May 9, 2013 Ascension of our Lord | The Community
The Anglican Church of Canada home page
Sites at the Anglican Church of CanadaFind a ChurchFrequently Asked QuestionsStaff Listing

May 9, 2013 Ascension of our Lord

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Dawn Leger

Readings

For those preaching the Ascension this year, either on Thursday or on Sunday, the table is set.

Many of us will use the Ascension this Sunday, because Jesus’ leaving the Earth in his bodily form is a big part of the story. It is also a poignant and beautiful story. I find these readings very moving as I imagine myself as an apostle saying farewell, or a bystander watching this miracle and wondering, or as Jesus himself, desperately trying to impart all the wisdom he can before he can no longer look his friends in the eye or hold their hands.

The second reading from Ephesians picks up on that emotion of saying farewell, as Paul exhorts his readers to carry on in their faith in Christ Jesus. The place of Christ above all things is what Paul uses to keep the church united together.

But this is far more than a story of parting of friends. It is a new revelation of God and the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is a new way of God being above all things AND in all things.

How does the Ascension narrative fit into the Easter story you have been telling and hearing this Easter season?

Dawn Leger

About Dawn Leger

I am a priest in the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, having served in Stouffville, Ontario. I think preaching is a profound and great privilege granted to us by God and our Church. I love the reading, the writing, the proclaiming, the dissecting and the dialogue. I also love to cook, sing, read and laugh, in no particular order.
This entry was posted in The Preachers' Table and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to "May 9, 2013 Ascension of our Lord"

  • By Jesse Dymond May 8, 2013 - 1:54 pm

    I’m going to be leaning on the question asked in Acts: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” Up to this point on our Easter journey, the theme has been very much, well, supernatural. It’s been centred on Jesus, and the mysteries of his death and resurrection. But starting today, the theme shifts to the establishment of the Church, and to the ministry we are called to share in.

    I think it’s important to acknowledge that shift. I imagine that as amazing as the Ascension was, some of the disciples probably felt abandoned. At least one of them probably said something like, “well, now what?” But there is a significant difference between saying “we’ve been left behind,” and saying, “he is not here; he is risen, just as he said!”

    So: “Church of Christ, why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” Time to get busy being church.

  • Dawn Leger
    By Dawn Leger May 9, 2013 - 2:26 am

    Jesse, I love the comparison you make between being left behind and Jesus having risen. It resonates very much with the Revelation readings we have had as well.