The Feast of the Ascension is celebrated on the fortieth day after the feast of the Resurrection, always on a Thursday.

In this feast we recall Him Who raises and lifts us up to sit with Him in heaven (Ephesians. 2:6).

The Church celebrates the Feast of the Ascension on Thursday, the fortieth day in the Holy Fifty Days. It is considered one of the Seven Major Feasts of the Lord. On this day, the Lord ascended by His divine power to Heaven and sat at the right hand of the Father. Following His resurrection, the Lord prepared His disciples for the service of preaching and did so for a period of thirty-nine days. He also taught them about the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. By his resurrection, He gave humanity the most precious spiritual gift - living once more with God. He gave our human nature a spiritual garment to prepare us for the eternal life, free from pains, suffering, and sins of the body. After He revealed the nature of this new body through His frequent appearances, and had guided the disciples in the way of service, He ascended to Heaven, declaring to them their readiness in serving Him. The disciples thereafter prayed and praised God as they waited to receive the Holy Spirit. Consequently, they set out to preach in the Name of Jesus Christ in all the corners of the world.

The ascension of Christ Himself was part of His plan for our ascension as well. He ascended to prepare a place for us in His Kingdom. He ascended with our human body to give us the ability to ascend as well. He ascended so He may seat us and glorify us with Him. He "raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6). The Lord spoke three promises regarding His Ascension. The first was, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you" (Jn. 16:7). The second promise was, "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you" (Jn. 14:18). His third promise was, "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself" (Jn. 12:32). For this reason we rejoice on this day on which the Lord Jesus Christ raised our eyes from the dust of the earth, so that we may direct our thoughts to spiritual matters concerning the eternal life above. The disciples themselves "were gazing up toward heaven" (Acts 1:10). Our thoughts have been directed to Heaven, and our goal is to live with Christ in His Kingdom.

In His ascension to the heavens, Christ sat at the right hand of the Father with power and glory. Daniel the prophet prophesized of this in a vision, as he "watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient one and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed" (Dan. 7:13-14). By sitting at the right hand of the Father is to say that the equality between Him and the Father is everlasting. Since Christ was with God before all ages, it was all Christ's as well for they are both one. He took from what is the Father's in glory and power, all of which was Christ's before emptying Himself to take the form of a servant. Therefore, the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ and His sitting at the right hand of the Father is a declaration of His eternal reign, and a means of power for us to overcome sin.