Ascension Day At St. Paul's

[Jesus said] "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. Acts 1:8-9

When my younger sister was here in London with me, we stumbled across an amazing surprise. Typically, St. Paul's offers a noon service without communion, but as we wandered through the church we knew something special was about to happen. Set up to the side was a huge bowl, which seemed like a punch-bowl sized thurible, and smoke was just starting to rise from it. Communion chalices were coming out as well, so we realized that perhaps we would be interested in this particular service.

Since we hadn't been following the liturgical calendar closely that week, we were surprised to learn that we had found ourselves in church on Ascension Day. So, before we climbed up to the very top of the dome in St. Paul's, we paused with a handful of other tourists to celebrate the mystery of Christ's ascension.

The service itself was lovely, with a special choral ensemble for the occasion and an encouraging sermon which did nothing to help understand the strangeness of the ascension itself but nonetheless assured us it was all a good thing. But most remarkable to me was the cloud of smoke that rose up to the very top of the church's iconic dome. Part-way through the service more incense was added, creating fresh clouds wafting up through the church. After the service, we climbed into the upper galleries where we could not only still smell it, but we could actually still see the smoke hanging in the air. The whole atmosphere of the church had been literally changed.

I wonder what it must have been like for the disciples on the day that they saw Jesus ascend into heaven. I can't even picture their level of surprise; it certainly doesn't even register on the same scale as my pleasant surprise at the noon worship. But their world was changed, too. I wonder how they felt Christ's presence around them, palpable and thick. Was it comforting to some, oppressive to others, and unsettling to still more? Did they wonder if the memories of their teacher would fade with time? Did it get harder to feel close to him the further their travels took them?

Most importantly, the atmosphere of their lives had been changed as well. While the smoke hanging in the church was temporal, the affect Christ had on their lives - and continues to have today - is not. His grace envelopes us completely and never washes off. Even though we cannot see him in the flesh today, his Spirit still remains with us, guiding and encouraging us at all time.

Most Powerful and Amazing God, with your Son's birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension, the world was completely and permanently changed. Give us the grace to daily live that change, serving you and our neighbor with complete dedication and joy. Send us your Spirit, that we can always be encouraged by your presence in our lives. We pray these things in the name of the Risen and Ascended Lord, Amen.