Bishop’s Note – Feast of the Ascension

Bishop Eric Menees

Today is the fortieth day after Easter, the day we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. On this date we commemorate Jesus’ ascension into heaven where he sits at the right hand of the Father making intercessions for us. Jesus’ ascension into heaven is recorded in the gospels of Mark & Luke but perhaps most fully in the first chapter of the Book of Acts:

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:6-11)

The question exists for us – “So what does this mean?” Well, first of all the Feast of the Ascension is based on the Word of God. It is based on an actual historical event. It is the fulfillment of Jesus’ own prophetic words. It is the fulfillment of his exaltation - the redemption of his humility – that this man who had so horribly died on the cross for our sins now sits at the right hand of God.

But what do we understand by the Ascension?

Intercessor - St. Paul tells us that Jesus ascended into heaven and is busy…  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Romans 8:34) There he sits as our intermediary between God and man. Every prayer you pray Jesus hears and brings to the Father – constantly advocating on our behalf.

Judge – St. Matthew tells us, in chapter 25, that Jesus will come separate the sheep from the goats and 2nd Timothy chapter 4 tells us that Jesus will judge the living and the dead. So, there he waits enthroned at the right hand of the Father waiting to be our judge. This same King Jesus who intercedes on our behalf also prepares to be our Judge.

The Feast of the Ascension, which is on a par with Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, is all about Jesus AND our present and future in Him! The question for us then is how do we live in the in-between time? We have to ask ourselves the question, "Are we redeeming the time until Jesus returns? Are we fulfilling the ministries he has given to the church?" We have been placed where we are for a purpose.

In the account from the Book of Acts, the two angels asked the disciples, "Why do you stand here looking into the sky?" It was the Earth, not the sky, which they should be occupied with - to be witnesses not stargazers! Our calling is not upwards in nostalgia, but outwards in compassion to a lost world that needs Jesus.

I pray you all a very blessed celebration of the Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Next week’s Bishop’s Note we will conclude our examination of the new 2019 BCP Service of Holy Eucharist – Standard Text.

Bishop’s Note – The Blessing

Bishop Eric Menees

This week, in our examination of the 2019 BCP service of Holy Eucharist - Standard Text - we come to the blessing at the end of the service.

At this point, the congregation has just concluded the Post Communion Prayer asking God to send us out to “do the work you have given us to do.” In order to do that we require God the Holy Spirit to propel us forward, often out of our “comfort zones,” and into the world. Therefore, we require God’s blessing which the Bishop or Priest pronounces upon the congregation:

The Blessing

The Bishop when present, or the Priest, gives this or an alternative blessing

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen.

Note that the blessing comes in two parts - the desired outcome and the pronouncement of the blessing in the name of the Trinity. In this case, the desired outcome is a fulfillment of St. Paul’s exhortation to the church in Philippi when he states: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)

The blessing, in the context of Philippians 4 makes perfect sense. We have asked God to send us forth - in doing so, we should always rejoice and be thankful to God for his Grace, which is always sufficient to the moment. We ask him to allow our reasonableness to shine - meaning that we do no insist on our own way. We demonstrate a calm confidence in our faith in Christ as we make our requests known to God. In that process, we receive the fruit of the Spirit - peace. This is not a peace that is simply the absence of violence; this is the true “Shalom” that comes from God. This is the peace that rests upon the knowledge that we are never alone, forsaken or abandoned by God. We simply know that we know that we know that HE is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and in Him we receive the peace that allows us to go into the storms of life in perfect confidence.

This Sunday as you are preparing to go forth into the world remember that you do so with the Blessing of God Almighty. No matter what it is you have to face you need not do it alone, because God is at your side!

Trust And Obey

Fr. Dale Matson

In what has been a difficult adjustment for me in the final stage of life, I recently had the lyrics of one of our Sunday School songs running through my head (Trust And Obey). For a PSTD survivor, the road back from mistrust has been a long and difficult one. Trusting God has been the most difficult task for me even though God has never forsaken me or let me down.

I think the idea of Trust is rightly coupled with Obey. God is both Sovereign and Trustworthy. For many years I focused on both God’s quality of Mercy and His quality of Grace. Maybe as one reborn out of due time, I was still looking for God’s permissive wiggle room. I loitered as an adolescent Christian who wanted to believe in God but was less willing to believe God. This is the Abrahamic faith… believing God. The first sense is theological and theoretical. The second sense is obeying God because you believe God.

The infirmities of aging and my own anxieties about death have surfaced during this winepress of the last three years. My own confidence in myself has eroded and I find myself wanting to lean on God more and more. I often pray for the trust to do so.

My egocentric anxiety driven needs which fueled my goals (and the determination to accomplish these goals) were permitted by God. In this late life retooling I must see my goals as God ordained, directed and empowered. It is God’s vitae (glory) that needs my attention now.

Lord help me to Trust and Obey. 

Trust And Obey 

1 When we walk with the Lord

in the light of his word,

what a glory he sheds on our way!

While we do his good will,

he abides with us still,

and with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:

Trust and obey, for there's no other way

to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2 Not a burden we bear,

not a sorrow we share,

but our toil he doth richly repay;

not a grief or a loss,

not a frown or a cross,

but is blest if we trust and obey. [Refrain]

3 But we never can prove

the delights of his love

until all on the altar we lay;

for the favor he shows,

for the joy he bestows,

are for them who will trust and obey. [Refrain]

4 Then in fellowship sweet

we will sit at his feet,

or we'll walk by his side in the way;

what he says we will do,

where he sends we will go;

never fear, only trust and obey. [Refrain]

John H. Sammis 1887