by Rev. Paul Williams
Once again, as we have done many times before on Ascension Day in this city of Ottawa, we prepare to ascend to the summit of national power on Parliament Hill and march to give a voice to those whose lives are so cruelly taken—both the tender young ones in the womb through abortion, and the frail and forgotten enticed toward death through MAID. The governing authorities, instituted by God to protect life and uphold justice, have become shamelessly negligent of their duty. And so, before we march, we reverently gather in this house of worship, before the Most High King on His eternal throne, to intercede for our nation and ask for His blessing on all we do in His name.
Humble ourselves in prayer, pleading
Yet every year, as we humble ourselves in prayer, pleading that our nation turn from wickedness, hoping that the Lord will hear from heaven and heal our land—does it not seem that things only grow worse? In recent years we have witnessed even greater threats—not only at life’s beginning but also at its end. MAID has swiftly expanded, sanctioned by a state indifferent to life, and behind this stands the darker, more sinister work of the old evil foe, who always seeks death. If he cannot destroy life in the womb, he pursues it throughout one’s whole earthly pilgrimage. And because of sin, all of us must one day face death—the wages of sin that Adam’s fall has brought upon all humanity.
Shattered, they lamented, “We had hoped…
We intercede for our people, for our land, for the frail and the vulnerable, yet outwardly, things seem only to go from bad to worse. The disciples must have felt something similar on the day of our Lord’s Ascension—the true occasion for our gathering today. Consider their experience: they had seen their Lord unjustly condemned and crucified by a tyrannical state, whipped into action by hostile crowds. Their hopes shattered, they lamented, “We had hoped He would redeem Israel.” But then—He rose! He stood alive among them, the fulfillment of all Scripture. Their hope rekindled, they naturally wondered, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” In other words: Now, Jesus, now You can fix this broken world.
But instead of inaugurating an earthly reign, Jesus ascended into heaven. Once again, it appeared He was leaving them alone, their dream of a renewed earthly kingdom disrupted. The same cruel world remained. The same hostile authorities persisted. A society that killed the innocent and oppressed the faithful still held power. And now, seemingly, Jesus was gone.
With great joy
Yet Scripture tells us that after witnessing the Ascension, the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy, continually worshiping in the temple. Why? Because they understood what Jesus’ Ascension truly meant.
Many Christians today misunderstand the Ascension, imagining that Jesus left us behind while He went to live far away in heavenly splendor. It is as though the Bridegroom abandoned His bride, leaving her alone in a dangerous world until He someday returns. Such a view makes Christ appear distant, uninvolved, out of touch with the sufferings of His people. It pushes His kingdom into the far future, leaving us to fend for ourselves in the present. And it makes Ascension Day seem more like a farewell than a victory.
He ascended, not to abandon His Church
But the disciples saw something entirely different. They saw their Lord ascend with His hands raised in blessing—and Scripture never records those hands being lowered. The meaning is unmistakable: He ascended not to abandon His Church, but to fill all things with His presence, after He accomplished His mission on earth to die on the cross to take away our sins and rise again to win salvation for us, so that through faith in Him, we have eternal life. Far from leaving us, He became more present than ever. He now reigns over all things for the sake of His Bride, the Church.
The angels confirmed this comfort: “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go.” That is not only a reference to His final return. It is also the pattern of His coming to us now—in blessing, in mercy, in power.
Christ reigns, Christ is present, Christ blesses, Christ fights for us.
This is what Ascension Day proclaims: Christ reigns, Christ is present, Christ blesses, Christ fights for us.
And because the Ascended Lord reigns, He works all things for the good of those who belong to Him. Eternal life has already been secured. His glorious inheritance is already ours. From His heavenly throne He governs all creation for the sake of His Church on earth. His kingdom is among us even now—hidden, yet active; veiled, yet victorious.
This truth gives us courage in the face of the evils we confront. It sustains our work and our witness. It strengthens us to march to Parliament Hill, not with despair, but with confidence that our labor is never in vain.
When our efforts seem fruitless, when life appears devalued on every side, when the culture grows hostile and the state considers criminalizing God’s truth—still, our hope does not lie in an earthly kingdom. Not in a restored Israel. Not even in a morally renewed Canada. Our hope is anchored in the Kingdom of Heaven, where our true citizenship is found. That kingdom is already present in the Church.
We are, in fact, exiles in this world—just as Israel once lived in exile in Babylon. Their true home, Jerusalem, lay in ruins. Their temple destroyed. They lived in a land that was not their own. Likewise, our true home is Eden, where humanity once lived face to face with God. Since the fall, we have all been in exile—banished from paradise, separated from God by sin. Ever since the angel with the flaming sword barred the gate of Eden, humanity has been wandering far from home.
Yet God did not abandon His people in Babylon, and He does not abandon us in our exile. Even as exiles, He calls us to faithfulness, to prayer, to witness, to hope. The exiles in Babylon were commanded to seek the peace and welfare of the city where God had sent them. In the same way, we seek the good of our nation—even when it rejects the God who created it, even when it abandons the value of life, even when it persecutes the truth.
We work for what is good, we speak for what is true, we defend the vulnerable, we pray for our leaders—not because our hope is in earthly success, but because our hope is in the Ascended Christ who reigns over all things.
Every step we take on Parliament Hill is taken in that hope. Every prayer we offer is offered to the King who sits enthroned above all earthly powers. Every act of witness is strengthened by the presence of the Bridegroom who has promised, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
And so, with confidence born of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, we go forth—steadfast, unashamed, joyful. Christ reigns. Christ loves. Christ upholds His Church. And Christ will bring us home from exile at last, when He comes again in glory, and the kingdom we now see only by faith will be revealed in fullness forever.