Going Up!
5 May 2021
Life is full of ups and downs. But some amid our COS ranks are specialists. Karl Dietmeyer, Scott Bosecker, Brad Harris, Eric Jakubowski, and both Kim and Rob Hoellrich serve as Delta pilots. Several times a day, these pilots help people ascend and descend with astonishing comfort. When flying as passengers, we typically hear an announcement within just the first 10 minutes that we’ve ascended to somewhere between 31,000-38,000 feet, where the pilot plans to comfortably cruise for the rest of our flight. When the time is right and we approach our destination, the pilot announces the beginning of descent, when we start to prepare for the next part of our adventure.
I need to ask these COS pilots if they ever call a flight “Ascension Day.” Because that’s what Christians worldwide call tomorrow, the 40th day after Easter, as we remember Jesus’ ascension into heaven. I have more questions about Jesus’ ascension than Delta jets. Did Jesus’ lift-off involve any rumbling akin to jet engines? What was the speed of Jesus’ ascent? Were the disciples able to watch him for a while like we enjoy tracking a departing plane bound for exotic locations?
While the mysteries of Jesus’ Ascension Day abound, here are some reasons I join with you and Christians worldwide in smiling on this day of celebration:
Jesus’ ascension means he’s going somewhere special. Just as any of us board a plane to be able to see loved ones, so Jesus’ ascension will re-unite him with his heavenly Father. Yes, both live together as the Triune God. But we believe that, just as Jesus leaves heaven to some extent to come to Bethlehem, Jesus is joyfully re-united with the Father when he returns to the heavenly realm after his mission is accomplished faithfully.
Jesus’ ascension commences an exciting new part of God’s plan. When my kids graduated high school or college, tears filled my eyes because I knew a sweet chapter of our lives together was ending. But LuAnne and I realize a wonderful new chapter can’t start for them unless they celebrate the completion of the one preceding. It’s the same for God’s plan. Once Jesus’ salvific work is accomplished, the Holy Spirit is ready to offer gifts so that the church can be born and multiply. Ascension precedes Pentecost.
Ascension is the exclamation point on Jesus’ victory. In our Apostles Creed, we profess there was a “Suffering Day,” a 24 hour period when Jesus was horrifically betrayed, whipped, jeered, and crucified. There was a “Descending Day” when he went to the realm of the dead. Do you feel some tension while reciting those words in worship each week? But then the Creed announces the victory. “But on the third day, he rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven!” Teams can lose for most of the game. But it’s the final score that determines who ascends to the podium to receive the trophy. Jesus ascends to heaven as a magnificent sign of the ultimate victory he won for all of us.
Ascension Day is not only good news for Jesus, but for all of us. We rejoice that Jesus is the “forerunner” or the “first fruits” of what God is doing in our midst. How wonderful to be reminded that the cancer, heart disease, accident, or any other event that brings our final breath is not the end of the story. Because Jesus rises from death, we shall too. Because Jesus ascends to the glory of God’s next chapter of joy and life, we shall too!
Let us pray:
Dear God, I’m so glad that our COS pilot friends like Karl, Eric, Brad, Scott, Kim and Rob have figured out how to help me ascend on flights to new adventures. How much more so am I thankful that Jesus is preparing for us not only daily rising from the bonds of sin, but an ultimate ascension to God’s wonder. Bring us together as a congregation this Sunday, as we continue our Ascension Celebration and what it means for our daily outlooks.
In the name of the Ascended One, Jesus the Christ, Amen.