THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST:
Pioneer, Priest and King
By Ed Moll
Latimer Trust. 101 pages. £8.50
ISBN 978 1 916 834 101
The ascension is one of those doctrines that tends to get marginalised because the traditional day for Christians to mark it falls on a Thursday rather than a Sunday.
Liturgically, it is a case of blink and you miss it. For many Bible readers, thought about the ascension itself is often confined to the narratives at the end of Luke’s Gospel and the beginning of Acts. Ed Moll seeks to set this doctrine in its broader Biblical and theological context.
Moll helpfully broadens the Biblical palette from which we can paint a picture of the ascension. Seeing the breadth and depth of the doctrine in the whole of the New Testament aids the reader and the preacher in not marginalising this doctrine.
For example, Moll writes: “The letter to the Hebrews is an extended reflection on the ascension of Christ, the Great High Priest, and its significance for Christian believers.” The author sets the chapter within the Anglican context of the Thirty-nine Articles and the Book of Common Prayer. Here there is also a useful section on the Collects.
The book deals with doctrinal and pastoral considerations, which include a fascinating section on cosmology in the doctrinal section and on mission in the pastoral section.
The book concludes with a range of stories that could be used by those preaching on this topic.
This brief, well-written book – that could easily be read in one sitting – goes some way to shining welcome light on a neglected doctrine (resources for digging deeper are included in a brief bibliography). Perhaps this year you will raise a shout for the Lord who has ascended on high!
