“American religious belief and practice have been overtaken by a spiritual ennui and drift” (Brent Orrel, The Bulwark). Fancy word, “ennui.” It means, “a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction: boredom” (Merriam Webster Online). That describes the disheartened spirit of many congregations, just going through the motions.
Sure, there are cultural explanations, but I believe we pastors could do more. Not only talk about resurrection, we should speak much more about Christ’s Ascension and what it means for us in the challenges of everyday living. In Romans 6:1-11, Paul says Christ was raised, that’s history, and we will one day be raised, obviously that’s the future. What’s now? “We too might walk in newness of life.” That’s about you and me; but where is Christ right now? He is ascended, exalted, Lord over all, leading us by His Spirit (see Romans 8:9-17).
N.T. Wright: The Ascension is “a central and vital feature without which all sorts of other things start to go demonstrably wrong. What happens when you downplay or ignore the ascension? The answer is that the church expands to fill the vacuum.” It would be revealing to study church publications. How much do they promote what the church is doing versus talking about Jesus? Wright: “Only when we grasp firmly that the church is not Jesus and Jesus is not the church—when we grasp, in other words, the truth of the ascension, that the one who is indeed present with us by the Spirit is also the Lord who is strangely absent, strangely other, strangely different from us and over against us…only then are we rescued from both hollow triumphalism and shallow despair” (Surprised by Hope, 109. 112-113).
Leonard Pitts, Jr.: “Small wonder the church is shrinking. And yet, even when they feel let down by the church, seekers don’t stop seeking. Note that Gallup also reports that…as many as 87% of us still profess belief in God. That’s a minor miracle. You might even call it good news. And it speaks to the challenge – and opportunity – facing every preacher watching a congregation dwindle…. Yes, the church is shrinking. But they know God is not.” (The Miami Herald, in St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 7, 2021, A11).
Today is Ascension Day. How is your church observing it? And not just today, pastors, please preach Ascension throughout the year!