On the Ascension Road

Scripture 

“Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.” “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).  “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message. (John 20:15-18NLT)

On the Ascension Road

On our last day of a lovely week in B.C. I said to Susan, “The weather’s bad, we should have changed our flight to go home today.” Fortunately, she can just laugh off my impatience and we enjoyed our last day.

Yesterday morning, dark and early, coffee in hand, and snow dusting the ground outside I wondered if Jesus was experiencing something similar. He suffered, died, and rose from the grave but still had more time to spend absent from his home.

In his lovely exchange with a tearful Mary, he asked her to tell his friends that he was ascending to his Father, her Father and their Father. He was longing for home but for the next several weeks he needed to reveal himself to large numbers of his friends to prepare them to continue revealing him to the world once he had ascended.

Jesus continues to reveal power that contradicts the structures of our world and heals the wounds it creates through forgiveness and reconciliation. Jesus is risen indeed but he has also ascended and is at home preparing home for us all.

A Prayer for Today
Loving God, I am grateful for your patience in taking so much time to be with women and men just like me, fearful, frustrated but occasionally faith-filled and hopeful. I’ve staked my life on your resurrection, but I am particularly grateful that you continue to do your work among us as the ascended Jesus. Help us to see you in one another and have the same patience to take time with one another as we share the frustrations and challenges of life …. For Jesus’ sake