Acts
1:1-11; Eph. 1:17-23; Mt. 28:16-20
Today the Church celebrates the glorious
entry of Jesus into heaven, after his short life on the Earth. When
Jesus accepted the human form he submitted himself to the limitation of
time and space. His life was limited to the territory of Galilee and
surrounding regions. His life also was bound by the limitation of time -
33 years in our terms of
calculation. But the risen Lord was no longer bound by time or space. He appeared to the disciples at various places. For forty days Jesus continued his presence among His people. He was seen by many; He was experienced by many, and He was touched and felt by the disciples. After 40 days in the sight of the disciples Jesus was taken up into heaven.
calculation. But the risen Lord was no longer bound by time or space. He appeared to the disciples at various places. For forty days Jesus continued his presence among His people. He was seen by many; He was experienced by many, and He was touched and felt by the disciples. After 40 days in the sight of the disciples Jesus was taken up into heaven.
The ascension of Jesus gives us two
important messages. First of all it is the re-entry of Jesus into glory as God.
Secondly, it is the re-entry of Jesus into glory as man.
The glory of Jesus was not visible to
the human beings for the 33 years of His life on the Earth, except for a few
occasions. When Jesus was born, the unusual events in nature revealed the
glory of the new born babe. The Star, the Angels and their song revealed
the glory of Jesus. Jesus’ glory was revealed at the time of His Baptism.
Jesus’ glory was revealed at the time of Transfiguration. Jesus’ glory was seen
again at the time of His Ascension.
An ancient symbol, the mandorla,
is the most concise way to express Christ’s majesty, glory and divinity in holy
icons. It is found surrounding Jesus Christ in icons of His Resurrection,
Transfiguration, and Ascension. Mandorla is Italian for “almond”, and describes
the most common shape of mandorlas. To associate this shape with Jesus Christ,
Who unties the earthly and heavenly spheres seems natural. However, the almond
itself lends much symbolic meaning to the mandorla of light which surrounds
Christ. The almond tree is the first plant to flower in Greece, sometimes as
early as mid-January, and as such is a symbol of new life and fertility.
Ancient Greek myths also link almonds, and the almond-shape, with new life; yet
preceding all these in time, and succeeding them in importance, is the story of
Aaron’s rod, which blossomed forth not only flowers, but almonds (Numbers 17:8).
The depiction of the Ascension
in iconography has this same artistic device. The iconographic witness of the
Church affirms that placing the Ascension of Christ within a mandorla
recognizes that this will only be known and understood by the mystical knowledge
of faith.
Secondly, it is the re-entry of Jesus into
glory as man. The earthly life of Jesus was one that was dedicated for His
fellow men. In all the miracles of Jesus, in all the teachings of Jesus, and in
all the actions of Jesus, the most outstanding motive was sympathy for
men. Through his life he taught that the fullness of the glory of human
life can be achieved only when our life is dedicated for others.
An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots,
each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it while the
other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end
of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only
half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing
home only one and a half pots of water...
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its
accomplishments.
But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of
its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do ha lf of what it had
been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it
spoke to the woman one day by the stream.
'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack
in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.'
The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that
there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?'
‘For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the
table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty
to grace the house.'
In the same way, each of us has our own
unique flaw. But, it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives
together so very interesting and rewarding, and beneficial to our fellow
beings. They make our life glorious.
As children, we all probably wished we were
someone else. A very common fantasy of children is pretending to be their hero
or superstar.
As an adult, often we say to ourselves,
"If I had her money...," or, "If I had his voice...," or,
"If I had her talent...," or, "If I had his education...,"
or, "If I had her opportunities...," or, "If I had his
leadership ability...," or, "If I had her background...," or,
"If I had his speaking ability then I could do something truly significant
for God."
Let me ask the same question in several
different ways. What is the most important thing a person can do for God? What
is the most significant thing a person can do for God? What is the most
valuable thing a person can do for God?
The most important thing we can do for God is
to let God reveal His glory through your life. The most significant thing we
can do for God is to let God reveal His glory through your life. The most
valuable thing we can do for God is to let God reveal His glory through your
life.
There is a short inspirational parable of ‘The
Pencil’
The pencil maker took the pencil aside, just before
putting him into the box.
"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."
"One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone's hand."
"Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."
"Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."
"Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."
"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."
"One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone's hand."
"Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."
"Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."
"Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."
"And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No
matter what the condition, you must continue to write."
The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with
purpose in its heart.
Now replacing the pencil with you, always
remember:
One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself
to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the
many gifts you possess.
Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.
Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.
Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.
And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No
matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties to the best of
your abilities.
Nothing we can do brings greater tribute to God, nothing more fully accomplishes
God's purposes than our allowing God to reveal His glory through our lives.
Satish