The Ascension of

Luke 24 v 50-53

50 Then Jesus led the disciples out as far as , and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into . 52 And they worshiped him, and returned to with great joy; 53 and they were continually in the temple blessing .

Saying goodbye to someone can be a sad moment as we all know, particularly if we don’t know if or when we will see that person again. I well remember the first time I took my daughters to their universities ....with all their new expectations they were excited but for us as parents saying goodbye to them was a bittersweet moment, proud that they had achieved this milestone in their lives but sad knowing that they had finally left home. Last weekend I sat with my mother in law as she neared the end of her life. Another sort of goodbye, knowing that I wouldn’t see her again in this life was sad, but also knowing that at 98 after a wonderful life and being a person of faith and knowing that she was peacefully slipping away was in many ways joyful. So when I read Luke`s account of the ascension of Jesus I was interested that the disciples having said goodbye to Jesus returned to Jerusalem with great joy. How can this be, surely they knew that Jesus had left them to return to his father? Were they not sad to have lost their friend ? The Ascension is a key moment in the life and work of Jesus on earth, just as the began his earthly life, so the ascension marks its ending. Just 40 days after his Jesus takes his disciples to a hillside and having blessed them he is carried up into heaven. In the account of the Ascension also given by Luke in the Book of Acts we read that 2 come and talk to the disciples who are staring up into the sky. The old image of heaven being up above us in the clouds is one which comes from this description....we shouldn’t discredit this literal view however as a visible ascension serves a very good purpose. The disciples have seen and been witnesses to Jesus` horrific death, to the and to his resurrection appearances so it was now important that they saw Jesus final departure from earth. Had he just vanished as he had after each of his resurrection appearances then they may have expected him to appear again, but as witnesses to his ascension they were now left in no doubt that this was his final farewell. And yet they were filled with joy ...... not sad .....filled with joy because they were expectant, Jesus had promised that he would be with them in a different way through the power of the which we know would come at So for now they returned to Jerusalem and as they waited they spent their time together in prayer and praise Ascension Day is one of those feasts that is so important and yet can easily pass us by if we are not careful ...... obviously it always falls midweek on a but its no longer the important festival that I remember as a child when we attended in the morning and had the rest of the day off school. I find the Ascension important because it helps to make full sense of Jesus` death and resurrection. As we discussed last week, the death of Jesus is only made relevant because of his resurrection, if he had just been a man who died we would not be remembering his 2000 years on .....but because he died and was raised from the dead we remember him. And, in the same way, the resurrection only really makes sense in the light of the ascension, because in this way Jesus is no longer held in one place and one time....his work on earth is acknowledged by the Father and he is lifted up and exalted by him. The ascension is necessary because his death and resurrection alone would not have completed and secured God`s forgiveness for us all ...... but because of the ascension we can know absolutely that the Jesus who reigns with his Father has won forgiveness for each of us not just for those in the time and place where he lived on earth ....but for everyone in all time and in all places.

Let us pray : Lord Jesus we thank you that through your death, resurrection and ascension we can be assured of your forgiveness. Through your life on earth you taught us of the love of God and through your humanity and obedience you restored our relationship with the Father. May we always be mindful of the sacrifice that you made for each of us and be thankful. Amen