Forty days after the observance of Easter the Church traditionally celebrates the Ascension
of Christ. The date is actually connected with a pre-Christian celebration of the first of the barley harvest which
came just ten days before the first cutting of the wheat known as Pentecost.
Both Old Testament festivals involved the lifting up of token bundles of barley or wheat, waving them high in the
air while giving thanks to God for the bountiful provisions. These were exciting days in the lives of the people
of Jesus' time, following a long winter where stored provisions were running low, they were now receiving the first
appreciable signs of what the new year had in store. Having done all the planting, and necessary cultivation, this
was a time for people coming together in celebration of the renewal of promise and the continuing cycle of life
itself.
The short gap between the two was a time of waiting, but a waiting filled with purpose. So too in today's gospel
we find the disciples following their vision of Jesus' ascension into Heaven, instructed to wait for the completion
of God's promise to them at Pentecost. This time of waiting, of staying together, of growing in their understanding
and appreciation of God's will is a prelude to the birth of the Church as we know it, and the Church, with a capital
"C," was responsible for explaining the transitional meanings of all of these previous celebrations in
light of events that were particularly Christian in nature.
Very often people will ask me why we never say the Creeds anymore in our worship service. Most of us learned the
traditional creeds of the Church at an early age. I want to give you an opportunity to say The Apostles' Creed
together now as it has relevance to what we are about to discuss. If you don't know it by heart, or would prefer
to simply read it to yourself it can be found on page ____ of the Hymnal.
(Here we will recite the Apostle's Creed).
Remember that these early creeds were attempts to codify the basic principles of what it meant to believe in the
Christian faith at a time when most congregations had no written traditions in common other than the Old Testament
scriptures.
"He ascended into heaven" is one of those principles.
That Creed comes from somewhere between the last years of the second century and the early years of the third.
At that time it was commonly believed that the earth was flat, that the heavens were somewhat like an umbrella
suspended over the earth separating the spiritual world from the material world, and that a body of celestial water
was suspended in between the two known as the firmament. With all the rain we've been having lately it may be easier
to believe in that concept more now than then.
Accepting this picture of the world, as with all other aspects of the creeds, was a matter of faith. Jesus' ascension
to the right hand of God involved his passage through the firmament and into the heavenly realm. Anyone who questioned
that understanding was considered to be a heretic, and many paid for their inquisitiveness and alternative beliefs
with their lives.
Fourteen hundred years later, following both the Dark Ages and the Renaissance came what is today known as the
"Enlightenment." Asking questions in the light of the vast accumulation of human knowledge, particularly
questions starting with "Why?" was credited with bringing down empires and changing the face of the world.
Learning became a new religion and some actually believed there was nothing that was outside the realm of human
possibility.
We now live in what is called the "Post Enlightenment" world, having witnessed more triumphs and perversions
of what knowledge can lead to than most people are comfortable living with. Asking "Why" is still acceptable…but
now people are becoming more comfortable with saying "Perhaps we are not meant to know." Learning is
still seen as a great gift…but perhaps not one that can ultimately save us.
Some things however cannot be denied. Most people have flown above the clouds, and we have seen beyond the veil
of the heavens. We know the world is not flat, and that neither it nor we are the center of the universe. In fact
we know that we are only one of many universes…and suspect that some are still in the process of being formed.
We have seen the tragic and fiery consequences of trying to get into space, as well as to return from it.
"He ascended into heaven" has to mean more than that he disappeared beyond the clouds. Perhaps it was
always meant to mean more. When we elevate someone or something we can do it in two ways. We can literally raise
them from their former position, as in lifting a child to a stool to better wipe their face or comb their hair…or
we can figuratively "raise them" in terms of our opinion of their worth in our own experience, in admiration
or in love. We speak of "raising the bar of our expectations," of "lifting up an ideal."
Paul wrote "If we have been raised with Christ we should also seek the things that are above." Perhaps
Christ's ascent to the right hand of God is at least in one sense, the elevation of a perfect way of life to the
most desired proximity of the Creator. To seek to emulate that life and vision is to raise our own expectations
of ourselves, and to recognize that like the barley and the wheat this is a "first fruit" so to speak
of what God can accomplish through a life that is so motivated.
We know too that when we go "higher up" we see things from a different perspective. Some things that
appeared so insurmountable when we stood cowering beneath them are minuscule from a different vantage point. In
the same way, vast horizons open before us that we had not seen previously. They were always there…but beyond our
view. A bigger picture can actually seem smaller…like the world viewed from a camera in space.
Being "lifted up" in such a way can be challenging and frustrating. We become equally aware of how small
and insignificant we can seem, how little our contributions might be in such a vast cosmos…and yet that's how we
return to an appreciation of the reason for waiting and faith. The Creeds themselves become stepping stones to
understanding, not barriers to growth. They are expressions of concepts meant to be pondered, not rituals meant
to be worshipped.
Christ alone has been elevated to that secure place with God that cannot be altered. We, by design, must rely on
those flashes of divine insight that come from an independent Spirit that dwells within…a gift from the same hand
that sent the barley and the wheat…a gift we recognize at Pentecost.
Paul wrote "I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom
and revelation as you come to know the Creator, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know
what is the hope to which God has called you." Just a few weeks ago we were reminded that Jesus himself said
"When I am lifted up I will draw all people unto myself," and promised "That where I am you may
be also."
As we ponder the mystery of the ascension may we also desire to live with such high ideals, and elevated vision
that we might bring glory to God this day and always.
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