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  6 Spiritual Disciplines

Today’s message by Pastor Rob is based on Luke 24 v44-53
'Saying Goodbye'

We can find it hard to say goodbye sometimes.  Something deep inside us seems to resist the move from presence to absence.  But life is a string of goodbyes.  Our first day at school, leaving home, moving house – jobs – or city – or country - and the final goodbye of death.

 Every hello leads to an inevitable goodbye.

 Jesus had already said goodbye to the disciples.  John records Jesus words on that fateful night of his arrest - the night before his crucifixion.  He tells the disciples he’s going away.  That goodbye led to sorrow and fear.  That goodbye was experienced as abandonment by the disciples

What a contrast with the goodbye at Ascension.  Luke tells us that they returned to Jerusalem with great joy

Instead of locking themselves away, Luke tells us that the spent all their time in the temple giving thanks to God.

 Why did the disciples react in such a different way?

Maybe they have learnt something about Jesus’ “Goodbye”s.  Goodbye means that we move from presence to their absence.  Jesus’ goodbye is not presence to absence, but presence to a new presence

 He is with them still, even while he is sitting at his Father’s right hand.

 He is present for you, too.  Ascension means that he can be present for you.  You don’t have to be afraid because he is absent, you can be joyful because he is present.

 I don’t know what will be waiting for you in the coming week, but I do know that Jesus goes with you.  And I do know that Jesus is praying for you.

 That’s reason for joy!