Sermon for Easter 7
by Russell Stannard
Thursday of this week saw Ascension Day. It marked Jesus’s going away – the end of his resurrection appearances. He had previously spoken of his impending departure in very positive terms. It was for the good of the disciples and ourselves.
But how could that be? If he were still here on Earth among us that would be very clear evidence that he had indeed been raised from the dead. Fancy meeting Jesus face to face and being able to talk directly with him. Fancy him being on the staff here at St Barnabas Church and writing this sermon rather than me! How could he being away in Heaven be better than that?
The trouble of course is that with him still being here on Earth he would have been confined to being in one place only: St Barnabas Church, Linslade, and not All Saints, Leighton Buzzard, or any other church in the country, or indeed anywhere else in the world. If he were talking to me, sorting out my problems, he could not at the same time be talking to anyone else helping them with theirs. I guess we would have to make an appointment to have an interview with him, and with there being so many billions of people in the world, what would the waiting time be?! This was the problem facing Jesus while he was still physically located here on Earth. It was why he had, in a sense, to distance himself from us.
But how does distancing himself (ascending into Heaven) solve the problem? Does it not make it even worse? Let me explain how I try to understand this conundrum:
It involves imagining that you are walking down a country lane. It is the dead of night. Not a light to be seen anywhere. It is however a moonlit night. It is by the light of the moon you see you way ahead. On your journey you pass the shadowy shapes of trees, bushes, hedges, farm gates, the occasional road sign. You come to a village with one or two street lights. You are grateful for the light they give. But it’s only temporary. They light up only a small area. You quickly pass through and out once more into the darkness where again you have to rely on the light of the moon. In the distance there is the shape of a house – a farm house. You pass it. You leave it behind on your journey down the country lane. In fact you leave everything behind. You come across things and you leave them behind – far behind.
Everything except for one thing. There is something that keeps pace with you – something that is your constant companion. It is the moon. The moon was up there when you started out, and it is still up there when you complete your journey.
Why? Why does the moon behave differently to every other thing you came across on your journey? Because it is so far away. It is a quarter of a million miles away. You can walk past things that are close to you. You can’t so easily walk pass something that is a quarter of a million miles away.
Another thing about the moon: If it were down here on earth it would be dark because everything down here on earth is dark at night. By being far away from earth the moon is out there in a region of space that is bathed in glorious sunshine. It is the sun’s light that it reflects to you as you perform your night-time walk. The moonlight is actually reflected sunlight. The sun is ultimately the source of all light here on earth.
This is how I understand the Ascension of Christ. A localized Jesus who simply attended St Barnabas Church would have been like those village street lights - shining with a welcome bright light, but illuminating but a small patch. Jesus could only be the constant companion of everyone on earth, all at the same time, by distancing himself in Heaven. It is only in that way that he is able to reflect down to all of us the radiance of the Heavenly Father.
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by Russell Stannard
Thursday of this week saw Ascension Day. It marked Jesus’s going away – the end of his resurrection appearances. He had previously spoken of his impending departure in very positive terms. It was for the good of the disciples and ourselves.
But how could that be? If he were still here on Earth among us that would be very clear evidence that he had indeed been raised from the dead. Fancy meeting Jesus face to face and being able to talk directly with him. Fancy him being on the staff here at St Barnabas Church and writing this sermon rather than me! How could he being away in Heaven be better than that?
The trouble of course is that with him still being here on Earth he would have been confined to being in one place only: St Barnabas Church, Linslade, and not All Saints, Leighton Buzzard, or any other church in the country, or indeed anywhere else in the world. If he were talking to me, sorting out my problems, he could not at the same time be talking to anyone else helping them with theirs. I guess we would have to make an appointment to have an interview with him, and with there being so many billions of people in the world, what would the waiting time be?! This was the problem facing Jesus while he was still physically located here on Earth. It was why he had, in a sense, to distance himself from us.
But how does distancing himself (ascending into Heaven) solve the problem? Does it not make it even worse? Let me explain how I try to understand this conundrum:
It involves imagining that you are walking down a country lane. It is the dead of night. Not a light to be seen anywhere. It is however a moonlit night. It is by the light of the moon you see you way ahead. On your journey you pass the shadowy shapes of trees, bushes, hedges, farm gates, the occasional road sign. You come to a village with one or two street lights. You are grateful for the light they give. But it’s only temporary. They light up only a small area. You quickly pass through and out once more into the darkness where again you have to rely on the light of the moon. In the distance there is the shape of a house – a farm house. You pass it. You leave it behind on your journey down the country lane. In fact you leave everything behind. You come across things and you leave them behind – far behind.
Everything except for one thing. There is something that keeps pace with you – something that is your constant companion. It is the moon. The moon was up there when you started out, and it is still up there when you complete your journey.
Why? Why does the moon behave differently to every other thing you came across on your journey? Because it is so far away. It is a quarter of a million miles away. You can walk past things that are close to you. You can’t so easily walk pass something that is a quarter of a million miles away.
Another thing about the moon: If it were down here on earth it would be dark because everything down here on earth is dark at night. By being far away from earth the moon is out there in a region of space that is bathed in glorious sunshine. It is the sun’s light that it reflects to you as you perform your night-time walk. The moonlight is actually reflected sunlight. The sun is ultimately the source of all light here on earth.
This is how I understand the Ascension of Christ. A localized Jesus who simply attended St Barnabas Church would have been like those village street lights - shining with a welcome bright light, but illuminating but a small patch. Jesus could only be the constant companion of everyone on earth, all at the same time, by distancing himself in Heaven. It is only in that way that he is able to reflect down to all of us the radiance of the Heavenly Father.
……………………………………………………………………….