Dear Friends in Christ, 

This upcoming Sunday marks the end of Easter Season.  On the Christian calendar, it’s called Ascension Sunday, named after Luke’s story of Jesus’ Ascension – or departure – to Heaven. (This story is found in both Luke’s Gospel (24:50-53) and his Book of Acts (1:9-11) – told in two versions.)

In the more often cited Book of Acts, we read that after the risen Christ had spoken his final words to his followers, “Jesus was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.”  Luke, then, refers to them “gazing up toward heaven while he was going.”  

As a kid who watched the TV show, Star Trek, I imagined this happening as a kind of “Beam me up, Scotty” kind of moment.  But, as an adult child of God who’s grown beyond literal understanding into being a critical reader of Scripture, I no longer interpret this story as being an historical account.  Rather, I see it – along with New Testament scholar, Marcus Borg, as a parable that conveys a meaning, namely – the “Lordship” of Christ Jesus (in contrast to the “lords” of this world) and his freedom from space and time limitations.

It’s one thing to believe a story to be historically true, quite another to understand it as parable. As history, a story is about something that happened a long time ago to someone else.  As parable, it’s something that may happen to us.

Now, whatever you believe this story to be, imagine if Christ were truly Lord of our lives!  What might be different about us, Christ’s church, and the world?  

Blessings of Fellowship with Christ Jesus,
Pastor Ed