to his disciples at the Ascension. Let us pray today that, like our historic sponsors, we can continue to follow Jesus’ calling to serve all people, to heal as Jesus healed:
Just as the first disciples accepted your great command
to heal the sick and care for the poor,
We strive today to carry this mission forward.
We pray in gratitude for the vision of our historic founders
that allowed us to be a strong vibrant ministry,
a ministry able to respond to the needs of our times
in ways that would not have been possible without our unity.
May those who come behind us find us faithful.
Amen.