In lieu of our weekly community group/Bible study, we attended the Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Ascension last night. Lovely as usual. The guest preacher was the Rev. Charles Hefling, a professor of theology at BC and editor of the Anglican Theological Review.

Fr. Hefling asked: why did Jesus leave? I have to admit this isn’t a question that really ever occurred to me, but it’s a darn good one. As part of an answer he quoted a line from Rowan Williams to the effect that, since Jesus is “the Way” he had to “get out of the way.” This is a clever way of saying that Jesus opened the door to our union and fellowship with God by reconciling us to God, but we now have to go through that door by treading the path he trod.

But this is only part of the answer because, Fr. Hefling pointed out, we can’t follow this way, at least not by ourselves. Following the way of the cross, the way of self-giving (and forgiving) love, doesn’t come naturally to us. This is why God sends the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God with us; the Spirit is God within us, empowering and enabling us to follow Jesus.