A few years ago, I remember, I tentatively suggested that a Church I was working with may like to consider having a service on Ascension Day. We agreed to go ahead and for a year or two a faithful few gathered to remember this remarkable moment in our liturgical year. Now many of us let the day pass us by; we may observe it on this Sunday coming, but often the leap from Easter to Pentecost is made without so much as a look down.
The Ascension was significant for the Apostles. As I see it anyway, we have here:
- A moment of loss
- A moment of empowerment
- A moment of truth
The Ascension marked the end of the forty days of the post resurrection appearances of the risen Christ, the end of those surreal reminders of an unforgettable chain of events and a passing of enormous responsibility. The Apostles had been with Jesus, and they had been able to do miracles but from now on they were to be on their own.
Except they were by not to be alone. Jesus said (Luke 24:49) ‘I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so, stay here in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.’ But they had to wait for Jesus to arrive home, gloriously, to sit alongside his Father before they could have unleashed on them the mighty Spirit’s power so that they could continue the work that he, empowered by the same Spirit, had been doing.
Of course, there is much more to it, and great tomes have been written all about the many and various nuances of empowerment but for all that, the principle was formidable.
I wonder why we fail to make more of this day when I see that my colleagues in other countries are very firmly off work and celebrating an important Christian Festival. They look puzzled when asked what the day off is for – surely, they think, everyone knows it is Ascension Day…
A Prayer
Risen, Ascended, Glorified Lord I feel dazed by the responsibility for mission and caring that you have vested in me and all those with whom I share the life of your Church, your body, on earth. May I have the Grace to grasp the enormity of the privilege I share, be patient to tackle the work in your time and way, and ever to see beyond the mundane to the glory you promise to all who look for you here and hope to be with you hereafter. Amen.