Being Raised Up

Last Saturday I attended my first funeral over zoom. It was for a minister who was married to a woman who grew up at my home church. During the photo montage one of the songs played was You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to hear that song without getting emotional and Saturday was no exception. That the minister died due to Covid made it all the more poignant.

This Sunday is Ascension Sunday, a bit of an odd day when we commemorate that Jesus, after 40 days of post-resurrection appearances to the disciples, seems to decide to pack it in and return to God in heaven. He is raised up into the clouds in the sky. The disciples are left looking up where He has gone, frozen in time, amazed and unsure of what to do next, until two angelic men in white robes ask them why they’re staring at where Jesus is no longer and prophecy His return.

It doesn’t really feel like a celebration somehow, this seeming retreat out of this world. It feels more like abandonment perhaps. And yet, Jesus leaving makes room for the Holy Spirit to come in a powerful way that can spread over the whole earth. Jesus leaving makes room for the disciples, and all followers to come, to actually be His body, spreading His love all over the globe. God raises Jesus up to where He belongs - King of all the earth and the heavens forever and able to be there for each of us whenever needed no matter where we are. And we are promised that we will be raised up as well for eternity.

I’m aware that it’s National Nursing Week and these heroes need to be celebrated and honoured for the many that they have raised from suffering and certain death, especially in the last year. There are many other people who probably come to mind who have raised us up over the time of the pandemic, putting themselves at risk to provide for us and care for us. There are many people who have been the presence of Christ to us, reminding us of God’s love and resurrecting our hope..

As I’ve pondered the ascension story, I wonder if it’s not so much a goodbye as an invitation. Before He returns to heaven, Christ asks the disciples to wait where they are in Jerusalem for the promise of God, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is not confined to a human body but flows freely, can be anywhere and can even live inside us when welcomed. We are invited to make room for the Spirit in our hearts and lives. We are invited to wait in expectation for what God has for us.

While we may not be raised up to heaven any time soon, we celebrate the ways that we are lifted in our spirits by others and blessings around us. We are raised up by the choices we make in service to others, bringing ourselves that little bit closer to realizing the kingdom of heaven on earth.

Who has raised you up and how can you express gratitude? Who can you raise up?