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Christ has now, before the eyes of witnesses been taken up and “vanished in a cloud”. So, as at His birth in the Christmas-night as well as on Easter-morning before the empty tomb, are there now Angels again “Heavenly Citizens” there, to confirm to mankind, where Jesus came from and where His is going to?

How we human beings mostly think about this, “coming into heaven”, was expressed by a Pastor in the year 1864 in a prayer “Dear God, take care, that we all come into heaven, but please not too soon!” This citation, though sounding a little humorous, does give an explanation for divers representations of “Christ’s Ascension”, because the bible-texts are very limited in information concerning this event. The Pastor’s declaration can be likened in a sense as we use for those dying. To die as quick as possible and to “come quickly into heaven” can by no means give life the right meaning. In the Acts of the Apostles, the evangelist Luke warns against a fixed idea of all too concrete conceptions, in which, through the angels words he says to the Apostles “Why stand ye gazing up into heaven?…” They had to fulfil a commission, indeed not in heaven, but here on earth. They should bring about heavenly situations among the people through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom and peace and healing.

The danger which threatened the disciples, was, (even some of the Apostolic Christians today), that they would live in the future, only with the “memory” of Jesus. They had lost such a wonderful ‘Life’s partner’, a friend and helper in every need. By Him, they experienced at all times Love, warmth and the power of God. Now, they were delivered to the hatred and the fear in the world. Now they had to remember the words of their Master and to heed to His command, to hold and stay together. They were to wait, until the “Comforter” comes, who could console them over the loss of their Master, until Pentecost — the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Power. Perhaps many a one, in fear, rather wished to have been “dead”. Let’s ask ourselves this question, honestly: “Is Ascension 2020 The commemoration day, on which Jesus “abandoned” us, or is this the celebration day, where Jesus entrusted His work of redemption to His Apostles prepared and strengthened them and even expected … “greater works than these shall you do.”

Do we want to live with sad hearts, or even in bitterness in “our past”, in which we “felt so secure”, already “redeemed and separated from the world”. Christ expects from every one of us, that the past will be no obstruction, but that we accept the mission, which is intrusted to us again today: “Go into all the world, seek and gather all who are seeking Jesus by the living, those who are driven by the Holy Spirit to bring near His mercy to all people. No one should think he could live from “his reserves of yesterday!”

We should rather be thankful, that the Holy Spirit wants to still reveal His truth to us with much patience and longsuffering Christ teaches us still today, what a true disciple is and should be: One, who is considerate and comforts others, to give them joy and help them in and out of their need. One such servant would find it impossible to start resting on “his laurels” already today.

Through faith we believe in a better Heavenly Home “above”, but a “piece of heaven” has been granted us even already today here on earth, when we work beside our Lord and Master, how He wills.