Forty days after Easter, Christians celebrate Ascension Day1 also known as the Feast of the Ascension. It is the day that Christians remember Jesus bodily ascent into heaven.
Here is how it is described in the Book of Acts.
“So when they [the Apostles] had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom of Israel?” He replied, “it is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come up on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? this Jesus, who has been taking up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Acts 1:6-11 NRSV See also Luke 24:50-53
Traditional Christian belief is that the ascended Christ sits at the right hand of the Father.2 The tradition has a lot of language and imagery about Christ as king and ruler associated with the Ascension. There is a lot of “up in heaven” language, as if heaven is just somewhere in the sky. We have inherited some poor theology, and images. Talking about The Ascension can feel weird and awkward to modern Western people. So is the Ascension just an old unworkable idea?
Let’s see if we can find a way of thinking about the Ascension that is faithful and makes sense for us.
The idea of someone, usually an important someone “ascending” into heaven, was not unheard of in those days. In the ancient Roman world for the souls of emperors and other famous people to be seen ascending into heaven.3 In the Bible, Elijah was taken up to heaven.4 Jesus’ ascension wouldn’t necessarily be surprising or seen as odd to the original audience of Acts.
So often we think of heaven as the place where the dead are. Or we think of it as a non physical, disembodied place. Or we may think of it as some future time and place, perhaps coming to replacing earth. In the ancient world, heaven is where God (or Gods) lives. And earth is where humans live.
Theologian N. T. Wright has this to say, “[W]hen the Bible speaks of heaven and earth it is not talking about two localities related to each other within the same space-time continuum or about a non physical world contrasted with a physical one but about two different kinds of what we call space, two different kinds of what we call matter, and also quite possible (though this does not necessarily follow from the either two) two different kinds of what we call time….What we are encouraged to grasp precisely through the Ascension itself is that God’s space an ours interlock and intersect in a whole variety of ways even while they retrain, for the moment at least, their separate and distinct identities and roles. One day…they will be joined in a quite new way, open and visible to one another, married together forever.”5
That’s what we’re talking about in the Lord’s Prayer when we say, “Our Father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” One way to think about this is that heaven and earth are two different dimensions within creation. You may want to think about the parallel worlds of your favorite Sci Fi or fantasy book or movie to help you grasp the idea.
I find the Celtic idea of “thin Places” helpful.6 Very simply put, a thin place is any space where heaven seems near to us while we are on earth. It may be a wilderness place, but it could also happen during worship, or prayer. It could be in a place of community, or hospitality. Wherever the experience happens, we feel more connected, more at one with everything. We are fully and truly present. The distance and disconnect we typically feel from the Divine is gone and we receive a sense of unity. Can we think of heaven not as far away, but as adjacent, just over there?
The king and enthronement language of the Christian tradition can also be problematic. Our default position is to assume that Jesus will rule like any other ruler. But a tremendous amount of harm has been done by kings and emperors and pharaohs. The Bible itself does not give us a positive image of kings, pharaohs, and emperors. We forget that Jesus rules according to his own rules. Jesus rules, not with domination and control but with love and liberation. It is the kingdom where the wolf dwells with the lamb, where each person sits unafraid and at peace under their vine and fig tree, and where swords become plowshares.
Is it possible for us to bring a new, more Biblical perspective to Jesus’ ascension? Not where Jesus is far away, off in a distant heaven; but near- just there, close if we are open to feel and see. Not where Jesus is a despot or rules with an iron fist threatening destruction; but the Lord who rules as friend, as companion, and guide. The savior who comes with love and liberation for all the earth.
Here is a prayer for Ascension Day.
- You can read more in these general articles about the Ascension of Jesus and the Feast of Ascension ↩︎
- Both the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed refer to Christ’s ascension into heaven and his being “seated at the right hand of the Father”. ↩︎
- N T Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God, Fortress Press, page 656; Romulus was said to have ascended. Here is a short article on the deification of emperors. ↩︎
- 2 Kings2:11 ↩︎
- Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, N.T. Wright, HarperOne 115-116 ↩︎
- Here is a lovely New York Times article about thin spaces from a travel writer, ↩︎
Conversation in Faith 