Day 152: 6/2/11 Ascension Day Special: Eggs, Clouds, And First Fruits

Day 152: 6/2/11
New Thing: Ascension Day Special: Eggs, Clouds, And First Fruits   
Inspiration: The Feast of the Ascension   
Cost: $5
Time: All day                 
Bottom Line: Thanks be to Jesus Christ who ascended far above all heaves that he might fill all things!

BRB!

Reflection: Today is the Feast of the Ascension! On this day we remember the moment when the resurrected Jesus was taken up to heaven in his resurrected body, (Acts 1:1-11) in the presence of eleven of his apostles, occurring 40 days after the resurrection. Before he ascended, he told them that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit (spoiler for Pentecost!) and that they were to be his wittiness spreading his message to the ends of the earth. Two men in white robes who are thought to be angels told the watching disciples that Jesus' second coming would take place in the same manner as his ascension. This is also described in other Biblical passages including Luke 24; 44-53. It is one of the great feasts of Christianity and we celebrated it tonight in a special service. 

As I mentioned earlier today on our church's blog, there are many superstitions and traditions surrounding this day. Here are a few of my favorites and the new ways I added them to my prayers and remembrances today:

• Eggs laid on Ascension day are said to never go bad and will guarantee good luck for a household if placed in the roof. Delia and I had eggs for supper (Ken does not like these) and gave thanks for the birds and farmers who raised them.
• In Devon, it was an ancient belief that the clouds always formed into the familiar Christian image of a lamb on Ascension Day. So, I tried to head outside many times today for a mini-sabbath and watched for the lamb cloud to roll by. But today was a perfectly cloudless day! Maybe in Devon they had better luck. 
• If the weather is sunny on Ascension Day, the summer will be long and hot; but if it rains, crops will do badly and livestock, especially cattle, will suffer from disease. Luckily for us, the weather is great today! So, I took a 5 min. prayer walk and gave thanks for this glorious day!
• According to Welsh superstition, it is unlucky to do any work on Ascension Day. If you are like me, you couldn't take the whole day off, so tonight I am going to make sure to have a sabbath time built in somewhere to contemplate this Holy Feast and to hedge my bets!
•  Churches around the world observe many Ascension Day traditions, such as "the blessing of the first fruits," in which grapes and beans are blessed. This is for two reasons: One, Ascension is often associated with Rogation Days and the blessing of the parish bounds which often included prayers of good harvest. Also, Christ is considered to be "the first fruits of the dead" which means that we are to follow him in his resurrection and ascension. This one was a problem for me since I do not have anything to harvest from my garden yet. So I went to Wegmans and found two fruits which I have never had before: cactus pear (or prickly pear) and a red tamarillo. These are first fruits to me! The cactus pear was very beautiful purple/pink on the inside and had a very nice taste. The red tamarillo was more like a kiwi crossed with a tomato in taste.

My first fruits: Cactus Pear (of Prickly pear)

Red Tamarillo

Here is the Ascension Day Prayer: 

Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.