Why we need to observe the Feast of the Ascension on Thursday

This coming Thursday, May 29, 2014, is the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ.

And, in order to go to Mass on this day, the nearest Episcopal Church that will be observing it is across the bay in San Francisco.

There seems to be an unfortunate trend that occurs with movable Feasts, or Feast Days that just so happen to fall during the week.  I cannot discern if it is ignorance or apathy, but it troubles me that so few parishes even take note of major Feasts, particularly major Feasts of our Lord.  Like with the Feast of the Epiphany, the Feast of the Ascension will either be transferred to Sunday, or forgotten all together.  I understand, and even somewhat sympathize with communities that do this: people are too busy to go to Mass during the week, we want to include the whole of the community to celebrate the Feast, and maybe it is okay to fudge with the rubrics of the Prayer Book in these sort of instances. 

There are two things that concern me about this.  First, we seem to be developing a particular laxness about the Christian life.   Second, parishes are missing opportunities to build a stronger community.

One of the things that troubles me within the Episcopal Church is the growing sense of diluting the Christian and/or Anglican-Episcopal identity.  We see this all too frequently—communities and diocese flaunt canons of the church regarding baptism and communion; we see iteration after iteration of provisional and supplemental material being released for liturgical use that lacks any cohesive theological center; celebrants of the Mass will change language of prayers at a whim (in the name of inclusivity) that either borders on, or is explicitly heretical (for example, using Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier for blessings); and then there is the occasional rumbling that the language of the Baptismal Covenant is too inaccessible, and it should be simplified. 

We are a community that is driven by a story, a story that is ancient and yet always new, a story that though we may hear a million times over, it is always new the first time we hear it.  The story of God’s interaction with the world; the life, death, and resurrection of Christ; and the descent of the Holy Spirit is the story of the relationship between the Trinity and humanity.  It is the story of God that we have been invited to share into.  Just as the Resurrection is the promise that we too will rise from the dead as Christ did, so too the Ascension tells us that we will ascend and join with Christ who is with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  What Christ assumed, we too have assumed.  The feast marks the beginning of a waiting period of nine days for the arrival of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.  We are invited then to be faithful, like the Apostles, in awaiting the arrival of the Spirit.

By transferring, or ignoring this feast, we fall into a trap that what it means to be a Christian is something to only be found on Sundays.  Our call is to a constant life of devotion to God.  We are given an opportunity to celebrate the Mysteries of God.  This should not be a burden though, but a celebration, a Feast to celebrate the completion of Christ’s earthly ministry.  We are called to be a part of something different, something better, and sometimes it is a call to sacrifice in order to celebrate.  Sometimes it is hard to get away from work, or family life.  Sometimes it can be discouraging for a parish to have a special service if only a few people show up.  But that is not the point however, we should not be afraid, or wary, or burdened, to have this amazing opportunity to celebrate.  Here is the dirty little secret, we do not only have to go to church on Sundays, in fact our work days might be better if we took an hour or so out of it for something like this, or a weekday Mass in general.

This leads to a second concern I have.  Lately, in the Episcopal Church, there is a desire to build stronger communities.  In particular, in communities that are in decline, there is a desire to build a community that is welcoming to new people.

This is an opportunity to accomplish this, it is staring us in the face, and we do not seem to notice. 

A great way to for a parish to build community is to have a weekday service that is followed by a potluck, barbecue, a trip to the pub, or something like that.  It not only reminds us that Mass is not the sole thing we can do to celebrate the Ascension of the Lord, let alone any feast (mind you, it is one of the most important things we can do), but it allows us an opportunity to meet others in the parish and welcome new people in what might hopefully be a loving and fun environment.  Especially as we approach summer months, and when kids are out of school, this can be a great way to have family activities in the middle of the week.  Again, it gets us out of the trap of thinking that being a Christian only happens on Sundays. 

As I said before, I recognize the challenges that preclude some parishes and people from taking part of this.  I lament that the way modern society seems to sap any free hours that someone has for labor while providing less pay and less opportunity for rest.  To me though, there is no reason why parishes should stop having celebrations on weekday Feasts like this, in-fact it is all the more reason to have celebrations like this.  The church needs to offer and be an alternative to the secular society, and we can do that by celebrating our Feasts mid-week. 

In a society that demands the privatization of faith, we need to celebrate faith.

In a society that extracts more labor for fewer wages, we need to challenge this by resting from our labors.

In a society that dilutes the reasons for our joy, we need to identify more strongly the reason for our joy.

In a society that alienates us from one another, we need to welcome the stranger into our midst. 

In a society that promotes death and decay, we need to proclaim resurrection and ascension. 

May you all have a Blessed Ascension Day.