THE ASCENSION

We all believe in the resurrection, don't we? But that's only half the story. Jesus rose from the dead and then he returned to the Father...he ascended to heaven.

What is this ascension we celebrate today? Let's see.

In the Creed, we say, I believe in Jesus Christ...he died, and was buried...rose again, ascended into heaven...I believe in the Holy Spirit. These elements all make up one single event.

Jesus died a full, complete and total human death. His human existence as the Jesus people knew terminated...forever. (Just as, when he grew up, his boyhood stage permanently ended.)

Jesus was buried. He was placed in a tomb, by Joseph of Arimathea. Then Jesus went through death and rose again to a new and different kind of human life.

Jesus did not simply cross over to life on the other side, and then return to assure us that he was successful. He was raised to a different, higher form of human existence.

The rising of Jesus meant 'going somewhere', not temporarily, but permanently. The rising of Jesus was not simply a matter of going where no one else had gone - like going to the Moon and back - then making appearances here and there, like a hero.

If we had just a 'resurrection' without an 'ascension' we would miss the fact that Jesus' rising involved 'going somewhere', and that 'somewhere' was the place of his destiny...and now our destiny too...with him. He came to manifest God's love and presence; he ascended to prepare an eternal place for us with him.

After his death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus sent his spirit upon us. He is able to be with us in a new way trough his spirit. We need to look more closely at the 'sending of the spirit' by Jesus. It is critical to our understanding of the ascension.

At the Last Supper in John's gospel, Jesus talks about 'going away' and the disciples are understandably upset. Jesus says, But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.

Really? How is it better for us that he is gone? Wouldn't we rather have him with us...as he was with Martha, Mary and Lazarus in their home, or with the disciples in the boat, or right here at the supper table?

Jesus answers that question. Immediately after saying it is better that he goes, his next words are: For if I do not go the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. He had said that he would not leave them, nor us, orphans, and he is true to his promise.

By dying, rising, and ascending into a transformed human existence, Jesus can send his spirit upon us and be with us in a new and better way. This is so often overlooked. Jesus died, rose and ascended so that he could be closer to us. And he is closer to us than ever before.

Prior to his death/resurrection/ascension, Jesus was limited by time and space. If he was in Capernaum, that's where he was, not in Cana. If he was in Jerusalem, he was not in Nazareth.

Let's say, for example, that instead of passing through death to the other side and to a new and different kind of life, Jesus died, came back to life on this side of death, and miraculously continued to live among us without aging until the end of time. Wonderful. He would be present in his earthly form for every generation.

In our modern age, he could travel around the world by jet, be on television or the internet. But that presence - his sporadic visits to different areas of the globe, appearances 'from a distance' on TV - could not compare to his intimate and constant presence with each of us through his spirit.

In his spirit Jesus is able to be with us in a fuller, closer presence than that before his death. The ascension is not about absence; it's about presence.

And lest we forget, the ascension of Jesus and the sending of the Spirit is about our mandate to make disciples of all nations. It's not just about gathering to worship him. We have to go out. And make disciples. 

Now, we are not alone. The spirit of Jesus is with us to help us in our mission...his mission. In fact that is the mission - to remember that we are not alone. God is with us. God is with all whom we encounter. Pass it on. With your words. With your actions. That's our mission.

The Ascension is also a sign of things to come for all of us. It is a great sign of hope, for it reveals the destiny God intends for each of us. Our homeland as human beings is heaven.

Through his ascension, Christ initiated the beginning of what is to come, a cause for hope in a world that all too often is gloomy about its own future. 

This is what we celebrate today: Christ's ascension, his presence, not absence...and a future of hope.