The Church celebrates the Ascension of our Lord today. Since most churches do not have Thursday services, many traditionally celebrate Ascension on Sunday.
But today, the Ascension of Jesus is barely mentioned in the evangelical vocabulary. We make room for his birth, death, and resurrection, but we tend to put a period where God puts a comma.
Theologically, however, If the resurrection was the beginning of Jesus’ enthronement, then the ascension is the establishment of his enthronement. The Ascension activates Christ’s victory in history. The Great Commission is only relevant because of the Ascension. Without the Ascension, the call to baptize and disciple the nations would be meaningless. The Great Commission is rooted in Jesus’ enthronement at the right hand of the Father. Christ has all authority in heaven and earth, and image-bearers imitate our Lord’s reign by de-throning rulers through the power and authority of our Great Ruler, Jesus Christ.
The Ascension is a festive day because it vindicates the Church’s triumph over the world and defines us as a people of glory and power, not weakness and shame.
As Jesus ascended, we too entered into his ascension glory (Col. 3:1). This glory leads us to full joy. As Alexander Schmemann once wrote:
“The Church was victorious over the world through joy…and she will lose the world when she loses its joy… Of all accusations against Christians, the most terrible one was uttered by Nietzsche when he said that Christians had no joy.”
A joyless Christian faith is a faith that has not ascended. Where Christ is, we are. And we know that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father. He is ruling and reigning from his heavenly throne. The Father has given him the kingdom (Psalm 2), and now he is preserving, progressing, and perfecting his kingdom. He is bringing all things under subjection (I Cor. 15:24-26).
Jesus died a bodily death, was raised bodily, and ever reigns bodily at the Father’s right hand. As one author observed:
“Jesus has gone before us in a way we may follow through the Holy Spirit whom he has sent, because the way is in his flesh, in his humanity.”
When the Church worships her Lord, we are worshipping the God/Man, One who descended in human flesh and ascended in human flesh. He is not a disembodied spirit. He is truly God and truly man.
As we consider and celebrate the Ascension of our blessed Lord, remember that you are worshiping the One who understands your needs because he has a body just like you, and he rejoices with you now because he has a body just like you
