The Ascension

Today many Christians worldwide are observing the Ascension.  What is the Ascension?  It's the day when Jesus was taken up into heaven.  It's reported by Luke at the very end of the Gospel of Luke and expanded upon in Acts 1:6-11.

6. So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7. He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his authority.
8. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
9. And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
10. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,
11. and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

Now the whole act of the Ascension is important for several reasons.

First, it means Jesus will remain alive forever more.  He's not like Lazarus or any other human who was raised from the dead.  Those other eventually died again.  Jesus did not and will not.  Only two other humans ascended to heaven - Enoch and Elijah.  Let us contemplate this for a moment.  The ascension is one of the reasons we can say Chris is alive forever more.

I'll give you a moment to ponder this truth.

Second, at the ascension, we are promised a descending; first when Jesus tells the disciples it's not for them to know the times or the seasons God the Father has fixed, and again when the two men (possibly, probably, angels) come to the disciples and tell them that in the same way that Jesus left, He will return.

Woot!  Woot!

I think that's pretty cool. We focus a lot on the Resurrection and Pentecost (for obvious reasons as we should), but the Ascension sort of becomes a blip on the radar, something we mention because it happened, but nothing we really focus on.

We should take time to focus on it - the apostles and early church fathers thought it important since it's put into the two creeds of the Church.  (Whatever your opinions of liturgy and tradition are, if you're a Christian, you'll adhere to these Creeds).

Therefore, let us all take a moment today to remember Christ's ascension, and look with eagerness to His return.

With lots of love,
Demelza