We're celebrating ascension at 12.45 today in the Chapel at Robinson. A short, said service of Holy Communion. Come along if you are in Cambridge.

The traditional image of Ascension is extraordinary and impossible: Jesus in his not-quite heaven, not-quite-earth body rising up into the clouds… what are we to make of that? Like a lot of the mystical and strange parts of the bible, I don't think it helps at all to try to rationalise it. Rationalising the mystical only makes you say irrational things.

What is more real, though, and what lives for us now, is the conversation Jesus had with the disciples before everything went a bit Stephen Spielberg. "Wait here in the City," said Jesus to his disciples.

We, of course, know that it's ten days till Pentecost. We know that what he meant was, "wait till the Holy Spirit comes". We know the end of the story. (Or, if you don't, all you have to do is read Luke Chapter 24 and then the first few chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. It will only take you about 15 minutes.)

But the disciples didn't really know what he meant. "Wait until you've been clothed with power from on high" was what he said.  – er, what? what does that mean?

Often we have little more to go on in life than the last set of instructions – the job we do, the family we have, the friends we've got. It would be nice to think we get instructions to go out and change the world. But most of the time it's a matter of just carrying on, hoping that something special will break through, but being faithful to what we know in the meanitme.

The message of Ascension: you may not know what's going on, and you may have to wait a while before you see the way forward. But meantime, wait in the city. Stick with your friends; don't panic; live a day at a time. Your time will come.