‘Heaven’ is where God is; and to be with God eternally is to be ‘in heaven’. And that is what the Ascension means: Jesus is totally and forever reunited with the Father. The actual words of Acts are that “a cloud took him from their sight”. A cloud in Scripture is very often a symbol for God, so the expression means that God the Father took his incarnate Son back to himself. And that is also the meaning of the Gospel text that the “Lord Jesus…was taken up into heaven”. The Resurrection, the Ascension and Pentecost are part of the one great event. In one action that goes beyond earthly time. Jesus is raised, returns to the Father, and gives the Holy Spirit. In ascending to heaven, Jesus was no longer limited to one time, one place or one group of people. By the power of the Holy Spirit, he is present and available to all of us who wish to be in relationship with him, partake in his mission and share his glory. This is the great calling and destiny we all share in as followers of the Lord Jesus, Son of the Father, now seated at his right hand to intercede for us.