I wonder if you can recall if you had a “teddy bear”, or a blanket, or something that you hung onto when you were little. Perhaps you don’t remember it, but others have told you that you did have something like that. British pediatrician and psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, decades ago, named these items “transitional objects”. They are things chosen by the child that helped the little one navigate the transition from being in the constant care of a primary adult, to a place of being able to manage the absence of that adult. When one reaches the point that the love and presence offered by that caregiver has been successfully internalized, then that one has achieved “object constancy”.
The Biblical account of the ascension of Christ, which we will reflect on Sunday at St. Mark’s, tells the story of the earliest church in transition. The disciples had come to rely on the real time presence of Jesus, mentoring and guiding them. But the ascension, as odd of a story as it is to us, marks a very clear sense that the time of physical presence of their dear Rabbi had come to an end.
Faith, for us, is indeed a transitional experience, in which we measure what it means for us to find divine presence in the midst of absence. The sermon is titled, “Weaving and Waiting: A Sermon for Ascension Sunday.” The sermon arises from Acts 1: 1-11, which will be read by Lisa Kurz. We’ll be led musically by the Chancel Choir, under the direction of Gerry Sousa, and accompanied by Ilze Akerbergs. Beckie Jones will offer a mission moment about the work of Caring Ministries at St. Mark’s. We’ll celebrate Holy Communion, sing, and have a moment for children.