Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 93

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus began both to do and teach, ² until the day when He was taken up, after He had given commandments through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen, ³ to whom He presented Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, appearing to them for forty days, and speaking concerning the kingdom of God. ⁴ Being assembled with them, He commanded them, “Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, of which you have heard from Me.^{[a] 5} For John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The Ascension

⁶ So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or the dates, which the Father has fixed by His own authority. ⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

⁹ When He had spoken these things, while they looked, He was taken up. And a cloud received Him from their sight.

¹⁰ While they looked intently toward heaven as He ascended, suddenly two men stood by them in white garments. ¹¹ They said, “Men of Galilee, why stand looking toward heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you to heaven, will come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

Psalm 47

For the Music Director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Psalm 93

Paul’s Prayer

¹⁵ Therefore I also, after hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, ¹⁶ do not cease giving thanks for you, mentioning you in my prayers, ¹⁷ so that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ¹⁸ that the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance among the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, ²⁰ which He performed in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all principalities, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. ²² And He put all things in subjection under His feet and made Him the head over all things for the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all things in all ways.

⁴⁴ He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning Me.”

⁴⁵ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He said to them, “Thus it is written, and accordingly it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And look, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension^(A)

⁵⁰ Then He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. ⁵¹ While He blessed them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² Then they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.