阅读经文 

这天的经文不是出自启示录。今天是升天节，是复活节之后第四十天，在这天，耶稣结束了祂在世上的事工、回到祂天上的父那里去。

看到耶稣的事工到了这一步，我们或许会认为祂的离去是一个很大的损失；基督既战胜死亡复活了，我们可能会疑惑，如果耶稣仍然留在世上，祂复活的好消息岂不更有信服力？

我们不是第一批为此感到困惑或质疑耶稣离开是否明智的人。耶稣自己也指出，最早跟随祂的信徒，亦因知道祂要离开而“满心忧愁。”

然而，我们因为耶稣解释了祂离开地上回天家的原因而感恩。祂说：“我去是与你们有益。”祂又继续说：“我若不去，保惠师（圣灵）就不到你们这里来；我若去，就差祂来。”

然后耶稣在升天十天后，祂便把所应许的圣灵浇灌在跟随祂的人身上；这件事发生在五旬节那天。当日，人们从天下各国来到耶路撒冷。（参徒 2）神今天藉着圣灵的同在——就是神亲自住在每一个信徒心里与他们同在——神的子民仍然有权领受神的恩赐，并把福音传遍各地。

Our Bible reading today takes us away from the Revelation story. The day was Ascension Day, 40 days after Easter, and on this day Jesus concluded his public ministry to return to his Father in heaven.

We might be tempted to read this moment in Jesus’ ministry as a big loss. We might wonder if the good news of Easter, when Christ rose in victory over death, might not have been better served if Jesus had stayed here on the earth.

We are not the first to be puzzled about this, or to question the wisdom of Jesus’ leaving. As Jesus himself remarked, his first disciples were "filled with grief" about the idea of his going away.

We can be thankful, though, that Jesus explained the reason for his leaving to go back to heaven. He said, "It is for your good that I am going away." And he went on to say, "Unless I go away, the Advocate [the Holy Spirit] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."

Then, ten days after his ascension into heaven, Jesus poured out the promised Holy Spirit on his followers. That took place during the festival of Pentecost, when people from many nations were gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2). And still today, through the Spirit’s presence—that is, the presence of God living within each believer—the people of God are empowered to receive the gifts of God and to take the good news to every nation.