I know many of you saw the billboards plastered around San Diego and across the nation warning of Judgment Day on May 21st. When I first saw the posters, I assumed they meant that there was going to be some kind of local church gathering whereby a pastor would “judge” people in the congregation, because I just couldn’t believe that anyone would be so bold (or even foolish) as to claim to know when THE Judgment Day and rapture was going to occur. But I soon discovered that people were selling their belongings and spending their life savings to advertise this event as the actual judgment day of the world, as predicted by Pastor Harold Camping of Family Radio. While many religious groups have attempted to predict Judgment Day and the end of the world in the past, they have always failed and will continue to do so. And it is truly strange phenomenon because the Bible is so very clear that no one knows the day or the hour of these events. In our lesson from Acts today, the disciples are inquiring about the end times and we hear Jesus saying, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.” It really isn’t for us to know, but for some reason, we try anyway. We want to want to know what is going to happen and when, as if we it would give us some control.
After Jesus ascended, notice that the text in Acts notes that the disciples remained in that location, just standing there awhile, looking up into heaven. The angels had to come and ask them, “Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” and commend them on their way. I believe that we too get caught or stuck, perhaps not the in the same way that Harold Camping and his group did, but like the disciples, we spend a lot of time looking in the wrong direction.
Let me give another example from our world of looking the wrong way and thereby getting “stuck” on our spiritual journeys. If you visit the Holy Land you can go to the place where it is believed that Jesus actually ascended on the Mount of Olives. There is a shrine there that has been built around the imprint of a foot: it is deeply held by many that this imprint is actually the footprint of Jesus’ right foot, his last point of physical contact with the earth. This spot has been fought over by Christians of all kinds and with the Muslims. The building itself has been destroyed and erected time and time again over the centuries. Currently the shrine is controlled by the Muslims and is called “The Chapel of the Ascension,” a spot that both Christian and Muslim pilgrims travel to see and revere it as a holy spot. Now, I must confess, I’d love to see it myself, but even if this were the actual footprint of Jesus Christ, do we really think Jesus would want us spending much time staring at his footprint to show our love and devotion for him, let alone fighting over who controls that spot?
While the example of this shrine to a footprint and Pastor Harold Camping and his followers may be extreme examples, I think they further reveal something true about us as humans: we spend our time, way too much of our time, looking for meaning or attempting to make sense of the world by looking in the wrong places. Maybe we aren’t left looking toward heaven or proof-texting the Bible or fighting over footprints, but we spend time on the internet or watching television or reading magazines and books, looking and seeking purpose, even, at times, trying to understand life and control our future. And in doing so, we miss out on the clarity of Jesus’ directives and even on the true joy and excitement of living our lives as disciples of Jesus.
Now let’s back up for a moment and examine more closely what this Feast of the Ascension is really about that we commemorate today, and see if that aids us in our search. Why is this holy day so important and what is the point behind it (if it’s not to worship a footprint)?
The Ascension commemorates the day, following Jesus’ time on earth after the resurrection, when Christ ascended back into heaven. It is one of the top holy days of the year for Christians and is also one of the truly ecumenical holy days in our calendar because it is commemorated by Christians from all different traditions, along with the major holidays like Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter. Going back as far as 1100, the feast of the Ascension and the days leading up to it were a time of solemnity because in it we remember that these were Jesus’ very last days on earth. There is a certain sorrow attached to this event, knowing that our beloved Jesus could not stay here with us forever, but had to return to the heaven. And yet, the sorrow is filled with joy, just as the cross is caught up with deep hope because Jesus’ ascension and return to heaven made the coming of the Holy Spirit possible and that lead to all kinds of new possibilities. You have probably noticed that in the Nicene Creed that we recite each Sunday we affirm the Ascension as one of the important aspects of Jesus’ life and incarnation when we say, “he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.”
And our Catechism in the Prayer Books says this: “Q: What do we mean when we say that he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father? A: We mean that Jesus took our human nature into heaven where he now reigns with the Father and intercedes for us.”
The ascension actually completes Jesus’ mission on earth, and, as the Eastern Orthodox are quick to point out, the ascension is the very culmination of the mystery of the incarnation. This is an amazing thing: Jesus did not become a human being and take on our human nature temporarily: no. Jesus took on humanity on forever and has brought our human nature into heaven itself. As the God-man, Jesus continues in this role by interceding on our behalf from heaven, the human and divine conjoined.
Additionally, following the ascension, Jesus’ physical presence was no longer confined to his person, it is now, mystically located in us, as the church, the “Body of Christ.” The incarnation continues in you and I, as baptized members of Christ’s Body who have been filled with the Holy Spirit. While on earth, Jesus could only be at one place at one time, but now Jesus is present everywhere in all his followers, throughout the entire world.
And so, in ascending, we, as disciples of Jesus, are now able to take up Christ’s call to receive the power of the Holy Spirit and to become witnesses of Christ’s love and saving power to the very ends of the earth. Our lives are full of meaning and importance: we have been given the chance to be Jesus’ body here on earth and to bring the love of Christ to all people, wherever we go, in every moment of every day. What this looks like for you may look different than what it looks like for me, but all of us share in this incredible vocation as followers of Jesus. We are witnesses everywhere we go: in the grocery store, in traffic, at home, at work, while serving refugees and the homeless, tucking a child into bed, hugging an old friend, visiting the sick, sewing a quilt, laughing with a neighbor, and comforting one who suffers. In that, Jesus is present. So, even if we do get stuck for a time and start staring in the wrong direction, losing our way or our purpose, Jesus is present to draw us back to the path.
Join in the celebration and miracle of the ascension today by lifting up your hearts… lifting them up to the Lord, and experiencing his miraculous presence in your life and in those around you.
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