Ascension Day

And Jesus sat down on the throne. He is the Lion of Judah who appears like the Lamb who was slain. He is the one who is worshiped by the church. At his feet, every knee will bow. This is our confession. Ascension Day celebrates the truth at the core of present universe.

And the day is – by and large – ignored. My wife teaches grade six and is constantly surprised by how many students seems to be unaware of this day in the Christian calendar. And yesterday as I visited a member of the congregation, I was asked: What is Ascension Day? Surprised, but not entirely.

Yet to me the celebration of this day can be a wonderful occasion to be shape our identity in Christ. To confess Jesus is Lord is to say The Market is not, the President is not, the Banks are not, the Taliban is not. This is counter-cultural. We need many occasion to remind ourselves of this truth we so easily forget in the day to day demands on our lives.

To confess Jesus is Lord also means that when he speaks we need to listen. Listen to CNN, FoxNews, CBC or CTV and we notice that they are willing to interrupt programs in order to listen to the voice of a key lawmaker (i.e. Prime Minister, President) or policy maker (i.e. central banker). Because what they say makes a difference for how we live. Listening to Jesus, Lord of our lives, is more vital to our well-being.

To say “Jesus is Lord” means our hearts and minds get directed to him. Our lives are called to serve the Kingdom. Our hope is in the one who knows our needs as we serve.

So we remember: Jesus ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God. Remembering we order our lives accordingly.