Reminders

There’s a painting of the Ascension of the Lord by an unknown artist that hangs in a museum in Belgium. In the painting the only part of Jesus that we see is his lower legs and his feet bearing the marks of the nails, as he ascends out of the top of the painting. The twelve Apostles and Mary stand below, gazing upward at the departing Jesus.

In the middle of the gathered disciples, there is a rock from which Jesus ascended, and on the rock is a pair of footprints. It’s as if Jesus left his footprints as a concrete reminder that in some ways he is still present to them.

Gathering as a Christian community we think about what it means to live our faith, as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and on the signs of his presence in our life–those divine footprints, so to speak, that are the signs that he is still with us.

Those signs are many–the blessings we experience, the people who love us, the beauty of God’s creation, the desire to be our best self, the peace and joy we have in connecting with the Lord in prayer and worship. May our eyes and hearts be open to receive all that the Lord has to give, and may we pass on that love to those around us.

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)