Today is the Seventh Sunday of Easter, often subtitled "The Sunday after Ascension." The Ascension story we read today from the Book of Acts is traditionally regarded as the climax, the apotheosis, of the story of Jesus. The Ascension is the climax of the Jesus story because it tells us that the New Life in Christ, first revealed in Jesus' Resurrection, has now been enlarged, has now been expanded, so that it encompasses not just one life but the whole Universe--the Ascension tells us that what we have witnessed in Jesus is revealed to be the destiny, the fulfillment, of the whole Creation.

But for all its traditional power, the story of the Ascension is something a lot of people today find kind of problematic. For a lot of people, this word-picture of Jesus rising up into the air sounds more like science fiction than it does like serious spirituality. It is too tempting to dismiss this story as a kind of first-century "Beam me up, Scotty." We intuitively feel there has to be something more to this story: some symbolism, some significance, some way it's supposed to connect with our experience of what lifts us up when we're feeling down, what helps us see ourselves as connected to a bigger picture, what gives us a larger perspective on our lives. We want to do more than just take the story at its face value--we want to know what it can mean for us.

And the best way to do that with the story is to open it up by Dwelling in the Word. So today, instead of me telling you what I think the story is all about, I invite you to get inside the story and tell each other what you think its all about.

You all know the drill: find one or two other people to talk with. They may be familiar friends, they may be people you've never had this kind of conversation with before. Gather in groups of two or three. I will read the Ascension story to you three times, and each time I will ask you to share with each other your responses to a question about the story. And as you listen to the story, and listen to each other, and listen to your heart as you respond, I think we will all hear the Spirit speaking to us today. Okay? Let's do it:

NRSV: So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But 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. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

Where is your attention caught or your imagination triggered in this passage? What do you see God doing here?

The Message: When they were together for the last time they asked, "Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?" He told them, "You don't get to know the time. Timing is the Father's business. What you'll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world." These were his last words. As they watched, he was taken up and disappeared in a cloud. They stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared--in white robes! They said, "You Galileans!--why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly--and mysteriously--as he left."

What meaning does this passage have for you? What do you hear God saying to you?

New Jerusalem Bible: Now having met together, they asked him, ‘Lord, has the time come for you to restore the kingdom to Israel? He replied, ‘It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, but you will receive the power of the Holy Spirit which will come on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to earth's remotest end.' As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. They were still staring into the sky as he went when suddenly two men in white were standing beside them and they said, ‘Why are you Galileans standing here looking into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same ways as you have seen him go to heaven.'

How do you respond to what God is saying to you in this passage? What is God calling you to do?

The Ascension of Jesus means that the New Life of Resurrection is no longer bound to time and space, no longer limited to there and then, but is always now and here. The Ascension is why Jesus says "I am with you always" in the Gospel; the Ascension is why we can celebrate Jesus' presence with us in this Eucharist today. As we dwell in this Word, as we let this Good News take root and live in our hearts, let it be our prayer that we too may be empowered by the Holy Spirit, so that we may witness to Jesus' New Life, at all times and in all places and in everything we do. Amen.