Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

 Lectionary: 58

Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear before God on our behalf.

 Before his death and resurrection, Jesus told his disciples he must go away so that they might receive the gift of his Holy Spirit. And so today's feast of the Ascension prepares us for next Sunday, which is the last of three crowning festivals in our Church year. Pentecost is absolutely necessary because, without the gift of the Holy Spirit, there is no memory of God’s saving work, no church to remember Jesus, his death and resurrection, and no salvation. 

Even as the disciples saw him ascending, and as a cloud of glory took him from their sight, we see with the eyes of faith the Lord entering the heavenly sanctuary, a temple not made by human hands. A human being, one of our own children -- having died, risen, and ascended – continually surrenders his soul, life, and being to the majesty of God, in the Spirit of humble obedience. 

And the Father, accepting the priestly offering, bestows upon Jesus all authority in heaven, on earth, and under the earth – All of the Power of God which created a universe – or perhaps a multiverse – of billions and billions of stars and galaxies – all are given to Jesus to govern with his entirely human, entirely divine vision. And he uses that enormous authority to speak the truth. 

Because we eat his flesh and drink his blood, when the Lord gives himself to God his Father, he also surrenders us, who are the prize of his victory. We are a gift given by the Father to the Son and by the Son to the Father; we’re in good hands. In today's second reading from Saint Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, we hear the Apostle pray for us, 

May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,

give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation

resulting in knowledge of him.

Human beings, like sheep, cattle, and geese, are flocking animals. We are always in search of a shepherd to guide us. Some people, it seems, prefer a cowherd, gooseherd, or swineherd; but we want a Good Shepherd!  The disciples of Jesus, drawn to his charisma, were heartbroken sheep when he was crucified. They hardly knew what to do with themselves after that dreadful Friday afternoon. The shepherd was struck and his sheep were scattered. 

But they stayed together, comforting one another with little hope or expectation of a brighter future. When he rose from the dead, the Gospels tell us, they thought they were seeing a ghost, a gardener, or a fellow traveler. They had to touch him, hear him, and watch him eating food before they could believe he had come back to them. 

But Jesus was, nonetheless, dead in a certain manner of speaking. He could not remain with them in the way he'd been with them before. As he told Mary Magdalene, he must return to his father and our father, to his God and our God. He could not stay. Ever obedient, he surrenders his disciples to the Holy Spirit as he takes his place in heaven; and they must learn a new way of following him. 

Nor could they "fail to launch.” They could not go back to him in Nazareth where they found him, or Jerusalem where he taught. He would not be there to tell them what to do. He could not settle their arguments or bail them out of trouble. Being dead relieves him of many responsibilities which now belong to us. 

Under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, his disciples would never listen slavishly to a fellow human being. Rather, they trust the Holy Spirit which will guide their conversation, deliberations, and decisions. No one can claim to have mastery or dominion over anyone; no one can say, "I know the Lord and I have the spirit and you must listen to me." Rather, we listen to the Lord's Spirit with the same intense devotion and reverence his disciples showed to Jesus since he first appeared in Galilee and led them to Jerusalem. 

We "test every spirit," and when someone speaks of their own ideas, intuitions, or inspirations, we should listen respectfully and decide together whether to follow that impulse or not. Pope Francis called the process discernment, and insisted that leaders of the Church should gather in synods as we discern God’s will for his Church.

Even as we pray in our parish churches and chapels we should pray with one voice, one mind, and one heart. If we attend a church where everyone kneels to receive the Eucharist, we should do likewise. No one needs to be holier, more up-to-date, or more special than anyone else. Individuals who believe they should pray louder than anyone so they'll do it right must learn to trust the group and the Spirit which governs us. If the musicians and congregation drag through a song, we drag together! If they listen to a boring sermon, maybe we should listen too.

In an age when everyone thinks "I'm an individual who's “gotta be me, what else can I be but what I am?'" –:we learn to join a church and lose ourselves in a congregation that worships God. It's not that hard. In fact, it's surprisingly easy once you die to yourself. 

If we as a church commit sin – and we’re certainly capable of that – no one should leave to start their own church. That only compounds the problem. How many dismembered limbs have we already seen in the body of Christ? Rather, we bring our concerns to the Church and its leaders. We accuse no one of evil, or wicked intent. But we pray, stay together, and wait upon the Spirit to redirect the whole body of the Church. It may take a while. Oil tankers and aircraft carriers don’t make sudden turns, nor do we. But we trust that the Lord remains even with his sinful church, and does not split his Son’s body into warring factions. 

Jesus insisted, 

I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

And so we pray with the disciples in the Upper Room, and with the whole Church throughout the world, for the gift of Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit