Where has Jesus gone?

Today is the day that the Christian Church celebrates Ascension when Jesus ascended to the Father.  

Ascension in the western Christian calendar is 40 days after Easter.  This coincides with the telling of the ascension story in the book of Acts 1.3.  If you were to read the version of the ascension in the gospel of Luke (chapter 24) you will notice that according to that account, Jesus ascended on Easter evening.  Most of us do not get hung up on these kinds of differences, although it is ironic that biblical scholars assert that the same author wrote both Luke and Acts. 

Put all that aside as interesting history.  Let's look at the primary dilemma.  Where has Jesus gone?

That would be the question of most young people who are very concrete in their thinking.  If Jesus is not here, where is he?  What does it mean that Jesus 'sits at the right hand of the Father'?  These are good metaphysical questions.....notice, metaphysical since these concepts reach beyond the purely physical.

Which can make ascension and the current location of Jesus difficult to either discuss or comprehend.  Lutherans have long held to 'the ubiquity of Christ.'  That means, Jesus is everywhere because Jesus has passed beyond the boundaries of human life into a life with the Father (sometimes called eternal life, abundant life, life beyond life).  So Jesus is as close as the watch on your arm and standing right next to your sister in Christ in Zimbabwe - at the same time.

This concept was used to further explain or support the concept of the real presence of Jesus in the communion meal.  Whereas other Christian denominations separate the physicality of this world from the spiritual life of Jesus, and often therefore see the communion meal as simply a remembrance of an old tradition, Lutherans point to Jesus' promise to be present, with us in the meal.  Not just a memory of Jesus,  but the real Jesus in all his power and holiness.

Therefore, the sacraments are central to our worship, our theology, and our understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.  Although Jesus can and is present in lots of places, Jesus promises to be present in the meal of communion....this is my body, this is my blood....and so we gather so to be joined with this Jesus once again.

I know this sounds a little like 'big brother is watching' or the old spooky 'God sees everything you do' but in fact, God is aware of everything we do because this is God's world, God's creation and God is a whole lot >more< than we are.  Our time in communion - both eating the body of Christ, and becoming the body of Christ through the meal - has the power to in-form our lives, that is, to form us from the inside out.

See you at the table, sisters and brothers.  It is where we are fed eternally.