Holy days/feasts: Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
Readings: Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11; Ephesians 4:1-13 or 1:17-23; Mark 16:15-20

THE PORTRAITS OF THE ASCENSION I like most are the ones that begin and end with Jesus’ feet. Of course the heads of the disciples gather at the bottom of the frame, staring upward with open mouths. But all we see of Jesus are his feet disappearing at the top edge of the picture. His great exit is in process, and all that will be left behind is the advice of a couple of angels.

The disciples, for obvious reasons, are fixated on the heels of Jesus. But the angels tell them something we could take to heart, too: “Why are you standing looking up at the sky?” They remind the disciples that their focus should not be on the Jesus who is gone, but on the Jesus who will return in the same way. Although the Ascension is a pretty spectacular event from the perspective of those on the ground, our real concern is the Jesus who returns to us, in every hour until the final hour, and his coming kingdom, which we pray for whenever we pray the prayer he taught us.

Don’t look up, the angels say. Look out. Look within! Don’t get caught up in what is already past, but see what’s happening right now. Participate in the kingdom, which is coming in every new decision, in each word and action, in your relationships, in the choice for love, compassion, and forgiveness! This angelic advice is all about perspective. If we focus too much on heaven, over which we have no control—if we view religion as a matter of “what goes up”—then we’ll miss what’s “going down” all around us. And that’s something about which we have a lot of control, not to mention a lot of responsibility.

AS A FEAST DAY, the Ascension tends to get lost in the “what goes up” phase of our imagination. We, too, look up until our necks ache, forgetting that the story we’re being told is neither history nor biography, but gospel. The gospel is faith spoken to faith. The gospel speaks to believers about the meaning of what they believe. Once Jesus returns to his Father, our business lies not with the realm we can’t see but the busy, complicated, tangible world we are immersed in.
 

Once Jesus returns to his Father, our business lies not with the realm we can’t see but the busy, complicated, tangible world we are immersed in."

And what should we be doing in this world? Jesus gives some interesting advice to his disciples at the end of Mark’s gospel. He says, “Proclaim the gospel to every creature.” Jesus also offers signs that will accompany believers: Demons will be driven out, new languages will be spoken, deadly serpents will be handled without harm, and the sick will recover through the laying on of hands.

Well, how are we to take that? Some Christians still practice “deliverance” from demons as a regular part of their ministry. Charismatics and Pentecostals speak in tongues and diligently engage in faith healing—sometimes even to the point of refusing medical care for themselves and their children. A sect of Appalachian Christians handles poisonous snakes at their worship services to prove their faith in the Holy Spirit’s power to protect them from harm.

I do not doubt that there is a literal dimension to the power of the Holy Spirit to affect miraculous healing, to keep us from harm, to banish our demons, or to burst forth in the “language of angels,” as Saint Paul described the gift of tongues. But keeping our sight focused on the equally miraculous world around us—the world we take for granted as “normal”—we can still see these gifts at work.

Who among us has not been amazed at the renewed experience of life after a fever is gone or depression clears and health is restored? Who has not felt the deep protection of God in the midst of crisis or grief or fear? How many of us have participated in the banishing of demons that enslaved us with addiction, habits of sin that tear us apart, or negative ways of thinking that once crushed our ability to hope? Haven’t we known moments when “the words just came out” and we knew what to say to someone in pain or in need? Is there anyone here who hasn’t seen an absolutely splendid day and praised God along with it?

In the celebration of Jesus’ Ascension, we recognize that we ascend, too, through the grasp of what binds us to our brokenness and sin. In all these ways, Jesus comes again, and we meet him, eye to eye, right where we live.