Read: Acts 1:1-11
I cannot imagine what it is like to stand on top of a really tall mountain; one of those where oxygen is needed and there is real danger because of the altitude. Apologies for the pun, but it must be breathtaking.
Whenever people set out on a dangerous adventure it is natural to wish them well and to hope and pray for a safe return. I remember that my Irish colleagues to whom I referred last week would use a two-word farewell when I set out for the ferry terminal; ‘safe home.’
Today is Ascension Day. Some of us struggle with the concept of a bodily ascension, perhaps forgetting that the body that went to heaven had already walked free from the grave. The disciples who watched looked at the sky.
Why are you doing that, said the mysterious figures in white. He will be back by the same path.
If we are waiting for the safe return of a loved one, we may watch the path or the road, longing for them to appear; but usually we have little doubt that they will return even if the expedition has been risky. If the anticipation becomes too much it is useful to find things to do as a distraction.
Today, do you expect Jesus to come back just as he went?
Today, are you busy doing what he suggested as useful activity while he was away?
The disciples were told to wait for the Spirit to come so they were equipped to go to baptise people of all nations. No one can tackle all nations alone but as a combined mass of the people of God we have been doing that for getting on for two thousand years.
Do we really expect him back?
Are we doing what he asked, or at least playing our part in it?
I wonder what he sees from his vantage point of the mountain and beyond.
A prayer
Risen and ascended Lord, when my brain is overwhelmed by trying to understand big deals like ascending, help me to keep focussed on your promised return and meantime to wait, daily, for the infilling of your spirit to help me play my part in spreading good news and hope.
Lord, help me worship your extraordinariness.
Amen.