The Ascension

First, my apologies for being silent on this blog for so long! I'll try to do better...if anyone cares to check this out! This past Thursday was Ascension Day. I put this in my church's bulletin. Thoughts and comments are welcome!

What's the Ascension?
This past Thursday was the day Christians celebrate the Ascension of Jesus. For many of us, two questions come to mind: First, “What’s the Ascension?” Second, “What does it matter?”

The event of Jesus being taken up to God the Father after his resurrection, hidden from our sight, is the Ascension (Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:1-11). At first it seems that not much attention is given to the Ascension, that it’s unimportant. It may just seem like it’s the small account of how Jesus left earth. But there’s more to it! Whenever you read about Jesus being at God’s right hand or being seated in the heavenlies, the ascension is how and why he gets to be there. This is why Christians celebrate it! The ascension puts Jesus in charge! It puts him “high up.”

So, why does the ascension matter? Hebrews 1:3 says that after Jesus provided purification for our sins, he sat down at God’s right hand. He is God’s Man. Hebrews goes on to say that we don’t see everything under Jesus; it doesn’t always seem like Jesus is in charge (2:8). But, even if we don’t see everything under Jesus, we see Jesus crowned with glory (2:9). “Wait a second,” you’re thinking. “Acts 1:9 says that after the Ascension Jesus was hidden from the disciples’ sight. How can we both see him and him be hidden?”

Great question! Think of it like this. Once day I was listening to a ball game with my Dad. The outfielder dropped the ball because the sun was bright—shining in his eyes. My Dad said, “Isn’t it neat to think that the outfielder in Colorado is blinded by the same sun that we see right there?” I thought about that…and it was profound! Though located thousands of miles from the outfielder, we both saw the same sun because it was so high up and so big. But sometimes you can’t see the sun. Maybe it’s hidden behind clouds, it’s nighttime, or there’s an eclipse: something comes between you and the sun. Because the sun is so high there is room for something to come between you and the sun. It’s similar to Jesus. Because Jesus is so high up, because he is Ascended, Christians from all over the world can see and know him. But because he is so “high up” he can be hidden, perhaps by sin, suffering, troubles, or maybe just how we’re feeling! What do we make of this?

Does Jesus being “high up” mean he is absent? No, it means that Christians don’t have to pretend that we have no problems, but still know that, because of the ascension, Jesus is in charge.

Hidden? Yes. Absent? No. In charge? Absolutely!