Ascension Day

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

                                        --Acts 1:6-11

The ascension of Jesus is the final move in his transformation as the Christ. For me, as I read the gospels, there is the story of the earthly Jesus of Nazareth who gradually lives into being the divine Christ. Yes, he is the man Jesus and the Son of God Jesus eternally (cf. the Transfiguration), but as the story unfolds, we see different roles and presentations of Jesus as one or the other nature comes to the fore. 

The resurrection reveals the first transition. Jesus is the first person of the New Creation to be revealed. He is the first to overcome death once and for all. The ascension becomes the confirmation of that state of being. He joins God in full and complete communion. He will dwell in God. He is the first to experience the life promised in Rev. 21:1-5 where all manner of suffering is banished, and life as seen in the Seventh Day (perfect peace and rest in God) is lived. 

However, the Christ is still present. The Christ is still here and now. The Christ is able to be so through the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit, we are still able to commune with Christ, albeit incompletely (1 Cor. 13:9-12). 

As the Ascended Lord, Jesus embodies his transcendent, transformative presence within creation, bringing the power of resurrection to life within creation, offering us hope that cannot be taken from us. Through Christ, we gain moments of the Seventh Day. Through Christ, we can face our suffering knowing it is limited. We can endure because suffering has an end. It will not outlast God’s grace. 

The further implication of ascension is that we are now called to a far more active role in the work of faith. The disciples remain passive immediately, simply watching Jesus go. Angels arrive to prod them into action. Now is their time. It is time for the followers of Jesus to embody the message of Jesus and the presence of Jesus within the world. That time is still ours. Jesus is spiritually present, but the actual work to be done is ours to do. We cannot grow passive. We cannot simply fall into a state of waiting for God.