FEELING DOWN?  START LOOKING UP!

church noted for its clever messages on its outdoor sign recently carried this catchy phrase: "FEELING DOWN?  START LOOKING UP!  The message, of course, is quite clear: when we are troubled and depressed, we should turn to the Lord and seek His divine help.  Ironically, when we read the account of Christ's Ascension into heaven in the Book of Acts, we find the Apostles doing just the opposite: they were LOOKING UP, but FEELING DOWN!  Christ had literally been caught up in the clouds, disappearing from their sight.  Now they were alone  the Master they had served and followed for 3 years was gone.  We can certainly appreciate the less-than-joyful demeanor that each of them must have exhibited immediately after the Ascension.

Quickly, however, the Apostles were brought back to reality by the appearance of two angels.  Their message to them was this: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into the heavens?  This same Jesus Who was taken up into heaven will, one day, return in like manner.  (Acts 1:11)

If we look upon an icon of the Ascension, we see Christ represented in such a manner that it is difficult to determine whether He is ascending or descending.  This is to remind us that we are already living under Christ's reign  we are merely waiting for Him to return and establish His Kingdom in its fullness.  We should not be standing by idly like the Apostles as we await His return, but rather we should be preparing for it by living righteous lives, bringing others to Christ by our example and through our labors.