Thursday, May 17, 2007

Ascension Day

Jim:

Ezekiel 1:1-14, 24-28b
A portion of verse 28 reads, “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.” I think it is insightful to note that what Ezekiel saw and all that he experienced was not God, or even the glory of God. It was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of God, in other words God through three filters, and even then Ezekiel passed out at the sight. God is potent stuff. God is truly majestic and overwhelming. (Moses, too, came down the mountain from his encounters with God glowing as though he were somehow radioactive.) And yet this potent, overwhelming God deigned to come into our midst in human form and to suffer as we suffer and to die as we die. “What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!”

Hebrews 2:5-18
Verse 18 amplifies the significance of God’s work in Jesus Christ: “Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those ho are being tested.” In other words, God’s interaction with humanity was real and substantial and led to humiliation and death. God knows how we suffer because in Jesus God suffered with us.

Matthew 28:16-20
The final verses of the gospel of Matthew (18b-20) read, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. God therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This is the great commission given to the church at the time when Jesus ascended into heaven. It has motivated the outreach of the church for centuries and, for Protestants, established baptism as one of the two sacraments. I went through the confirmation process to become a communicant member at a fairly young age, but I still remember a good bit of the experience. As a part of our class, we were asked to write a statement of faith and to share it with the congregation at a family night supper. I don’t remember much about what I said, but the last few words of my statement were, “And lo, I am with you always, even to the close of the age,” which is the RSV translation of verse 20. I think I did that more for effect than because of any theological significance, but it has stayed with me all these years as a favorite verse and a reminder of the presence and grace of God in Jesus Christ. On this day when we remember the ascension it is important to remember that Jesus did not go away, Jesus went on to the place prepared for him and from which he remains active in our lives and concerned for our well-being. Jesus is with us to the end of the age.

No comments: