The Ascension
The Lord ascended in glory, defying all the law of gravity. He also gave us hope of being lifted up like Him, defying the law of gravity and joining Him, by saying, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32).
He was lifted up on a cloud and disappeared from their sight. But He will come again on the clouds of Heaven, with His Angels and Saints, to lift us up on the clouds with Him and be with God all the time.
As He sat down at the right hand of the Father, we will sit down with Him in His glory.
The One they crucified at Golgotha and was counted as a sinner, enduring many reproaches and insults, has risen from the dead in glory, ascended to Heaven in glory and sat down at the right hand of the Father in glory.
Golgotha was not a sad ending of His life. It was the beginning of His glory.
Therefore, whoever suffers with Him will surely be glorified with Him…
The Ascension was the last picture of the Lord seen by His Disciples. It lifted up their eyes to where Christ is sitting down. It is what the Apostle meant when he said, “Received up in glory.” (1 Tim. 3:16).
Thus Christian suffering became inseparable from its glory.
Christ who suffered for our sake, appeared to St. Stephen during the suffering of his martyrdom “He gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God and said, Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. He then cried out with a loud voice, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
The one who descended has also ascended…
We too, would not be able to ascend, if we do not first descend…
We, also, must humble ourselves, endure suffering and he lifted up on the cross, before the ascension to the right hand of the Father…
As Christ has been lifted up, we always lift up our eyes to where Christ sits on the right hand of the Father, till he comes back once more on the clouds, to take us to Him.
Then, we will he lifted up with no descent… Amen.
