The Ascension of the Lord
Mt 28:16-20
May 21, 2023

It’s graduation season.

The invitations to Open Houses are flooding the Post Office (although a lot of people are using email these days). Along with all the other party preparations, families are rummaging through drawers and closets and boxes, gathering old photographs for what has become the centerpiece of the decorations…THE PICTURE BOARD.

Guests really do enjoy the time travel experience of tracking the graduate from cradle to cap and gown. But the proud parents, looking at the display of treasured memories, might just find this to be a bittersweet experience.

Flashbacks of bringing home the newborn…or the baby’s first steps…starting kindergarten…etc., etc., bring on a wave of nostalgia. Missing who their child WAS blends with the pride of what the child HAS BECOME…leading to hopes and dreams of WHAT COMES NEXT. All this makes for a roller coaster of emotions.

There were obviously no picture boards on the mountaintop on the day the Risen Lord vanished from their sight. But the Apostles and disciples carried with them the memories of the many “AWE MOMENTS” they enjoyed as they witnessed Jesus of Nazareth walk the earth. From the first day they heard His voice inviting them to follow Him to the taste of the extraordinary wine that was somehow drawn from water jugs…driving out demons, calming storms…the raising of Lazarus…it was all there in their minds and their hearts. They had no need of old photographs to help them remember.

Those “AWE MOMENTS” helped His followers to see who Jesus WAS. Memories of miracles and sermons and intimate conversations then blended with their experiences of Easter morning and the days following. After the horror of Good Friday, they came to believe that The Lord had BECOME the Risen Christ.

Now, as they stood on that mountaintop looking up towards the heavens, they were hit with a powerful wave of nostalgia. Clearly, this was a bittersweet moment for them. All of those watching this next great episode in the drama of our salvation must have wrestled with the very same thought: Why does He have to leave? The couple from Emmaus might even have called out the same invitation that they offered the Lord the night He walked home with them: Stay with us.

At the same time, they found comfort and hope in The Risen Lord’s promise that: Again, in a little while you will see me! They understood that WHAT COMES NEXT would bring more miracles…more powerful deeds…more “AWE MOMENTS.”

And, of course, what came next was an entirely new way of relating to God. WHO came next was the Holy Spirit.

Christ returned to The Father so that the next great episode in the drama of our salvation could begin. The Risen Lord made room for the power and presence of The Holy Spirit.

Those who had been companions of Jesus of Nazareth, standing on that mountain, gazing up into the heavens and feeling the bittersweet experience of The Ascension, were soon to become much more than mere spectators to miracles. The Risen Christ sent The Holy Spirit to dwell among and within them. And so, they became empowered activists, continuing the mission and ministry which Jesus began.

There are no “picture boards” preserving all of this. But there is The Gospel…the Living Word of God. When we read the Good News with eyes of faith, we remember that Jesus of Nazareth WAS the Son of God. And we marvel at the great love that He had for us…love so great that He accepted death on the Cross. And so, He BECAME The Risen Christ.

What CAME NEXT was the arrival of The Holy Spirit. The same Spirit Who empowered the Apostles and disciples to spread the Good News continues to empower us today. It is on us to continue the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ.

This celebration of the Lord’s return to heaven is a perfect opportunity to put together our own…spiritual…picture board. Beginning with the photos of our Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation, we get a glimpse of who WE WERE.

As we move through the years, are there images of us living the Gospel? Is there evidence that WE ARE disciples of Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue The Lord’s mission and ministry? Are we leaving behind a record of empowered activism?

Or do we need to step up our game? Tempting as it might be, we can’t just stay here looking up into the heavens. We must go out into the world and actively proclaim the Good News.

This much is certain: If we have done our best to live lives of discipleship, WHAT COMES NEXT…is traveling out of time and into Eternal Peace and Joy!