For Ascension Sunday, Rev. Cari referred to the story of the day as told in both Luke 24:44-53 and Acts 1:1-11 (which, after all, are by the same person).

The topic is the passing of the baton from Jesus to the disciples, just before the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church… but the disciples don’t seem quite to understand. They’re not quite ready to be without him yet…

In this pandemic season, when all our patterns of “being the church” have been disrupted, this story can lead us to the right questions… one of which is “What is the purpose of the church?”