Ascension Day Sermon 18th May
18th May 2023
Evening Service
The band Status Quo once sang, “Down, down, deeper and down”, whereas the singer Yazz maintains that “the only way is up”.
In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
In 1665, Isaac Newton returned home to rural Lincolnshire as the university of Cambridge had temporarily closed because of the bubonic plague. According to legend, during his time in 17th century lockdown, Newton observed an apple falling down from a tree; questioning why it fell downwards and not in other directions, he came to the conclusion that there must be something that compels it to do so. This force, gravity, also kept the moon and planets in their orbits. Clever chap.
So, what did you do during lockdown, Kitty Price? Not much. Apart from trying to teach online, I didn’t bake sourdough, I just tried to stay sane and learn a bit of Swedish. And you, Isaac Newton? I discovered gravity! Okay, you win!
A meme circulating on Anglican preaching social media pages says how the ascension is when Jesus started working from home. A bit like Newton during the plague!
What goes up, according to Newton, must come down. Today, though, we are reminded that God is even cleverer than Newton because he shows us that what comes down can also go up.
At Christmas we celebrate the miracle of the incarnation, the Word made flesh - that Love came down at Christmas. At Easter we celebrate and give thanks for his love for humanity and his mighty power that raised up Jesus from the dead.
Between the first Easter and the Ascension, Jesus had spent 40 days with his disciples. Their time together was less high profile, like Newton’s private studying during the epidemic. During that time Jesus prepped them for being his Church.
The grief, loss and trauma they experienced when he was crucified is unimaginable. You would think that to lose him again after only 40 days would be beyond unbearable, a double blow. Yet this time it wasn’t. Words from our gospel reading: “And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.”
Matthew’s gospel concludes with the instructions from Jesus, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
They had a job to do, and we wouldn’t be here today if they hadn’t taken that job seriously. What are we doing to pass on that faith to the next generation? And for those in the front row of the choir, if there’s anything you think we should be doing that we aren’t, please let us know. Not right now - this isn’t an interactive sermon with a cheeky flash mob - but at some point.
This Ascension, we marvel that God has power to descend and ascend. Newton discovered gravity, but using the words of Elphaba, the green witch in Wicked, God can defy gravity.
With the downs and ups of incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and not forgetting the Holy Spirit at Jesus’ baptism and transfiguration and shortly at Pentecost, we are reminded once again, that the Angel Gabriel was right when he told Mary at The Annunciation, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Amen.