The gas jets ignite and explode, shooting hot flames into the silken envelope, inflating an acre of flat flowing fabric into a jelly fish like behemoth, a hot air balloon!
The bright rainbow of colors fills the sky, brilliant, effervescent. Then in silence the cord is dropped, like an umbilical cord being cut, and the child of earth is born upward, now a creature of the sky! Quietly lifting upward and away. All the bystanders stand in slack jawed awe and wonder.
The Ascension. An event of wonder. Language fails.
“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.”
The Ascension. An event of wonder. Language fails.
“God has gone up with a shout.”
We stand in slack jawed wonder, but we are not bystanders as when a balloon ascends. There are no bystanders to the Ascension.
There can’t be bystanders to the Ascension because when Jesus ascends our humanity ascends with him, creation ascends with him, the created is brought into communion with the creator. Jesus shares our created-ness, our humanness. That is why there are no bystanders, there are only communicants.
This event has been celebrated and symbolized in many ways through the history of the Church.
Sometimes the celebration has been with the blessing of the first fruits of spring especially the blessing of beans. The imagination goes crazy trying to to interpret that one. Christ has ascended, lets go bless some beans!
Some of the symbols have been such images as the ascending Christ. An early icon shows only Jesus feet at the top of the picture with the disciples looking up.
Sometimes it has been symbolized with birds flying homeward.
Sometimes open gates, we are no longer closed out.
Sometimes the Lion conquering the Dragon, meaning the victory of Jesus over Satan, the ascension being the final blow, marking the victory of God. We observe this tradition today.
Sometimes Elijah’s fiery chariot, ascending to God.
Sometimes a broken chain. What a powerful symbol, broken chains, liberty, the end of slavery.
The Ascension. It is a big deal, our humanity is now shared with God and at Pentecost God’s Spirit is shared with us.
Communion with God is restored, casting out the devil, bursting open the gates, breaking the chains, crushing the head of the serpent.
Now comes the business of coming to life again, of living in this new life that we are given.
What does that mean?
What does that look like?
It means that life has been re-enchanted, the enchantment of the ordinary, that the world is crowded and packed and overflowing with God.
It means that we are invited to ascend as well, not that we may escape from the unpleasant realities of this world, rather that we may take part in the redemption of a world that hasn’t heard the good news, that the war is over, we have been set free, emancipated.
We ascend not to leave this world, rather we ascend that we may stay in this world in a different way, there is another way to be in the world.
We do not live above the fray, looking down in scorn upon lesser beings. That is not the Gospel.
God’s Spirit is poured out in the midst of all the struggles, when we struggle to do the right thing, when we struggle not sure what the right thing is anymore, when we struggle to even care or hope any more, when we are indifferent and distracted,
The ascension pulls us out of the pit.
So what does the Ascension have to offer us today?
That is the sort question that we consumers have been well trained to ask. What is in it for me?
The better question is more personal and cutting, “Will we offer ourselves to the Ascension?
Will we worship him, trust Jesus enough to worship him?
Will we return to life with that joy? Can we give up all those resentments, the pride, and self image, and risk being seen as silly enough to have joy? To live with exuberant and extravagant thankfulness?
Can we continually bless God?
Throw moderation and respectability aside and become devout lovers and worshipers of the God who has taken our humanity into himself.
It doesn’t take away our problems, it gives a fresh approach, another option, the option that says we have been set free, free enough with news that is good enough to share. There is another way.
Don’t believe the lie that says there is only way to live and survive in the world.
The chains have been broken.
Ascend. Language fails.