Matthew 28:16-20 NRSVue

¹⁶Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. ¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

“Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.”

Some thoughts on this scripture

Reflection
What do I do to make the love of God present and real to those I meet?

Reflection
Some of the disciples doubted. I may have doubts and fears too. Can I be open with the Lord about them?

Reflection
Listen to Jesus telling you, "Remember, I am with you always."

Reflection
Lord, you terrify me with this command: /Go and teach all nations./ You were talking to eleven men, without education, money or influence, in a despised province of the Roman Empire. But they obeyed you, because they knew you were with them. And today Christians are the largest body of believers on this planet. Today"s preaching is different. We are educated, sometimes too well. It is harder than ever to make our voice heard. Yet in /Sacred Space/ your word goes out potentially to all nations, and you are still with us.

Reflection
A man went out on a starry night and shook his fist at the heavens yelling, "Oh, God, what a lousy, rotten world you’ve made. I could have done much better." Then a voice boomed from the clouds saying, "That’s why I put you there. Get busy." The Ascension is the time when Jesus puts us in charge of his mission and of his work, promising to be always with us. Prayer can be a time of asking and discovering where each of us can work in this world.

Reflection
Today in the church is Mission Sunday. The motivation of missionaries for leaving the comfort of their homeland is their faith and love of Jesus Christ and their sense that he is calling them to leave their homeland, and in many cases, return home very little. 'Go to baptise' people has its wide sense. It is the call to join the community of also the call to baptise people with the love of God in health care, education, social welfare. Missionary work is not only direct faith work; it is work for a just society and a decent way of life simply because everyone is a child of God.