THE MYSTERY OF THE ASCENSION

Lectionary Text: Acts 1:9 -  When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

When it comes to Christ’s ascension,
I don’t want too much detail.
All that matters is to know that he’s with God.
When one speaks of the ascension,
cynics hasten to assail
a belief they think is primitive and odd.

For sophisticated people
to believe that anyone
could rise up and disappear into the sky
is too much for them to swallow,
even if it was God’s Son,
and to change their minds I wouldn’t even try.

For the “how” of the ascension
doesn’t have to be explained.
What’s important is our faith that Jesus reigns
as eternal Lord and Savior
with his Father as ordained,
though the mystery of how he rose remains.