17 May 2026 #evangelize
This weekend we celebrate Jesus’ Ascension. It’s always amazing to me how we take this event for granted, some 2,000+ years later. This fully-man and fully-God person walked his earth for 33 years, healing, feeding, and preaching… then was crucified, died, buried, rose to judge those souls in sheol, re-walked this earth exhorting his followers for forty days… then gathered his followers to the top of a mountain and literally rose up into the sky out of view. And opened the gates of heaven.
Truth is stranger than fiction, as they say.
Jesus’ followers were amazed. And we should be too. The ascension was a huge part of the message being preached by the apostles and disciples. For the Jews-turned-Christ-followers, gone was this idea that they had to wait for God to release the souls from sheol. For the gentiles-turned-Christ-followers, they had an opportunity for a post-physical-death union with an all-loving God.
Both were radical ideas at the time.
Yet there were those who refused to believe that a life after this one was possible or that Jesus had a post-death mission. Things haven’t changed much, have they? I’ve encountered more than my fair share of non-faith folks who say that they’ll see their deceased relatives “in heaven” when their time comes. I smile inwardly in their time of grief. It’s like they know there’s something more than this earthly life, but they are unable – or unwilling - to acknowledge what that might mean in their living-life convictions.
Jesus is indeed the Son of God and now sits “at the right hand of the Father” to “judge the living and the dead.” It’s True, whether people believe it or not.
So what exactly does the Ascension mean for us right now?
Two things, theological and practical. First, Jesus is the Son of God who took on human form and forgives our sins so that heaven would be open to us when our earthy journey here is complete (theological). Second, Jesus’ last words were: “go and make disciples” and in that work, He would be with us (practical).
I absolutely love the first thing. I cannot wait to emerge out of my cleansing/shedding of sins (purgatory) and hope-fully, encounter Jesus, His Father, and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. If there are words in heaven, I want to use them in conversation with Miriam, Judith, Esther, and Micah from our Jewish heritage. Then Paul, Phoebe, Benedict, Francis & Clare, Hildegaard… and all those holy women and men who did the second thing on this earth: evangelize.
Because that second thing… “go and make disciples”? Well, that’s… sigh… that’s hard. Even for me, as your Director of Evangelization, it’s still not always easy. One would think I rock at this role (pun intended): Evangelization ranked high for me on the Called & Gifted index; I have a Master’s degree in Bible; I love words and talking to people. I have everything it takes, including a healthy love of the Lord. But evangelization is still hard.
It’s hard to know what-to-say, how-to-say-it, and when-to-say-it. I’ve failed many times in either my word choices, tone, or timing. But I have some wins too, where everything clicks on every level and this work is a fruitful joy. Both of these outcomes are part of the Christian journey. Remember, Jesus didn’t win over everyone he met either. He lost some folks and won some souls. So take courage and get the word out. Jesus is Risen. He is Risen Indeed. #evangelize