The Ascension

The Ascension is an often overlooked holy day. What can we learn from this event in Jesus’ life?
The Ascension
Luke 24:44-53 and Acts 1:1-11
Pastor Katie Saari

I imagine that most of us have had some sort of experience of being on the brink of a transition. Maybe we’ve had to move, and we remember those last bitter-sweet moments in our home when we say goodbye to what we have known and hello to an unknown future. Maybe we’ve had to leave a friend and, even though we know we’ll stay in touch, we also know the relationship will never be quite the same. Maybe we’ve seen a child off to college or the military or to get married or to their first job and apartment, and we feel the joy and pride as well as the fear and sadness of them taking their first major step into adulthood. Transitions are almost always difficult. Human beings take time to adapt to change. Even when the change is welcome and exciting, it can be a challenge to adapt to a new reality.
The ascension is about transitions. Jesus is about to return to God the Father. He gives his disciples a final lesson about himself. He gives them a task to do. He promises that God will empower them with the Holy Spirit. He blesses them. And then he leaves. He promises to be with them in the person of the Holy Spirit, but his relationship with them will never be quite the same again.
I’m guessing the disciples had feelings of joy and excitement as well as fear and sadness when they realized that Jesus was no longer going to be with them physically, and that they were going to take over his mission of preaching forgiveness. We know that they had questions. They ask Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” They still don’t understand exactly what the kingdom of heaven is. And they are unsure what Jesus’ ascension means for them. We also know that they are joyful. They are continually in the temple blessing God. They have seen amazing things, like Jesus alive again and going to the Father. They are anticipating the coming of the Holy Spirit, unsure what that means, but trusting that it will be a blessing. They have many reasons to be joyful. But I’m guessing they were a little sad too. After Jesus leaves them, they remain staring up towards heaven. A couple of men in white robes ask them, “Why are you looking up towards heaven?” They are probably mesmerized by the moment, unsure what to do next, and maybe not quite ready to leave.
Sometimes we forget that the people in the Bible were real flesh and blood, just like us. They had the range of emotions that we have. They had the same limitations of understanding that we have. They were like us, faithful and flawed, all at the same time. This is why the Bible is such a powerful book. It tells about how God has been able to work through real people. The disciples were real people, dealing with a real and major transition in their lives.
It’s instructive to see how the disciples handled this transition. The Bible tells us they met together, constantly devoting themselves to prayer and constantly worshipping God in the temple. They also chose a disciple to take the place of Judas as one of the twelve apostles. They stayed connected to God and to one another. They got on with the work of discipleship, as they waited for God’s next action.
How do you handle transitions? Do you get caught up in the emotions of excitement and joy? Or sadness and fear? Do you stay connected to God, to your loved ones, and to your church family? Do you continue with prayer and worship? Do you continue with the work of discipleship?
The disciples offer a good model of what to do during times of transition. Stay close to God and stay close to others. Keep on doing your work. And be ready for what God is going to do next. Doing these things keeps you tethered to what is most important and open to the changes ahead.
But what if the transition in your life has you feeling distant from God? What if you pray and worship, but it seems like God isn’t listening? What if you try to draw close to God, but you don’t feel God drawing close to you?
On Thursday night at the Lifetree Café, we talked about times when people felt God’s absence or doubted God in some way. We heard excerpts from letters written by Mother Teresa in which she expresses feeling empty and alone, reaching out to God, but not feeling God reaching back. She wrote these letters while she was caring for the dying on the streets of Calcutta. She was doing an incredible ministry of mercy, showing people a love they had never known. She was doing the mission she felt God calling her to, but she felt empty. We also heard from a pastor who went from being a marathon runner to almost dying over the course of a few days, his body crippled by an unknown disease. He described how his muscles stopped working. He couldn’t even swallow. For nearly two years, he lived with a feeding tube and endured hours of physical therapy, as he tried to regain his strength. It was a life transition he didn’t choose. He continued to read his Bible every day, but the words were abrasive. He continued to go to church, but it didn’t bring him comfort. He said there were many times when he could have gotten bitter with God, but he chose to hold on to God, instead, even though he didn’t understand what was happening. He kept on about the work of being a disciple in an incredibly challenging transition.
Thankfully, his ability to swallow eventually returned. He said he knew it was a miracle, as the doctors had done everything they could for him and he had done everything he could do for himself. He still couldn’t swallow, until one day when his feeding tube stopped working. On that day, his ability to swallow returned. God’s timing of healing him on the day he most needed it reassured him that God was present with him. It reassured him that God had always been with him, even when he couldn’t feel it. By keeping on about the work of discipleship, he stayed connected to God, even when he couldn’t feel it. By keeping on about the work of discipleship, he stayed ready to receive God’s healing when it came.
It’s not uncommon for people of faith to have times when they feel distant from God. It often happens during difficult life transitions. Maybe a loved one gets seriously ill or dies. Maybe you get seriously ill. Maybe an important relationship ends. Maybe a job ends. Maybe you move to a new place and it takes a long time to make new friends. Maybe nothing drastic happens, but you, nonetheless, feel far away from God. What we learn from the pastor interviewed for Lifetree Café is that continuing with prayer and worship and scripture reading is valuable, even when it doesn’t seem like it. These practices keep us connected to God, even when God doesn’t seem connected to us. These practices also help us be ready for whatever God is going to do next. This pastor was doing what Jesus’ disciples had done so many years before. He was staying connected to God and to others through prayer and worship during a difficult time of transition. He was continuing to be a disciple, even when it didn’t feel worthwhile. This kept him ready to receive healing and the disciples ready to receive the Holy Spirit.
The next time you are in a time of transition, remember the disciples after Jesus’ ascension. Remember that they had questions and probably sadness at the same time that they experienced excitement and joy. Remember that they continued to gather together in prayer and worship and to make group decisions, while they waited for what God would do next. The next time you are in a time of transition, remember the pastor that we learned about at Lifetree Café. Remember that he continued to pray and worship and read scripture, even though it felt like God was lightyears away. The faithfulness of the disciples helped them be ready for the Holy Spirit. The faithfulness of the pastor helped him be ready for healing. What will your faithfulness prepare you for?
We know that Jesus is alive and active in the world even when we can’t see it. We know that God loves us and wants what is good, even when we don’t feel it. In times of transition, God is with us. May we stay with God, so that we are ready for what God will do next. Amen.