“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.” John 14:18-19 
In Anglican liturgy, Ascensiontide focuses on the Ascension of Jesus Christ, the event in which, forty days 
after His Resurrection, our Lord was taken up into heaven before the eyes of His disciples (cf. Acts 1:9). 
Scripture highlights this event as Christ’s exaltation and His continued presence with His Church. Paul says: “… God exalted Him to the highest place (at His right hand) and gave Him the name that is above every name.” (Philippians 2:9) Again in Ephesians 1:20–23, he asserts: “God raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand… far above all rule and authority… and gave Him as head over all things to the Church.”  
However, in John 14:18-23, our Lord Jesus Christ reveals the depth of His love and the continuity of His presence even as the ascended Lord. He says, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” Jesus speaks these words to His disciples, who were about to experience the trauma of His crucifixion and the sorrow of His departure, to reassure them, and by extension, us, that His physical departure will not result in spiritual abandonment.  
Let us mark Jesus’ word in our text, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.” (John 14:18-19). The Lord chose His word carefully here. To be orphaned is to be left defenceless, directionless, and abandoned. He knew that His disciples might misconstrue His physical absence as an absolute absence and become despondent, but to allay their fears, in line with our yearly theme, He assures them of His uninterrupted presence, and they would continue to see Him even when the world could not. This is the truth our theme this week seeks to put forward, that our Ascended Lord, even when we do not see Him physically, is present with us. This is another comfort for us to relish. 
Yes, it means comfort and confidence, because our Saviour is not absent; He is closer than ever, which means we are not alone in this world. In times of fear, uncertainty, or grief, Jesus is with us as a companion who will not forsake us. In other words, our ascended Lord is actively caring for us in every moment. Hence, in worship and in daily life, we can lift up our hearts to the risen and ascended Christ, confident that He is lifting us up to Himself. The writer to the Hebrews says without any doubt that Jesus “always lives to make intercession for us” (Hebrews 7:25).  
The ascended yet present Christ gives us hope for the future. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us, and where He is, we shall one day be also. Remember His promise in John 14:3 – “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” In the meantime, we have a foretaste of that heavenly life through our communion with Him now. We set our hearts “thither”, i.e. toward heaven, as the Collect says, and already dwell with Him in spirit. This hope encourages us to persevere. Our true life is hidden with Christ in God (cf. Colossians 3:1-3). And when Christ, who is our life, appears, we too will appear with Him in glory. Knowing Christ is on the throne gives us confidence that no matter what chaos or trials we face here, Jesus is King and His love prevails. It also challenges us to live with an eternal perspective, to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is” (Col. 3:1). In our daily lives, this means cultivating the virtues of Christ’s Kingdom: love, compassion, and holiness, relying on His presence with us to transform us. We do not gaze up at the sky aimlessly (cf. Acts 1:11), but instead we worship and work with joy, for our Lord reigns and walks beside us. 
In response to this glorious truth, we are called to live as citizens of heaven and to deepen our union with Christ by loving Him and keeping His commandments, just as He urged in His word, He says: “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. My Father will love the one who loves me, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14:21) We are to be attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, who continues Christ’s work in and through us. We must also take seriously the call to build up the body of Christ, using the gifts He has given for the good of the Church and the world. Paul in Ephesians 4:10ff hinted at this saying: “He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” 
In all, the Ascension is a culmination of the Paschal mystery, completing the cycle of Christ’s death, resurrection, and exaltation. In other words, the Ascension is not an absence but a fulfilment. Christ is 
not gone; He is glorified. He is not distant; He is near in power and in presence. And for us who believe, this truth offers assurance, strength, and a renewed sense of purpose to live and serve under the reign of the ascended yet ever-present Lord. 
Let us, therefore, face the future with confidence and intimacy with Christ. His presence is our inheritance, and His return, our hope. Until then, let us live in the strength of this promise: not forsaken, but indwelt; not abandoned, but embraced. “Because I live,” He says, “you also will live.” In the new life that we have, let us daily see Christ not as the world sees, but as children see their Father, who has not left them, but always abides with them in love. 
May our spiritual eyes and sensitivity be awakened to this reality, so that we may fully enjoy the blessings 
of His ever-abiding presence. Amen