King of Kings

"Acts 1, traditionally read on Ascension Sunday, is not about Jesus floating away into the ether. This is a story about power; a story about a different kind of power, a power opposite of today’s brand of pseudo-Christianity driven by ambition (which is the same violence that fueled the Crusades). The moment one uses force, coercion, strong-arm tactics, or manipulation in the name of Jesus, that is the precise moment one denies Jesus...Jesus rises to heaven so his people will be empowered - not be put into power. His intent is to heal the world, not take it over. To help, not harm; to restore, not simply rule; to harmonize, not to hate; to bind together, not tear apart; to set people free - mind, body, and spirit - not to limit, intimidate, enslave or prop up the empires of this world, held together by the rubber bands and paper clips of greed, violence, and the exploitation of the weak by the strong." - RM