Chapter 1 of the Acts of the Apostles describes how Jesus, after he was resurrected, spent some time with the disciples and then left them on Mount Olivet, being taken up until a cloud hid him from their sight. When Jesus disappeared, his followers were left staring into the sky. How do you feel if you have spent three years living with and learning from Jesus, and then you discover that you are no longer in his intimate presence?
It is the sort of moment that many people experience after an encounter with Jesus. The emotion of the moment dies away and you are left wondering how it affects the rest of your life, and what you are meant to do next. So, is following Jesus an event, which just happens one day, or a process which continues throughout the rest of your life? A decision to follow Jesus is just the start of a process which continues throughout the rest of a person’s life.
After Jesus’s ascension, the disciples did not just go back to living their lives the same as everyone else. They started a new journey which involved living together in community and welcoming others into that community, particularly the poor and marginalised. The new journey involved growing more like Jesus and telling as many people as possible about him; it involved discovering and developing spiritual gifts and using them to serve others. It is the same type of journey that anyone who has truly encountered Jesus needs to take.