Nougat 14

I’ll be honest siblings, there was a time when I was sceptical about observing ‘holy days’. It stemmed from concerns about the possible pagan roots of the festivities. Yet, the rhythm offered by observing special moments connected to Christ, such as: His Birth, Baptism, Temptation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension, as well as His gift of God’s Spirit to us all, helps to cement His love for me in my psyche.

I’ve also had the joy of rediscovering some details that did not gain priority in my observation of Christ’s deity in my childhood. One such detail is His Ascension, as it did not feature in the rhythm of public holidays nor in the general church cycle. Yet, when we realise that God’s Spirit only came to actively dwell in each believer’s life AFTER Christ’s Ascension, we may find value in its observance. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat for example, which offers insight into what happened after Y’shua ascended to Heaven.

Acts 1:10-11 NIV

[10] They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.

[11] “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

He Will Return Just Like He Left

This Nougat always reminds me of the Resurrection narrative in Luke 24:56, where the women who went to prepare Y’shua’s body properly were so distracted by the empty tomb that they forgot His resurrection promise. The angels’ implicit question, ‘Why look for the living among the dead, have you forgotten His promise?’ seemed to be the much-needed jolt to their memory.

Here, we find that the disciples, intent on searching the skies were met by angels. [I often wonder whether it was the same two.] The message is similarly nuanced, ‘Stop gazing. Don’t you recall what Y’shua promised? He’s gone, but will return.’ Again, it had the effect of jolting the disciples to action. Could it be that the angels also served as agents of trauma transformation for the women and the disciples?

Self-Check

What does it take to bring us back to reality or to transform our trauma after a moment such as they experienced? Are we usually able to recall God’s promises and to hold on to them in those moments? Is there a need for a memory jolt?

Application

The disciples were staring at the empty clouds. None of them saw the horsemen of Heaven nor the chariots that accompanied Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11. Not one of the disciples cried out as Elisha did. But they all saw the two men dressed in white, who brought a message of comfort and hope. It is important that we realise that the message of the angels, though directed at the disciples (and previously to the women at the tomb) pointed them to Christ. The fact is, in whatever circumstance we find ourselves, our hope can be found in Jesus. That’s very comforting.

We also notice that the angels were sent BY God to deliver the message of reassurance and comfort. That tells me that God cares about the little details of our lives, even those bits where doubt or fear try to creep in.

The message of the angels also carries a very important element for each of us today. It clearly states that Christ WILL RETURN someday. Paul explains this in more depth in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, where he not only says we will meet Y’shua, but that He will come down from Heaven to meet us In The Clouds. That’s what the angels told the disciples after Y’shua had ascended before their very eyes. It’s also what Y’shua alluded to when he promised to return after preparing a place for the disciples, so that they will be with God in God’s home in Heaven (see John 14:1-3).

Siblings,

Jesus promised, Paul expounded and the angels prophesied – Y’shua’s Ascension is directly connected to His return. As promised, Jesus is preparing our heavenly place by interceding on our behalf to God. That’s what Paul explains in Romans 8:34. And, when the time is right, He WILL COME AGAIN and take us to Himself as we meet Him as righteous King in the air. That’s the whole point of what we repeat in the communion liturgy:

‘Christ has died! Christ is Risen! Christ will come again!’

What a blessed hope. Let’s hold firmly to the knowledge that He Who will return in the skies is also the One Who sent His Advocate to guide us until that day.

Point to Ponder

Has revisiting the Ascension story today helped to bolster our faith in God’s promises?

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May all we seek be found in Christ