Today is Ascension Day, observed 40 days after Easter, commemorating the belief that Jesus Christ ascended into heaven. The day marks the end of his earthly ministry and his exaltation as Lord and Christ. The event is described in the Gospel according to Luke (24:50-53) and in the Acts of the Apostles (1:6-11). It is one of the seven “principal feasts of the church,” and, as I noted during the announcements this past Sunday, is perhaps the least observed of the seven. Since 40 days after Easter falls on a Thursday, when most of us are going about our daily lives, I guess it’s understandable. 

Added to the calendar issue is the problem of our changed worldview. In the early Christian thought world, heaven was “up,” and hell was “down.” This understanding is reflected in the Apostles’ Creed where Jesus “descended to the dead,” and “ascended into heaven.” 

I see remnants of that thought world even now when friends send me texts or emails that say, “prayers ascending.” I’m always glad for prayers, but I wonder sometimes about the direction of them. Maybe my friends are thinking metaphorically. I hope so. Scientific discoveries have given us information about both the atmosphere above us and the layers of the earth under our feet. Above us are the Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, and Exosphere. Below us are the crust, lithosphere, asthenosphere, lower mantle, outer core, and inner core. For a scientific mind, the Ascension of Jesus raises more than a few questions about where Jesus went and where we will go after we die. 

However, we may be asking the wrong questions. Rather than ask questions of “where?”, we might better ask questions of meaning. What does the Ascension of Jesus Christ mean for us? Here’s what I think. The Ascension provides us with hope and encouragement, demonstrating that Jesus is alive, powerful, and actively involved in our lives. It also reinforces the idea that we Christians are called to live in a way that reflects Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. That last idea – about the way we are called to live – is reflected in what he said to his followers as he was leaving them: “you will be my witnesses.” Jesus calls us to live lives of compassion, justice, and kindness to others. Such a witness is critical now more than ever. 

I hope you will pray this prayer with me sometime today: 

God unheld by word or wall: lift us from dullness and cynical contempt; make us ready for your Spirit of transforming power; and turn our hearts to the mending of the world, through Jesus Christ, the name above all names. Amen. Prayers for an Inclusive Church (2009) alt.

Blessings, 

Stephen Applegate