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Ascension Day
“Jesus said to his disciples, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you – that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’ Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God."
Luke 24:44-53
A blessed feast day of the Ascension to you!
In Luke’s Gospel account, when we hear that Jesus was carried up into heaven, we remember this momentous event on the Church calendar this year on May 29. I was raised in a different Christian tradition in which the “church calendar” was made up of Christmas and Easter. One of the gifts and beauty of the Episcopal Church is our rich liturgy and calendar. We are gifted the opportunity to be engaged with our Faith every month, week and day.
I have an old-fashioned paper Church calendar on my desk where I can glance over and see what the color of the day is, whether there is a lesser feast or fast and where we are in the season of the church year.[1] I have found this to be a rich tool to engage with Scripture and our history more deeply. On various days when I may be thinking of time in terms of sports seasons, familial birthdays or secular holidays, I am often stopped and reoriented to Scripture and our history. These are moments where I too look upward to heaven and am reoriented toward Christ.
I hope that you have objects or reminders in your own daily life that cause you to pause and refocus, looking up to Christ and worship. When you see me at Church or send me an email, I would love to hear about what in your life causes you to pause and refocus on Christ.
[1] You may purchase your own “Episcopal Church Year Guide” calendar either in the St. Martin’s Gift Shoppe or online from the Ashby Company.
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