The Altar window depicting the Ascension of Jesus. Hope Episcopal Church Manheim, PA
The Gospel According to Luke 24:44-53 Jesus said to his disciples, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you– that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.
Let us Pray: Almighty Eternal God, fill us with joy and gratitude because in the Ascension of your Son you have elevated man. We are called to glory into which Christ preceded us and in the unity of the Holy Spirit lives and reigns with you forever. Amen.
In order to gain the full impact of our verses for Ascension Day we need first to take a quick look at those that have preceded them. In verses 36-43, Jesus proved beyond all doubt to those who followed him that he had really been resurrected. Not only did he stand in their presence so they could actually lay eyes on him, but he also ate food in front of them to show them that he was real and not a ghost. They were overwhelmed, as we all should be as we participate in the story as it is told in Luke’s gospel. Before Jesus returned to his rightful place in heaven there were some final things he wanted to do for his disciples. First of all, he wanted to turn their panic into hope and that hope into a church. His presence with them scared them at first and so he looked upon them and said, “Peace, be with you.” The one they had followed and loved has returned. He stood before them offering them peace of mind and heart, and a new hope for the future. Jesus helped the disciples to turn their disbelief onto reality; to turn their disbelief into something workable; to help them in discovering the purpose behind their relationship with him. It seems that the real problem for the disciples at that time and the real problem for all of us is that our disbelief can quickly turn into a lack of purpose and then a deliberate turning away from what Jesus has taught us as we have traveled with him to this point in our journey of faith. Jesus says to them, “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven” (Luke 24:49 NLT). Jesus said I have done what I came to do. Now it is your turn. It is now our turn to continue to spread the Good News. We can’t just stand there looking up. We need to get about the work that Jesus began. The Spirit-empowered church is to be the continuing presence of the Christ in the world. Ascension Day is a good time for a Church community to assess where it has been and where it is going. We need to ask ourselves why we are here and exactly what it is we are supposed to be doing. Our lesson for this day provides us with much needed information on what we should be doing and what our final destination is as we travel this road in ministry with Jesus. As a church we need to not be so inwardly focused that we forget our true purpose. Lack of direction and purpose is often the reason people leave the church or worse yet a reason they never find themselves involved in church at all. We just can’t continue to look up if we are to continue as a thriving church and spread the Good News of Christ. We need to look at the world around us and be there for those in need. Knowing that the best of the Jesus story, the very worldly part, has yet to come. In the end is our beginning…something God alone can see. So, the ending is also the beginning. Endings and beginnings—life is full of both.
Let us Pray: Almighty Eternal God, fill us with joy and gratitude because in the Ascension of your Son you have elevated man. We are called to glory into which Christ preceded us and in the unity of the Holy Spirit lives and reigns with you forever. Amen.
Reflections by Bob 