Ascension and Missional Hospitality
One of the special days in the season of Easter is Ascension Day. We believe that Jesus Christ not only rose from the dead, but ascended into heaven and is—as the Apostles’ Creed says—“seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.” Jesus is not on vacation somewhere. He is on his throne ordering all things to his redemptive purposes. This is a great comfort for us!
Jesus’s ascension is filled with theological significance. But one particular implication of the ascension for our life in the world as Christians is how we live alongside our neighbors who do not know Christ.
The Ascension suggests that even as God orders all things for his glory, he is at the same time creating space for those who deny his glory. Speaking of how the Church is to live in the world as it awaits Christ’s return, Peter writes: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Pet 3:9). Those who do not acknowledge Christ’s lordship continue to exist in the world because God loves them and is patient, not wanting people to perish. And not only do they exist, but they eat, and sleep, and love. Why? Because our Lord is generous: “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Mt 5:45).
And so the kingdom that God is building—for now—includes both the righteous and the unrighteous, the wheat and the tares, together (Mt 13:24-30). The Ascension teaches us that we serve a God who is opposed to all wickedness and is committed to its final destruction, and yet he deliberately makes room in this world for the wicked to dwell. God’s own ascension hospitality is not a sign of his compromise with sin; it’s a sign of his love.
We who have received the hospitality of God’s grace in Christ are called to participate in God’s hospitality. The church reflects God’s divine generosity as we extend hospitality to our neighbors — seeking their flourishing and bearing witness to Christ’s reign.