The
Preacher’s Study
The Ascension
of the Lord
John W.B.
Hill
Acts 1:1-11;
Psalm 47 or Psalm 93;
Ephesians 1:15-23;
Luke 24:44-53.
The
exaltation of Jesus “to God’s right hand”, and the outpouring of the Spirit
upon his followers are both essential parts of the paschal mystery. But only the Acts of the Apostles assigns these particular elements of the
gospel to particular days, following the day of resurrection. Paul makes no temporal distinction amongst them,
and John’s version of the gospel assigns both Jesus’ ascent to the Father and
his gift of the Holy Spirit to Easter Day itself.
However the
chronology of Acts has been so illuminating that it has shaped the Church’s calendar
for most of church history. It has
helped us to recognize that Jesus’ resurrection, his exaltation, and our
participation in his Spirit are not synonymous!
They are not just three metaphors for the same reality (even though they
are integrally related); their meaning cannot be reduced to ‘the enduring
influence of Jesus of Nazareth.’ That is
not the gospel; for Jesus is risen, and Jesus is Lord, and the Spirit of Jesus
is “his own first gift for those who believe.”
This,
together with Luke’s insistence that the events of this gospel can only be
understood as the fulfilment of “the law of Moses, the prophets, and the
psalms” (Luke 24:44), was especially
important for Gentile believers who might have been tempted to interpret the
good news of ‘Jesus and the Resurrection’ (Acts
17:18) through a Greek or pagan lens.
It is just as important today for believers who might be tempted to
interpret the gospel through a “new age” lens.
What, then,
is the significance of the fortieth day (Ascension Day)? Pentecost (meaning ‘fiftieth’) was originally
the fiftieth day after Passover, a day to celebrate the gift of the Law through
Moses, and thus also an appropriate day for followers of Jesus to celebrate the
gift of the Spirit. So too, the fortieth day might evoke the memory of Israel’s
forty years in the wilderness, that interlude between two epochs: their
subjugation in Egypt, and their settlement in the Promised Land.
Thus, in the
book of Acts, the forty days are the interlude between the time the disciples
spent with Jesus until his arrest and crucifixion, and the beginning of their
apostolate. During this interlude, Jesus
“presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them
over the course of forty days and speaking about the Kingdom of God”.
Today,
people who respond to the good news of Jesus and the Resurrection by accepting
baptism also need the benefit of such an interlude, a time to be guided toward
a fuller recognition of their calling.
They need to be grounded in the mystery of Christ “seated at God’s right
hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and dominion, and
above every name that is named, not only in this age but in the age to come” (Ephesians 1:20-21). As a medieval hymn observes, “angels wonder
when they see how changed is our humanity” (O
Lord Most High, Eternal King). For
his dignity is now our dignity, too.
Thus, as the
second reading spells out, we are being given “a spirit of wisdom and
revelation as you come to know him, so that, with your eyes enlightened, you
may know the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his
glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness
of his power for us who believe” (Ephesians
1:17-19). In short, we are inheritors
of the Kingdom of God.
At the same
time, we need to be grounded in the humble spirit of trusting agnosticism,
confident in the one essential role we must play in the coming of that kingdom:
“It is not for you to know the times or the periods that the Father has set by
his own authority. But you will receive
power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses...”
(Acts 1:7-8).
This is the
primary vocation of the baptized: put simply, to be the witnesses to what God
has done through his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord! This is what Jesus had consistently taught,
before his death: “you will be brought before kings and governors because of my
name. This will give you an opportunity
to testify! So make up your minds not to
prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that
none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict” (Luke 21:12-15). “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send
you from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify
because you have been with me...” (John
15:26-27).
Such
inspired testimony is no guarantee that those who oppose us will be convinced
by our witness, or that the charges brought against us will be dropped! Rather, our witness is simply God’s way of
convicting the world of sin and righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). The followers of Jesus conquered their
accuser “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they
did not cling to life even in the face of death” (Revelation 12:10-11).
John W. B. Hill, an Anglican presbyter
living in Toronto, Canada, is a Council member of APLM, chair of Liturgy
Canada, and author of one of the first Anglican sources for catechumenal
practice. He will be one of the featured speakers at this summer’s conference
co-sponsored by APLM and Journey to Baptismal Living: NAAC https://journeytobaptism.org/
“Ascension,”
“Baptism,” and “The Apostles,” by Ivan Filichev.
Available through
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