Published in yesterday's issue of our local weekly newspaper, The Fort Saskatchewan Record
Forty days after the Sunday of the Resurrection –
known as Pascha in the Christian East, and Easter in the West – Christians
celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ. All four Evangelists
refer to it, and St. Luke tells us about the Ascension twice – once at the end
of the Gospel which bears his name [Luke 24. 50-53] and again at the start of
his letter which we know as The Acts of the Apostles [ Acts 1. 1-11]. But
because it always occurs on a Thursday, many Christians miss out on it completely,
or know it only from references in Scripture.
Ancient Christian teaching on the Ascension – much
of it now in hymn form – tell us that Ascension is connected to the
fullness of Christ’s Incarnation. We can conclude from that that we can not separate
spirit and flesh like so many people have attempted to do, both in ancient
times as well as today. You may be familiar with what I’m referring to. People
are sometimes given the message that the spirit is good but the flesh is bad.
After all, they say, it is the flesh that continually gets us in trouble. In
addition we may have been taught that salvation is primarily something
“spiritual” which doesn’t really concern our bodies.
But Jesus Christ came in the flesh. Taking a body
from His holy Mother, “the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; (and) we have beheld His
glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” [John 2. 24]
If God the eternally begotten Son of the
Father took our flesh upon Him for our salvation, then human flesh – our human
flesh – cannot be “bad”.
Again, if He took flesh for our salvation, then our
bodies need to be active participants in both receiving and participating in
our salvation.
In the Ascension of the Lord we are faced with the
astounding reality that He “Who sitteth
on the right hand of the Father” – as the Nicene Creed affirms – does so in
the flesh! One of the ancient prayers of the Church declares: “O Thou Who by Thy glorious ascension didst
vouchsafe that the flesh which Thou hadst assumed should sit at the right hand
of the Father, thereby ennobling it…” This reference, part of a centuries
old prayer said by Orthodox Christians before receiving Holy Communion,
along with other prayers and hymns like it, reminds us that not only is this
flesh of ours not “bad”, it is of highest esteem – made noble in fact – because
of and through Christ’s Ascension.
Real Christianity never leaves the body out of its
worship and devotional practices.
Apostolic Christianity always includes bodily
actions such as eating and fasting, standing attentively or bowing to the
ground, because you and I cannot be saved apart from our bodies.
And when we
get into trouble particularly in the area of what are often referred to as
“sins of the flesh”, it is not our bodies which have got us into trouble, but
our passions, which are those thoughts and inclinations we give in to and
which, if not curbed – very often through the exercise of physical disciplines
– can even lead us out of salvation.
Therefore, let us praise, bless, and worship the Lord with
both body and soul, rejoicing in Christ our true God.
