Ascension Day (
Acts 1:1-11
Pr. George L. Murphy
St. Paul’s Episcopal
Church, Akron, Ohio
THE BECLOUDED
ONE
A
few paragraphs on a common theme:
“And as Aaron spoke to
the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness,
and the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.”
“The glory of the LORD
settled on mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six
days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD
was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people
of
“And when the priests
came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to
minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD filled the house of
the LORD.”
“Clouds and thick darkness
are all around about him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his
throne.”
“As I looked, a stormy wind came out of the north; a great
cloud with brightness around it and fire flashing forth continually, and in the
middle of the fire , something like gleaming amber, out of the midst of the
fire. In the middle of it was something like
four living creatures. ... And above the dome over their heads there was
something like a throne, in
appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a
throne was something that seemed like a human form.”
“I saw in the night
visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven,
and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory,
and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his
dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom
that which shall not be destroyed.”
Those
selections aren’t from a book on meteorology.
All those texts about clouds are from the Old Testament – and there are
more where they came from. But it’s
obvious that they aren’t just talking about any old clouds. The “cloud” there represents the presence of
God – the shekhinah,
the divine presence in the Jewish tradition.
Or, as in some of those verses, it’s the “glory” of God – not as an
abstract idea but a visible, tangible, massive thing.
The Jewish tradition sometimes spoke of the Messiah as “the beclouded one” – the one coming “with the clouds of heaven.” It’s no surprise then that the New Testament picks up on that image.
“Then a cloud
overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved;
listen to him.” Suddenly, when they
looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.”
“And they will see the
Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
And so when we read in Acts that Jesus “was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight,” we know that it doesn’t mean just some water vapor in the sky. It is the presence of the glory of God – or the glory of the presence of God, it means the same.
We sometimes catch glimpses of God’s glory, or on occasion feel ourselves in God’s presence. The Ascension of our Lord means that Jesus is completely, one hundred percent, in the divine presence, totally endowed with the glory of God. That is simply another way of saying that he is God.
Or turn it
around – Jesus Christ is God present with us.
“The word became flesh and dwelt
among us.” And he is one of us. He does not cease to be human – indeed, is
the fullest expression of what it means to be human. And that means that our humanity is in the
divine presence.
But where is this presence and this glory? Is Jesus confined to a throne off in heaven somewhere? Of course not! God’s presence is not limited – “Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD.” God’s glory is not restricted to some special religious location – “Heaven and earth are full of your glory,” we’ll sing in a few minutes. God’s presence – and therefore Jesus’ presence – is wherever and whenever we can think of.
The Letter to the Ephesians says that he “ascended far above all heavens, so that he
might fill all things.”
But remember also – the cloud “ took him out of their sight.” Christ is no longer visible to us as he was to his first disciples, but stop and think: Then he only encountered a few people at a time in one small part of the world. Now, as he promised, he is with his people always. He comes to us in what seem like quite ordinary ways, no more spectacular than the fluffy clouds we see in the sky every day.
He comes to us when the Word of God is proclaimed because he is the Word of God – not the mere conveyance of information but the news that God has overcome sin and death and alienation, the news that beyond the triteness and smile button aspect of the phrase, God loves you. He is present when people are washed in baptism, joined to his death and resurrection and made members of his body. The one who is the presence and glory of God gives himself to each of us, and to all of us together, with the assurance that his body was given to us and that his blood was shed for us, in bread and wine.
The Ascension is not the end of the story of Jesus’ mission on earth. It is the beginning of the story of his mission everywhere.