Ascension Day 2008

Ascension Day is a difficult day in the Church calendar in some ways. There are a couple of problems – firstly we have the question of Why Jesus left at all ? Couldn’t he have stayed and helped out a bit down here. This world certainly needs his help... And then there’s the question of how he left. It’s very difficult to picture Jesus just disappearing into the clouds above – beamed up to God, and yet, we are told, this is what happened.

And yet Ascension Day in spite of these problems is a day of great celebration because it’s the day when we recognise that Jesus left the earth quite deliberately, because in doing so he gave us the strength to do his work until he returns, and he trusted us enough to do that work.

So much of our lives are taken up watching and waiting, and this is perhaps especially true of our spiritual lives. We comfort ourselves with the ‘busyness’ of faith, the life of the Church and so on. We watch and wait for something to happen, something or someone to dramatically intervene. We have ideas of what we should be doing in our Churches, in our lives, and we wait for those things to happen.

And this was no different for many before us. Before John the Baptist appeared the people of God were watching and waiting. They were looking for the Messiah. They were looking for someone to come along and free them from the oppression of Rome, or even from their own religious authorities. In many ways the people of God were actually looking for a kingdom in which they would rule.

In fact they were so fixed on their ideas of the Saviour that they missed the arrival of John the Baptist, who came to point the way to Him. And then there was John the Baptist himself. While he was in prison he began to have some doubts. Understandable depression set in – nothing seemed to be happening, certainly in the way that John thought it would. He too was taken up with his own idea of what the Messiah would do.

And so he sent messengers to ask, ‘Are you the one we are waiting for ?’ And Jesus replied with the answer that already stared John and his messengers in the face, ‘Do the blind see, do the lame walk ?’ Jesus pointed to the work he had done, work which people with their own ideas ignored as they waited and watched for their expectations to be fulfilled.

And even after Jesus had died the disciples were watching and waiting. The disciples knew of his death, some had watched it happen, and yet they had also witnessed Jesus alive and back with them. He had eaten with them, carried on teaching them, encouraging them, and suddenly he was lifted from their presence, back to the glory of his kingdom. And those who were with him watched the sky.

The problem was that ever since people have continued to watch the sky. People have continued to look up to heaven as the answer for everything, and in doing so they have often ignored the needs of the world today. And as we celebrate Ascension Day I think we can remind ourselves that this was surely not the way of Jesus !

Jesus taught us, Jesus showed us, how to live. He promised to clothe us with the help, support and wisdom of the Holy Spirit – power to even do things as great as he did. That is the power with which we have been left, and that is the privilege of a God who calls us to serve, and who trusts us to serve. This week I heard a sermon which used the Majestus, the giant statue in Llandaff Cathedral as an illustration.

Some like the statue, some don’t but it’s certainly a powerful image as you enter the Cathedral. And one of the things to notice on the statue is the hands. The hands are pointed downwards and facing out, as if urging people to go away, to go out and do the work of Christ on earth.

That is the wonder and majesty of God who says to us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. And so it’s fine to watch and to wait for the return of Christ, but our waiting must include working to build up his kingdom here and now.

Today local elections are being held throughout England and Wales. Many seek election driven by good intentions, many will be offered the privilege of serving the community, and many will strive to build communities which are better, stronger, fairer, more tolerant and more peaceful. Many will work to ensure justice for all, and an end to poverty.

We need these people… Though we may like to knock them at times, we need politicians at a local and at a national level, but we are also called to be these people, seeking justice, offering hope and peace, building a community that’s better, stronger and all the other things I mentioned a moment ago, and we are called to do this, not just representing a community, not just serving the needs of a community, but representing God himself, and serving him as we serve his people, and seek to build his kingdom.

He has given us the power to do it, he has given us the strength and the wisdom, and he is with us… AMEN