ASCENSION OF JESUS

Waiting--that is what we must do. Jesus ascended, left his disciples and told them to wait for the coming of the spirit and power. That then is our task this week. In the church calendar Jesus' ascension was forty days after the resurrection and Pentecost, the time the spirit came to the waiting community, is fifty days after Passover. Now of course one can argue about the validity of the timing but perhaps it is valuable to have some time of waiting, of transitioning. Jesus' resurrection, what we celebrate in Eastertide, is certainly glorious and cause for rejoicing. The living Jesus met the disciples where they were. But now he leaves--to go to the Father. A bittersweet experience I imagine for them. Again they must accept that Jesus is not with them as they have known him. They must wait for the spirit, his new way of being present with them. Sadness and joy, excitement and fear, remembering and anticipating--a multitude of emotions must have been their lot those days. Imagine, feel with them.

When have you felt such mixtures of joy and sadness? When have you waited not knowing what would come but expecting? For those in the school system this time of the year, graduation, is always filled with these feelings. Other times of waiting may come to mind--pregnancy, engagement, job review, retirement. Change seems to produce this mixture--letting go so the new can come tugs at our souls.

The spiritual journey is often about these times. We're asked to move forward without seeing clearly the way. We're asked to trust that what we leave behind will be replaced by something deeper. The old must die so the new can be born. Nothing about the journey eliminates the pain of letting go. Yet we are called to move on--to keep walking. Sometimes we take notes and they give us or others guidance as we confront the next steps, "footnotes". Sometimes we wait alone or together until we it is time to let go and move on, making "footprints".

What memories do you have of letting go and finding the new? What is God saying to you as you watch Jesus ascend and wait for the coming of the Spirit?