Ascension Day is a day of Mercy,-- the day when Jesus goes to prepare a home for us:
I go to my Father and to your Father, I go to prepare a place for you. In my Father’s House, there are many mansions. It helps me appreciate this work of mercy, when I think of my own earthly Father and mother who went to such trouble preparing a home for us. It happened quite a lot because we never really owned a home but simply rented a place, and every few years depending on working situations, we were on the move to a new home. So I have vivid memories of all the loving caring work of preparation. Carpets, curtains, lights and mirrors not to mention the mountains of bedding and kitchen stuff.
In this work of preparing a home in heaven, God wants our co-operation. He has a great task in hands-- keeping this whole creation ticking over, seeing to it that souls are saved and getting all his faithful ones into heaven. He could do it all on his own, but he calls us to share in his work. While God has an infinite supply of mercy to pour out on the world, he ask us to share in his outpouring by being merciful ourselves.
The Almighty has no need of our acts of mercy. But as
Leon Bloy has written:
We have the privilege of being needed by him who has need of no one. We are asked to give from the little we possess, but only to receive much more in return: By way of illustration let me tell of a couple who loved to work together in their garden. But this day husband was on his own in the back garden. He was preparing to dig out the stubborn roots of an old tree. He toiled and sweated for over an hour until at last he knew it was coming. There was a surge of pride.... but then another emotion took over. He wanted his wife to share his little victory with him. He wanted her to have the thrill of pulling the old root out together with him.
He didn’t really need any assistance. At least not in the physical sense. He had all the strength he needed for that. For love’s sake however he needed her. He knew that she would like to part of his achievement. So he called her and together they pulled the old root out and dumped it.
Don’t we all want to be needed? On the other hand there is the trauma of not being needed not wanted. Not on the team. Surplus to requirement. Rejected redundant. In God’s plan of mercy, we all pull together. There is no redundancy. We have the privilege of being needed by the One who has need of no one. Let's work together with our heavenly Father to build the home in heaven where we hope to spend eternity.
hartygabriel@yahoo.co.uk
