Because of the Ascension

"He has not gone away..."

Ngambuny Ascends, Shirley Purdy

With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Ephesians 1.9-10

Tomorrow is the Feast of the Ascension, which commemorates Christ’s ascension to the right hand of God the Father after appearing to his followers for forty days. As a result, this week's readings from the New Testament highlight the meaning and significance of Christ's ongoing heavenly work. The ascension is often downplayed or ignored in Christian theology. One reason is that we typically get hung up on the most obvious (albeit distracting) question: "So, he just kinda disappeared?" I get it. It is a rather strange end to Christ's earthly ministry. But as Ben Myers puts it, "When the New Testament writers speak of the ascension, they are not describing Jesus' absence, but his sovereign presence throughout creation. He has not gone away but has become even more fully present. His ascent to the right hand of the Father is his public enthronement over all worldly power."

Though it is a mystery that we can barely fathom, we need the ascension. Without the ascension, the incarnation would be reduced to just a single moment in history. Without the ascension, Christ's life and ministry would be confined to the boundary of first-century Palestine. But it continues even right now because Christ lives and reigns and will return again to make all things right. Because of the ascension, Christ is more fully present to all people through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Because of the ascension, the question is not "Where has Jesus gone?" but "Where can we go to flee from God's presence?" (Spoiler alert: Nowhere!). And because of the ascension, we, too, can "descend" to the places of suffering and brokenness just as Christ did with complete confidence in God's redeeming purposes. Thanks be to God. 

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