THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

YES, THE year is moving on and this year the Christian Church will celebrate the Ascension of Jesus on Thursday, May 21.

This is the time when we stop and remember, amongst other things, the day when Jesus handed over his work to his followers.

They had seen his compassion at work.

They had witnessed his special concerns for the sick and the poor, the disadvantaged and the marginalised.

They had heard his teaching about love and forgiveness.

They had listened to his stories about how to treat each other making our understanding of justice, fair play and honesty all work for good.

The day had come when he was saying to them “Now, it is over to you!”

That is how it has been ever since with one generation faithfully handing on that commission to the next. This year our celebration of Ascension during lockdown is different than ever before.

Our buildings are closed because of the virus and so there will be no church services held there that day but this does not mean that the Church is closed. Far from it!

The Church is very much alive - out and about in the communities doing exactly what Jesus is commissioning them to do.

They are working alongside people of other faiths and of no faith trying to meet the needs of the housebound and the vulnerable, the sick and the lonely, the hungry and the homeless.

Those first followers of Jesus did not have buildings from which to work and right now, out of necessity, neither do we!