17 Prayers for Ascension Day

Over the 27 years of his ministry, Arnold Ruddat, a long-time Lutheran pastor in the United States, wrote many prayers for worship – among them, numerous prayers for Ascension Day.  Ruddat died from cancer at the age of 53, but many of his prayers (and other resources) have been preserved on the Arnold Ruddat’s Library  website.  Here is one of his Ascension Day prayers.

Prayer for Ascension Day

Dear Lord Jesus,

our Brother in the flesh,

as we celebrate your exaltation to the right hand of God the Father almighty,

we know that it is for our good that you have gone away.

Now we have a High Priest in heaven

who can sympathize with out weaknesses,

because you have been tempted in every way,

just as we are.

Send us the Comforter, we pray,

that we may not fall into temptation,

for the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

We ask this in your name,

you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,

one God, throughout all eternity.

— Arnold Ruddat

For more Ascension Day prayers and other creative worship resources on this blog, click on Ascension in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.