Down by the runway, giant jet liners roar up and down the black asphalt, the road to the heavens.
When they are taking off they go faster and faster, the nose starts to lift up and slowly the wheels lift from the ground, they climb into the sky, pulled upwards by the mystery of wings, airflow, air pressure, Bernoulli’s principle, fluid dynamics.
Shading our eyes and craning our necks we gaze upward as they ascend one after another, like angels climbing Jacob’s ladder.
Of course riding in the plane is almost as good as watching them. After all the security, the standing in line, the taking off and putting on of shoes, the saying good bye to a favorite pocket knife accidentally left in the pocket, the packing in to the seats, the pumping of the head on the over head luggage container.
After all that, some folks like the window seat, so we can see the wonders of the sky. All the hassle to get on the plane is worth the one moment, when after the plane accelerates, after we sink back into the cushions, arms and head growing suddenly heavy, after the runway becomes a blur, after the shaking grows heavier, suddenly there is that moment, when there is silence, and the ground pulls away, the tips of the wings are bent upward by invisible hands lifting us higher and higher, our shadow races across the ground below us, shrinking and getting lost, and we gaze upward as we ascend through the clouds.
I remember watching, as a child, the first Space Shuttle launch.
On a pillar of cloud and fire the giant bird was lifted up.
The whole world gazed upward, watching our dreams ascend into the heavens, for a day our future looked so bright, so much to look forward to. Hail Columbia!
Our spirits soared.
The hummingbird, buzzes up to our face, hovering in place, looking us straight in the eye, checking us over, seeing into our soul, then it zips and zings through the branches, suddenly it shoots straight up at whip lash speed, its small body disappearing in the near distance, craning our necks, squinting our eyes we stretch upward, gazing, trying to hold on to the creature, to the sudden encounter that catches our attention and pulls us upward and away, ascending.
There are stories of the ancient saints having the habit of flouting away when they were praying. Their students and friends and followers were always having to pull them back down for fear of losing them, sometimes even chaining them down. You can find old drawings of people holding a chain with a saint up on the other end like a balloon or a kite, we laugh with them at their consternation.
Saints have a certain levity to them. I suppose they enjoyed their friends confusion, with mirthful eyes as they ascended in playful adoration.
Some say Satan fell by force of his own gravity, he was very grave, taking himself so seriously as he plummeted from the stars.
Some say when the saints passed away a pleasant aroma filled the air, lifting like a prayer.
The pleasant scents that fill this earth rising and dancing on the breeze. Like an old hound dog our noses pull us forward.
The sweet smell of slowly roasting meet and hickory smoke, clouds rolling across the ground slowly ascending, making our mouths water and our eyes tear up.
The wafting of incense, processing down the aisle, circling the altar, an offering up to the Most High, our thoughts and prayers ascending, billowing upward around the ceiling, a light cloud covering, the altar of sacrifice, the Eucharistic sacrifice, mingling our human nature with his divine nature, that we may be lifted into the divine life the Triune God.
Just as we take in the life of God in the tipping sip of wine, in the chewing of bread, so our life is taken into God, by the one who ascended, lifting our fallen nature to kiss the healing divine nature of our Lord.
The Ascension of Christ.
Jesus ascends to the right hand of the father, he is enthroned in glory, he now reigns over the universe, the King of all, he is the all in all, our beginning and our end, in whom we live and move and have our being.
We gaze upward.
Our attention has been captured, diverted, and held and lifted upward beyond our own grave self business. Surprised by beauty and awe and wonder and love and levity.
Our spirits fly, our dreams ascend, the future is bright, there is so much to look forward to, the blood and wine and life of God is pouring into us, the circle is unbroken, communion is restored.
We gaze upward, full of hope, the world has become buoyant, fettered to the saints, the world is lifted, rapture.
The fluid dynamics of the Spirit joining the heavens and the earth, sanctifying this dirt, making holy this flesh.
The Ascension.
We gaze upward that this ground may be holy, that our bare feet may be rooted to this life this day, here, right now, that we may share this hope, that we find may find this hope in our life together.
That we may lose our gravity, and find God’s levity.