Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
The Psalm
47
The Readings
Acts 1:1-11 + Ephesians 1:15-23 + Luke 24:44-53
And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. ~Ephesians 1:22-23
Near the end of the Easter season comes Ascension Day. It is a major feast that really gets short shrift. In part, it’s because it always falls on a Thursday (May 30th this year), since it is observed forty days after Easter Day (Acts 1:3 doesn’t make for great liturgical planning). But probably it’s also because of the nature of this feast—what are we to make of the Ascension? We confess “he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father”—but really, what do we do with that? It is a mystery not even our Prayer Book tries to pin down—we are given the choice of two collects for the day, with different themes emphasized. But acknowledging a mystery does not mean we are discouraged from seeking understanding. And I think one thing that we see in the Ascension is that Christ is “no longer bound to distant years in Palestine, (but) comes to claim the here and now and conquer every place and time” (Hymn no. 182). Jesus is not simply an historical figure, or even primarily the object of Christian worship—Christ does not belong to us, and we cannot hold him in our grasp. Rather, we belong to Christ. And we are together the body of Christ in the world, a tangible, embodied presence of the cosmic Christ, the one “who fills all in all.” Alleluia!
Closing Prayer
Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that as we believe your only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into heaven, so we may also in heart and mind there ascend, and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
~The Book of Common Prayer, p. 226
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