Reflection for the Week of May 29

By Rev. Ian Collier

“Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness”
~Hebrews 4:16 

The Ascension is often one of the forgotten Christian holidays. We spend so much energy on Christmas & Easter, and at least have a bold change in church decoration color on Pentecost, that the Ascension barely gets a nod. But the Ascension must be given its due – it was important enough to make it into the creeds, after all! So, why is this day so important?

The Ascension shows us two huge things about God’s relationship with his creation. First, when the scriptures call the church “The Body of Christ,” it’s not just a metaphor for how we are all united across our differing talents and abilities; the title “Body of Christ” is also our job since, after the Ascension, Christ has no other body on earth other than the Church and her sacraments. While we know that it is within God’s power to perform whatever acts he wants to in the world without help, the Ascension shows us that God has freely chosen to invite humans to participate in his redemption of the world and has entrusted us completely with spreading the Good News and intervening in his name on behalf of those in need. Christ’s body ascended into heaven so that the Church could become The Body of Christ and so that each of us could participate in God’s mission.

Second, the Ascension shows us the ultimate destiny of humanity. When Christ’s body was brought to heaven, for the first time in the history of the universe a human body sat on the throne of God. When we talk about being adopted by God as joint heirs with Christ, it’s not just everlasting life that we are inheriting, nor merely just being made ‘one of the family’ with Jesus. Rather, since our humanity is united to Christ’s humanity through baptism, inasmuch as we are the Body of Christ, our destiny is the same as Christ’s body – sitting on the throne of God. The Ascension shows us that being adopted by God means that we will become by grace what Christ is by nature.

This is why we celebrate the Ascension – because it is the final word of God’s promises regarding what our fate will ultimately be, and it’s a good promise!