Readings for the Ascension, May 16, 2021
Acts 1.1-11 | Psalm 47 | Ephesians 4.1-13 | Mark 16.15-20
As Jesus ascends into the sky, the eyes of the disciples are turned skyward. Who of us would not do the same? Perhaps the disciples are disappointed that the messiah has not brought the long-awaited kingdom. Or, like the psalmist, maybe their hearts are stirred by God’s glory. The Lord has gone up “with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to our God, sing praises.”
There is a time for praising and a time for action. A man in a white robe promises that Jesus will return in the same way he went up to heaven. Now it is time for mission. While Jesus could only reach those who could see and hear him in Galilee and Judea, the Holy Spirit will descend upon the disciples. With the power of the Spirit, they will spread the Good News to all nations.
Mark’s Gospel tells of Jesus urging them to “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” Not only humanity, but all of creation requires redemption.
The signs that they are carrying out Jesus’ ministry will be that the disciples cast out demons, speak in tongues, pick up snakes, drink poison with impunity and will have the power to heal the sick.
St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, describes the effect of the Holy Spirit in less spectacular terms. Christ’s disciples are called to exercise humility, gentleness, patience and loving forbearance to maintain the unity of the Spirit. The community of God’s people is to be characterized by unity and peace.
Paul’s description, while far from spectacular, is the more demanding one. We are not to condemn others as foolish wastrels but to accept them as they are, realizing that we too are fraught with grievous faults. The Spirit does not work through ringing denunciations. Rather, the Spirit is recognized through humility and gentleness.
Unity is Paul’s clarion call throughout his letters. It is a call that too often goes ignored. He says often and in various ways that we are made perfect through our weaknesses, not our strengths. When we rely on our supposedly superior intelligence and energy, we exercise human power. But when we trust in the Spirit, we park those strengths and wait patiently for the Spirit to lead us in ways we had not anticipated.
The Ascension is an exhibition of God’s glory, but it is also the start of something new. It ushers in the time of the Spirit, the time when humility and gentleness are the fire which makes God’s kingdom blaze before us.
Remember to walk humbly with your God and gently upon the earth.