Thursday, May 18, 2023

 

Thursday, May 18, 2023


Psalm 97

Daniel 7:9-14

John 14:12-29


Observance: Ascension Day


“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.”


The Ascension is one of those events in the Bible that stick out more than most others. Water into wine is pretty miraculous, but not beyond the realm of supernatural possibility; the multiplication of loaves and fishes likewise, while not achievable by us mere mortals, seems a fairly straight-forward miracle. Even Christ’s resurrection is believable by most Christians, as indeed it should be, as its uniqueness confirms Christ’s divinity as well as securing our confidence in eternal life.


But when we consider the Ascension, of the resurrected Jesus ascended up through the clouds and into heaven, the mind’s eye begins to throb and bend. Because where is heaven? Is it a geographical location “up there”? The Russian cosmonaut went into space and scoffed about how he saw no angels, only more space. Many theologians nowadays have conceded that heaven may not be a literal place, but more of an attitude. This approach seems reasonable not just to many Christians, but those outside Christianity who like to “pick and mix” their spiritual reality.


What if heaven is a place, and not just a state of mind? This is the second time this week we have read John 14. Jesus speaks about going to a place; of preparing a place for us; and then returning to take us to that place. There may be something to the theory that, while heaven is a spiritual realm, it exists in space and time, and we simply do not have the eyes to see it as it exists all around us.


Perhaps the clouds Jesus entered as He ascended into heaven was a sign, pointing not to a cardinal point on a map, but to the cloud of God’s glory as He led His people through the wilderness during the Exodus. Because while God is present everywhere, He “especially manifests His presence to bless in certain places”. Since the Holy Spirit dwells in the body of each Christian, we carry the special presence of God to bless wherever we go; the kingdom of heaven is within us. And when Christ returns, descending on the clouds, to wipe every tear from every eye and bring in the new heaven and the new earth, we will find ourselves at the fountainhead of God’s blessings, finally home, finally seeing heaven on earth as it truly is.



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