The Sunday after Ascension Day

Hear the words of the Epistle lesson appointed for the Sunday after Ascension Day:

          “The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”

          In this morning’s Epistle, the Apostle Peter is writing to Christians who suffer for Our Lord’s sake – to those who have accepted His word that hardships for Almighty God’s cause are part of our purpose as His people. He now offers a perspective which is both encouraging and a warning: It’s almost over. More specifically, Peter writes that “The end of all things is at hand…”

          Everything necessary for history to come to an end has already happened: Jesus Christ the Messiah has come; He has lived and died; He has been resurrected and has ascended back to His Father where He reigns now over the universe and is ready right now to judge all who live and have ever lived.

          Peter affirms that we are now living in the last days or end times. True, by God’s grace, it has been 2,000 years since Peter wrote these words. That span seems extremely long to we short-lived human beings, but that final day continues to draw ever nearer.

          So, what is the correct response to this awareness that the end of all things is coming, or perhaps is near? Do we panic?…do we isolate ourselves in a bomb shelter, perhaps left over from the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 60’s?…do we indulge ourselves in pleasure-seeking?

          No, Peter’s answer is that the most rational response is to pray…and that prayer requires strong and clear minds. He writes: “…be ye therefore sober , and watch unto prayer.” We must be self-controlled…alert…exercising sound judgment about our choices…and we should be sober-minded.

          In this context, “sober” means “serious.” In other words, we should be careful about how we live. Our choices impact our ability to think clearly. It is better to be self-controlled so that we can pray. How necessary is prayer for Christians? It is crucial. How concerned are we about keeping our minds nimble and focused for the purpose of praying? That’s a harder question. What, if anything, is keeping us from thinking clearly and praying faithfully?

          In the beginning of the 4^th chapter of Peter’s letter, he urges Christians to take on Our Lord’s attitude toward suffering: “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin.” We should see it as an expected part of fulfilling God’s purpose for us on earth. Those who willingly endure suffering for Christ set the course of their lives away from  overwhelming and deadly sins.

          We have to stay alert so that we can pray in these sometimes chaotic times. We have to keep loving each other, using gifts the Father provides, to serve each other with His power in and through us, so all the glory goes to Him.

          Peter continues to describe how we, as Christians, should respond when faced with persecution, with tragedy: Take on Christ’s attitude, and expect God’s purpose for our life to include suffering. Set the course of our life away from mind-numbing pleasure seeking.

          Be alert so that we can pray effectively in difficult times. In fact, we should rejoice if we share in the sufferings of Our Lord and Saviour. God uses suffering to refine the faith of His people, and our present suffering contributes to our future glory. If we suffer, we must keep doing good, while trusting our soul to our Creator.

          Now, with your indulgence, I would like to digress from the lessons appointed for today to reinforce an important point which Father John has made several times…the Feast of the Ascension is the most important event in our liturgical year. It denotes that, by ascending into His glory, Christ completes the work of our redemption through His Resurrection.

          In Acts 1:9, we read: “…while they beheld, He was taken up: and a cloud received Him out of their sight”. To say that Jesus was taken up or that He ascended doesn’t necessarily imply that heaven is located directly above the earth; no more than the words “sitting on the right hand of God” means that this is His actual position. Entering into glory He dwells with the Father in honor and in power.

          The celebration of the Ascension reminded the disciples, and reminds us today, that we are the ones who are to demonstrate what it is like to live in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, Our Saviour.  When their Lord was taken up from the disciples, when the clouds received Him there was no skygazing for them, watching after their ascended Lord.

          The proclamation of the Good News would no longer be through Him, but through His disciples, down through the ages, as they lived out the faith He had brought to them. Disciples then, and we today, have a mission. By the witness of we believers, the word spreads from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

          Even though there were just a few witnesses to this event, it had great implications for the future of the entire church. Up until that moment, Jesus was seen only where He was, in and around the towns surrounding Galilee. Now, with His Ascension to sit at the right hand of the Father, Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth, present to all who believe in Him.

          This is perhaps the great mystery, and gift, of the Ascension. By removing Himself from the world, Our Saviour would no longer be confined to a single place or a single moment…He would be alive and available in the Spirit to all people for all time. While it seemed at first glance to be an isolated miraculous event, in truth that moment opened the way for the message that “Christ is risen and has conquered death” to spread throughout the world forever. This message reminds all people that, wherever we live in His Spirit by faith, the Spirit abides in us.

          The Church is the Body of Christ – His presence in the world – and it is only as we live as the Body of Christ in our lives that the good news of the Resurrection can continue to be spread throughout the world. We are His presence in the world, seen by all as they observe how we treat one another, in our work and in our worship. This should bring to all of us who call ourselves by His name, who call ourselves Christians, an awesome sense of responsibility.

          In church or out; in our daily lives, the message of the Ascension of our Lord continues and the proclamation of that message falls to each and every one of us. We are to proclaim that Christ does, metaphorically, sit at the right hand of Almighty God. He is in God’s presence pleading our cause.

          In the early church this proclamation fell to His disciples. Unsure as they were, they were able to muster their strength and go forth, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit, to do His work. As frail as we are, or as frail as we believe we are, we too are to go forth today rejoicing in the power of the Spirit to do the Lord’s work.

          The Ascension holds profound meaning for we Christians. It marks the end of Jesus’ physical presence on earth and the completion of His earthly ministry. It serves as the culmination and the fulfillment of His redemptive work. As He ascended to the Father in glory, it confirms to us all that He has completed His mission of salvation.

            Through the Ascension, Our Lord is exalted and glorified as He is seated at the Father’s right hand. This is seen as His enthronement, emphasizing His divine nature, His kingship and ongoing reign over heaven and earth.

          With His Ascension, Jesus takes His place at the Father’s right hand , where He intercedes on our behalf. This role is crucial as it shows us that He continues to be actively involved in our lives, mediating between us and the Father.

          The Ascension sets the stage for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Our Lord had promised His disciples that He would send the Comforter to guide, empower and comfort them. His Ascension is necessary for the Church to receive this gift, making it a crucial, indispensable moment.

          Jesus’ Ascension in His resurrected body has a profound implication for humanity – it points to a future where we will join Him in heaven, highlighting the hope of resurrection and ascension for everyone united with Him.

          With Our Lord’s departure, the responsibility to continue His work on earth shifts to His disciples and, by extension, to us – the Church. This moment signals the transition from His direct ministry to the era of the Church Militant, driven by the power of the Holy Spirit.

          The Ascension not only recalls Jesus’ departure but also anticipates His promised return. This aspect, relating to the end of the world, encourages us to look forward, to anticipate the Second Coming of Christ, which will consummate God’s kingdom.

          As we work to carry out our proclamation of the message of God’s saving grace being freely available to all, we should bear in mind Our Saviour’s words from this morning’s gospel: “When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.”        

All of us who are baptized in the faith have that same Spirit, and now it is our turn to proclaim Our Lord’s message of love and forgiveness, to bring the good news of the Gospel to this weary and sometimes chaotic world. Let us go forth and do our best.

Amen,

The Rev. Deacon Timothy Fleming