Worship - 17 May 2026

Summary Of This Week's Theme

In the life of the Church, this is an in-between time: between resurrection and Pentecost, between Jesus appearing to his disciples and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Ascension marks that turning point. But Ascension is not really about absence. It is about a widening presence.

Christ is no longer confined to one place and time. The ‘cloud’ is not distance but mystery. Jesus does not go away so much as move outward into fullness. The disciples are warned not to stand staring into heaven, open-mouthed, because the challenge now is to recognise Christ’s presence everywhere: in creation, in neighbour, in the whole cosmos.

This is what some have called the ‘Cosmic Christ.’ In his book with that title, Matthew Fox describes Christ as drawing all things toward healing, creativity, justice, and unity. John’s Gospel tells us that ‘God so loved’ not simply the world, but the cosmos. That is no narrow vision. Christ’s life constantly crossed boundaries: social, religious, and cultural. Again and again, Jesus practised radical welcome, hospitality, mercy, and love.

And perhaps that is the real message of Ascension. Jesus transcends the limits of human existence in order to become closer to all people, not just a select few. The disciples become the feet on the ground, carrying that message of welcome into a fractured world, empowered and sustained by the presence of Christ through the Spirit.

In John’s Gospel, as arrest and crucifixion approach, Jesus prays for unity. Even in the gathering darkness, he speaks of joy. Y et joy can sometimes seem absent from church life. We forget that Christ promises we are not alone. Pentecost is coming. Tongues of fire will fall indiscriminately. People will speak, listen, and understand one another — not so that everyone becomes the same, but so that we may be one.

At a funeral on Friday for the distinguished artist Ken Draper, I was reminded how difficult art can be to understand without knowing the artist behind it. Creation is like that too. God’s handiwork is vast and complex. Jesus comes to help us understand it: to show us that at the heart of everything is this simple truth — God cares.

God cares for you. God cares for your neighbour. And God calls us to give Christ joy by seeking unity in our diversity.