Ministers’ Letter

 Richard reflects on Ascension Day

Up up and away …..

Cheesy Song of the 70’s – Up, up and away – we can fly …

For Jesus Ascension means Up Up and away …..Thursday 9th May marks the Feast of Ascension. Today it will come and go and I don’t think we’ll notice – forgotten feast like Epiphany.

In France you get the day off – Public holiday – 4 day weekend.

Endings and beginnings.   Ascension Day marks an ending – the ending of the physical presence of Jesus on earth. This is 40 days after Easter, 10 days before Pentecost. And Jesus brings his disciples back to Jerusalem.  Luke in his Gospel starts in Jerusalem in the temple, and at the end of his gospel he brings us back to Jerusalem, up a high mountain near Bethany. He’s there with his disciples and this is it ….He’s leaving us – he’s going. Imagine how that must have felt for the disciples on that mountain top. There had been the resurrection appearances – they’d seen him alive – they’d shared special resurrection moments and now he was leaving them.

The cloud – and he’s gone – and all they can do is stare….. There’ll be a massive void. What are we going to do?

Most of us have been there, or are there, “What next?”. But we move on – we manage. It’s not the same but life goes on. But this isn’t the end of the story…. Acts of the Apostles  – Luke’s second gospel doesn’t end here – this is the beginning. It’s now down to the apostles – it’s down to you and me. We are the church – we live out and work out the gospel. What God in Jesus intended.

Jesus is gone – but it’s going to be alright. We’re not in this alone….

Ascension day begins with waiting We are waiting for the Holy Spirit. Jesus says to the disciples :”wait for the gift the Father promised,” wait for the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes we forget that the Spirit has been at work since creation – it’s woven through the Old Testament, through the life of Jesus. We often see it as a Pentecost thing. But it’s been there since Genesis 1 – but now there is to be a step change. “You will be baptised with the Holy Spirit”.

We baptise with three drops of water from a shallow font – we don’t want to startle baby – but the word baptise is a very wet word. Wonderful imagery there – soaked in the Spirit.

Jesus doesn’t just leave us to get on with being church, but he says we will be baptised, drenched, soaked with the strength, wisdom and creativity of the Holy Spirit. We are not in this alone.

2000 years ago the church was told to “wait”. Wait for the Holy Spirit. And today I think we need to “wait” for that same spirit to give us direction. We are not always good at waiting, we want to rush and do. But wait, says Jesus. Waiting reminds us we are not in control. Wait for God’s timing. Wait for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom. Wait before we act.

This is where Church starts – in the waiting.

 Ascension Day gives the Church direction “You will be my witnesses“says Jesus. The church is to point to Jesus in our locality – for the disciples that meant Jerusalem, but then Jesus says go wider, in all Samaria and Judea and don’t stop there to the ends of the earth.

We need to keep reminding ourselves what it means to be church – who we are here for. Not just a Holy club for those inside or those who think like us. Who are we being called to reach out to?  What does church need to look like when we emerge from lockdown. Where is the Spirit calling us to be?

 Ascension Day gives the Church a nudge I Love that image Luke gives us right at the end of the passage – Jesus has been lifted up to heaven – and the disciples are just staring, and I’d be staring too – trying to make sense of what had just happened.

“Why do you stand looking up at the sky?” the two in white ask the disciples. I think that means don’t just stand there – put this into action.

The Church needs that nudge, I need that nudge.

In one sense this is an ending but in another it’s the beginning of something that could be revolutionary.  Up, up and away…