Heavens opened: Ascension, Descent, Church

Acts 7.55-60 ‘I see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’

Revelation 22.12-14,16-17,20 ‘Come, Lord Jesus!’

John 17.20-26 ‘May they become perfectly one.’

 

 ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened’

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On this seventh Sunday of the season of Easter, we stand between two great mysteries, wonders, if you prefer, of the Christian faith that have great bearing on how we understand the nature of God, and how God is not remote, but is with us until the end of the age, all of which prepares the ground for a third mystery.

The first great mystery was celebrated on Thursday, the Ascension of the Lord.

This is the day when Jesus Christ ascends into the heavens, out of his disciples’ sight, having told them that he is ‘with them always, to the end of the age’ (Matthew 28.20)

We’re left with wondering how can he possibly claim to be with us at the same time as going beyond our sight and into what we might call ‘another dimension’?

The answer is that as he is now no longer bound by time and space, his body no longer incarnate on earth, he is present at all times and in all places, in our world, in every believer’s heart, in mine and in yours.

In Christ’s incarnation, his becoming human, God shows that he is not remote, distant or like a blind watchmaker who gets Creation going then clears off.

St Matthew’s Gospel asserts this at the beginning, the middle and the end: ‘His name is Emmanuel (which means, God with us)’ (Matthew 1.23); ‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them’ (Matthew 18.20); ‘And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’ (Matthew 28.20).

That remains true even after the Ascension.

Yet, he is beyond our sight and touch, we cannot see him and relate to him as you and I can to each other.

The Ascension mystery is that he is always with us, yet always beyond us.

And he promises to come again in glory: ‘Surely, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22.20).

Love of God is the Christian’s highest ambition: our summum bonum – our highest good – the God always with us, yet always beyond us.

Ascension Day, which is always 40 days after Easter, this year fell on 29^th May, which was also the anniversary of the conquering of Mount Everest in 1953.

One’s personal Everest is considered the highest thing that can be achieved: but it’s not high enough for the believer.

From a mountain top Jesus Christ ascends beyond, higher, the goal of all our aspirations, telling us our fulfilment is not in earthly achievement but heavenly completion.

That’s why even in the act of being martyred, with rocks hurled at him, Stephen, the first Christian martyr, looks and sees heaven opened and the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, sitting at God’s right hand in glory, and calls out, echoing Jesus’ words from the Cross, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” (Acts 7.59)

We are called always to look beyond.

Savour this world; yet not be bound by it.

Succeed in this world; but not be fooled into thinking that’s all there is.

And that is where the second mystery comes in, the mystery to be celebrated next Sunday: the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

There will be more to consider next week, but Pentecost makes real the promises of Christ that he is not remote from us, that he is with us and we with him, even more than that, that he dwells in us and we in him.

The Spirit comes down upon the apostles who, with the Blessed Virgin Mary, have been praying in the Upper Room since Christ’s ascension.

They are now the Church and through the transmission of the Church’s life here are we united with believers throughout the world and, indeed, in heaven.

So, these nine days between Ascension and Descent of the Holy Spirit constitute the time, par excellence, to ponder the mystery of the Church, the third wonder for today.

And let’s be quite clear, whilst it needs to be organised, I’m talking about the Mystical Body of Christ, not about synods, committees, Vicars and archdeacons, rotas and such like.

Here we’re entering into a sacred, enchanted, symbolic world.

Modernity has us using the left side of our brains most of the time; processing, counting and abstract thinking.

In the sacred world we also have to exercise the right side of our brains: integrating creativity, imagination, wonder, mystery.

From that perspective we see that scripture has the most stunning language for the Church, the divine mystery.

The Church is the Bride to be espoused to the Bridegroom, Christ.

Those whose bodies are washed in the waters [of baptism] ‘have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates’. (Revelation 22.14)

Creation itself is being renewed!

The tree of life, the Cross, is the way to God’s wisdom; a gift, not to be snatched as the fruit was in the Garden of Eden.

They may enter the city by the gates; after the Fall the gates of paradise were guarded by cherubim with flaming swords: we may enter paradise now, for the Good Shepherd, the Door of the Sheepfold, has opened the gates.

The Church is first and foremost an organism, a body, in which the individual believer first relates to Christ and then, in the love of Christ, to fellow believers.

This is what is being addressed in our gospel reading: go back and look at the intimacy of the language; you’re invited into that!

Yes, the Spirit at Pentecost descended upon the Apostles, but so also through them to the whole Church throughout the ages: ‘I do not ask for these only’, says Jesus, ‘but also for those who will believe in me through their word’. (John 17.20)

Jesus is reflecting on the unity of the Father and the Son, and how that unity, intimacy and sharing life is to be reflected in those who receive him.

The wonders: Ascension, Descent, Church.

The mysteries of the Ascension of Christ and the Descent of the Spirit connect heaven and earth and charge up the Church with the power of things heavenly on earth: passed through the sacraments; rooted in the power of the scriptures; grounded in prayer.

The Ascended Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is with us always in his Body, the Church, and through that divine wonder, we dwell in him: ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened!’