BRB

Acts 1:8-9

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.

I’ve never been a fan of those Ascension pics

of Jesus with flowing white robes 

and immaculate feet

disappearing out of the top of the frame

into a billow of fluffy clouds

while people stand around, mouths gaping

confounded by another twist in the tale

of God with skin on.

Post resurrection, I imagine those feet 

with stigmata from the brutality of crucifixion

There may have been dew from the garden

where he met Mary while it was still dark

Or sand from the beach 

where he hung out and cooked for his friends

And I don't imagine an upward trajectory 

More of a vaporisation

like a pixellating image

indicating a changed state

Because that’s what Ascension is about

Transformation

An invitation to connect

in a whole different way

with the risen, ascended Jesus

a way to know God

not in clouds

but in the ground of everyday

Be right back - 

both the threat and the promise

of Ascension