Jesus proclaimed 2000 years ago and says that same thing today to us: "We are to be baptized with water and we shall receive the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses to Him." Jesus' final words at His holy Ascension should empower us to proclaim His Gospel, His truth, and to know that we will receive the power from the Holy Spirit to do His will. We are called to become His followers who will proclaim the truth that He is God, that He is the Light, that He is the door, that Jesus is the Way.
We too are called, as the disciples were called, to be imitators of Jesus. We are to be our Lord's hands and feet. St. Teresa of Avila says: "Christ has no body on earth but yours. He has no hands or feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out. Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good. And yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now."
Called to Holy Responsibility
The Ascension of our Lord invites us to a holy sense of responsibility to become servants as Jesus was: one who served the needs of others first and always. At the Ascension, our Lord Jesus gives us the command to know our faith and to intimately know our Lord so we can live our life in Christ and become a fragrance of peace, truth, and sanity in this desperate world!
As Orthodox Christians, we get to celebrate the Feast of the Ascension forty days after Pascha. This is the last time we see Jesus in His body on earth. It was the time He physically left His apostles and mother behind with instructions. Jesus' instructions were to wait for the Gift of the Father. That gift of the power of the Holy Spirit who would ignite this flame within their hearts to proclaim the message of Jesus' Gospel, become an example of love, and unfold the plan for salvation to the whole world!
The Beginning, Not the End
When we truly think about it, it is tempting to see Christ's Ascension as the conclusion of Jesus' sacred ministry, an ending to a movement and revolution, and not an invitation to engage ourselves and others with God's gospel of love and plan for salvation. We can be misled to think the chapter is closed and that's it.
It seems as if Ascension Day is one of the few remaining main feasts in the church year that hasn't really been touched by our secular American society. We've seen that Christmas has been distorted by a Santa who is looking for 'naughty and nice' people so he can ride his reindeer to give everyone presents! Then Easter comes along and for many has replaced the mystery of Christ trampling death upon death with egg hunts, Easter bunnies, and chocolate eggs!
Then Easter comes along and for many the mystery of Christ trampling death upon death has been replaced with egg hunts, Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs! Yet this month we will 'not' see Ascension Day sales at Macy's and I'm guessing most do not receive any "Happy Ascension Day" cards in the mail, or go out for Ascension Day dinner. But the day of our Lord's Ascension was the beginning for His disciples to begin proclaiming His radical message of love!
The Promise of Power
It says in Acts 1:4: "And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, 'which,' He said, 'you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.' But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
Our Lord's Ascension should inspire us to realize that we get to continue the revolution Christ started! A revolution creating communities of love! A community that helps people become free from the trappings of the world and become united to their need and hunger for God. We are inspired to continue Jesus' revolution that embraces people rather than judges, unite hurting members rather than lecturing them on how to feel better.
It says in Acts 1:4:
And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
Our Lord's Ascension should inspire us to realize that we get to continue the revolution Christ started! A revolution creating communities of love! A community that helps people become free from the trappings of the world and become united to their need and hunger for God. We are inspired to continue Jesus' revolution that embraces people rather than judges them, that unites hurting members rather than lecturing them on how to feel better.
Jesus handed the baton to His beloved sons and daughters on Ascension Day to be His voice and hands, feet and eyes! We are called to be Christ's vessels and instruments of peace that help transform lives and provide a culture where we can encounter our real Lord who fills our souls with sheer delight.
Seeking Christ in Prayer
As we meditate on Christ's Ascension, let's not think of Jesus performing a disappearing act into space beyond the clouds but let us seek Him in prayer, in our heart so we become transformed into His image.
The Ascension doesn't mark the end of Jesus' earthly ministry—it marks the beginning of ours. When Christ ascended into heaven, He didn't abandon us; He empowered us. He didn't leave us alone; He sent us the Holy Spirit. He didn't end the story; He invited us to write the next chapter.
This is both an incredible privilege and a sobering responsibility. We are now the body of Christ in the world. We are His hands to serve, His voice to proclaim good news, His heart to love the unlovable. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us and empowers us for this mission.
But we must wait for the promise of the Father, just as the disciples did. We cannot accomplish this mission in our own strength or wisdom. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to transform us from timid followers into bold witnesses, from people who are served into people who serve, from those who receive love into those who give love away.
The revolution continues, and we are invited to be part of it. Not as passive observers, but as active participants. Not as perfect people, but as forgiven people. Not in our own power, but in the power of the Spirit who comes to dwell within us.
Yes, Lord, guide us to become more of You. God, we are broken people. Show us how to be Your hands and feet. Open our eyes that we may comprehend the true message of your holy gospel that we might share Your love, compassion and peace to others. Lord, please crack our hearts showing us how to have you as our priority. That we put you first in everything we do. Lord let our life always reflect Your light in this dark world.
In Jesus' sweet name, Amen.
+Fr. Tom
