Thursday, May 14, 2015

Daniel 7:9-14

               We appreciate being able to define, describe and manage

various aspects of our life. By doing so, there is a sense of control which we experience over our environment which generates a sense of personal peace and security.

               However, when we begin to reflect on the awesomeness of God, things become a bit tricky. Every descriptive phrase we employ, every overwhelming image we compose, gets dwarfed by the reality of the Divine.

               Reading from the writings of the Book of Daniel on the Feast of Ascension brings together two narratives which stretch our imaginations. The vivid images from Daniel convey an immense divine power at work. Struggles and conflict in the heavenly realm get resolved. Power is exercised and power is given. It is the exercise of power which is easier to understand that dwelling on the characters in the story.

               This Feast of the Ascension is one of the Principal Feast Days of the Church. The story offers us a liturgical moment to express the reality of the narrative. When the words "And when

He had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight," ( Acts 1:9) the Paschal Candle is extinguished. The visual symbol of the Presence of the Risen Christ leads us, with the Disciples to move into that period of time when we wait, as God’s people, for the power of God’s Spirit to be gifted to us to be used in God’s service.

               The Feast of the Ascension gives us all the opportunity to respond to the Great Commission which Jesus declares as that which is at the heart of our ministry. The Baptismal Covenant which we re-affirm time and time again gives our lives a framework around which we may build a life of service.

               Part of the mystery which these passage s convey to me lies in the trust which is shown by the sharing of Divine authority and power. We are commissioned, we are empowered, we are trusted and we are enabled to engage in a ministry of faithful witness which draws others into a covenantal relationship with God.

               It is a mystery and it is a reality. We try to describe it, yet it defies description. That is one of the beauties of the experience of faith.

The Reverend Canon Christopher B. J. Pratt

Rector