Ps. 93; Lk. 24:44-53]
Grace and peace to all of you who are one in Christ. Amen.
At the Ascension, God shows that Jesus has returned to his rightful place, as Jesus was at the right hand of God when all things were created, through him all things were created.He intercedes for us. He keeps an eye on us, he keeps watch. And he will come again ‘to judge the living and the dead’ as the Creed says.
As a feast day, Ascension is under-appreciated.
That’s understandable, because how do you celebrate the fact that someone rose from the dead, only to leave again? What is the use of the resurrection, if the result is the same: Jesus is gone.
Okay, we have a Thursday off and a lot of people have a long weekend off. Perhaps there is a service in the church, perhaps not.
But there are no decorations to hang up, no trees or branches to decorate, no presents, no special dishes. There are no Ascension Day movies we can watch with the whole family. Compared to Christmas and Easter, Ascension Day is boring.
So, what’s the point of Ascension Day?
In St John’s Gospel chapter 1 we read,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Because God is a God who cares about his creation, we confess that this Word, this Jesus came down from heaven, as we say in the Creed. Jesus, the God–man, lived, preached, taught, and died here on earth to complete the new covenant in his blood, to bring people back in relation with the Father, so that God can be God in our lives, and we can be people who live out our humanity to the fullest.
Then Jesus came back from the dead, ‘ascended, and sits at the right hand of the Father, where he will come again to judge the living and the dead’, we say again in the creed. Jesus went back to the Father to return one day to judge the whole of humanity. We don’t know when this judgement will take place, we shouldn’t speculate, we shouldn’t be frightened. The fact that Jesus will return to earth is a promise, not a threat.
So why couldn’t Jesus just stay with us, if he was going to come back anyway? Perhaps he could’ve healed more people, perhaps he could’ve told more parables, perhaps he could’ve thrown over more tables, upset more religious and political people. Perhaps he would’ve been condemned to death again and executed.
So what is Jesus doing all day in heaven?
He’s preparing rooms for us,
He’s preparing the way for the Comforter,
He’s interceding for us, he’s being our high priest, a high-priesthood we share by baptism.
It’s all part of the ongoing cycle of God’s care for his creation, of his interest, of his intervening, interfering, like a parent.
God doesn’t let go of the work of his hand.
God is the God who takes the first step every time, comes with solutions, gives grace, gives love, gives hope. Every time again, for us, in our interest.
At Ascension, the circle is complete, The Word has returned to his rightful place. We too may take up a rightful place in creation, everyone can be involved, just like God’s always involved.
We too should make place for others,
We too should comfort others, guide them, intercede for them,
We too should be high-priests for others, be merciful and loyal and dependable.
Ascension Day deserves a bit more attention, a bit more enthusiasm, and not just because of the day off or the long weekend off. The events of that day after all are being told in no less than three passages in the new Testament and that’s saying something.
It’s not just about missing Jesus, it is also about the promise and about the fulfilment. Ascension doesn’t mean the opposite of Easter, Jesus who rises from the dead, only to leave. On the contrary, Ascension Day underlines, emphasises the resurrection. Jesus’ earthly journey may be over, but his work and his commitment for Earth and for all who live here has not ended.