THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD C

[cappie]

( In Australia the Feast of the Ascension is transferred to the Seventh Sunday in Easter)

Today the Church commemorates the Ascension of Christ, the day upon which, according to Scripture, our Lord and Saviour went up to heaven to be reunited again with the Father and the Spirit, ever three and ever one. 

Jesus, knowing his disciples and the weakness of human nature deeply, did not forget to remind us all that he would be coming again. He not only reassured us that he would be with us again, but he also asked of us not to forget his message of love.  It is by belief that we can carry the resurrection message forward. 

The Ascension of Christ, after the forty days of Easter, allows us to relive that message and to carry it forward.   Jesus is telling us that we are good enough to walk on our legs and do good, much as he taught us during his time on earth.  

We say that Christ has ascended into heaven, or as I like to say went back to his dwelling, not to become "more godly and less human", not to distance himself from us - but to be close to each and one of us, through prayer and faith. Something which would have been harder if he would have still been with us physically. 

That doesn’t make goodbyes less difficult, or at least perceived goodbyes… every good Christian knows we will see our beloved ones back in heaven, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to say goodbye temporarily.

Being away from those we have loved for a long time is always painful. We need their warmth, that is why sometimes we might struggle with our faith. It is easy to give up when we think our Lord is far away or seemingly unreachable. 

As when we lose a friend, companion or relative,  we will inevitably mourn our losses. Sometimes, a letter, a message, a phone call, or an old photograph can remind us of  happier times - reliving the old times or a good memory is not the same, but it can bring back some strong emotions through the lenses of nostalgia. 

This is all natural, but we mustn’t allow ourselves to treat our relationship with God in the same manner. While we wait to see our dear ones once again, we celebrate our relationship with an ever living and ever-present God who is very much alive at all times. We meet God on a Sunday, and his Spirit is there, we meet God at the beach or in the bush, and his Spirit is there - Christ accompanies us through all the joys of struggles of our lives here, even when it does not seem so. 

 We might just try and seek his presence. Even when we don’t feel that connection, we must remain assured that it is by faith in his mighty power and love that all our dreams and longings will come true; from the nostalgia of a particular person, place, or time, to that unknown need we have for finally coming to know the amesome strength of the throne of grace with his infinite love and the joy everlasting. The Easter message carries on. 

What I came to notice recently, is that our society is quick to find and describe what is “evil”, “ah, something bad happened, evil exists in the world” - but we are not as swift in saying, “ah, something good has happened, God is in that!”. 

The other day, there was a social experiment going on, someone dropped a wallet to see who would pick it up, while hordes of seemingly alright people passed by, it was one who seemed less wealthy, who returned it. Why can’t we associate good acts such as this with God? 

God is good, the fact that he is now with the Father and the Holy Spirit is not the end, but only the beginning of a long story of salvation that one day will see all his saints reunited with him and each other, in body and soul. 

Christ has ascended into heaven to be with us, to guide us, to protect us, with the might of the Father, and the intercession of the ever-present wind of the Spirit.

Do not fear, the gates of the tomb have already been burst open. Christ is born, Christ has ascended; God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is with us now and for ever, waiting for us all and all the saints at the pearly gates, we are never alone, time is but a fleeting sensation: Ye choirs of new Jerusalem, Your sweetest notes employ, The Paschal victory to hymn, In strains of holy joy. St Ful¬bert of Chartres (952–1028)