Changed by the Resurrection

Our journey through Lent will soon be coming to an end. On Maundy Thursday we will gather in the upper room with Jesus and his disciples and be reminded of the incredible gift we celebrate in worship every Sunday morning as we hear, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” On Good Friday we will travel to the foot of the cross and hear Jesus utter a lonely cry of abandonment, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” We will hear the words of finality that Jesus spoke with his last breath as he paid the ultimate price for our sin, “It is finished!” And we will travel again to the empty tomb to hear about the group of women that traveled there early on the first day of the week only to find it empty. We will hear once more the words of the angels at the empty tomb, “He is not here, but has risen.”

But once that final, culminating event of the Resurrection is complete. Then what? What are we supposed to do then? Well, I think it’s important for us to remember that Easter is more than just a day. Easter is an every day celebration of the cross and resurrection of Jesus – the forgiveness of sins and the certainty of eternal life with God. Easter is also an every day celebration in which we live each day trusting in God through Christ, knowing that Jesus is “the resurrection and the life” for us.

So what do we do as we go forth from the empty tomb? Perhaps it would be best for us to start by following the example of the first witnesses of the empty tomb. After the two angels reminded the women that Jesus had risen, St. Luke tells us that “then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest.” They went forth from the tomb changed by the resurrection of Jesus. They went forth from the tomb to bring an “every day” witness of God’s power over sin, death, and Satan himself.

And where then are we to go once we leave the empty tomb? Well, perhaps it would be best for us to follow the example of Jesus’ first disciples. After Jesus walked through locked doors to appear to the eleven disciples and to show himself to Thomas, seven of the eleven disciples went back to their fishing business. They went back to their everyday stations in life and took the witness of the resurrection with them. They lived in the joy of the resurrection of Jesus while carrying out the ordinary, daily responsibilities given to them.

Like the women at the empty tomb and the eleven disciples, we too are every day witnesses and participants in the resurrection of Jesus. We believe. We have the hope of eternal life. We have the joy of the resurrection living inside of us. Also, like the women at the empty tomb and the disciples, we have stations in life that God has given to us as gifts. Most of us aren’t fishermen, but all of us have one or more of these callings: mother, father, partner, wife, husband, daughter, son, sister, brother, grandparent, employee, retiree, caregiver, friend, and neighbor. Each of these callings comes with a set of duties and responsibilities.

And as followers of Jesus, redeemed by God’s grace we are called to wrap the daily duties and responsibilities of our lives in the joy, love, peace, and forgiveness of Christ. And when we do this, more than likely, others will take notice, and God will bless our faithful work by giving us more opportunities to “tell all these things to all the rest.”

So, what are we to do then?  My friends, we are to respond to God’s grace, love and mercy by going forth from Easter Sunday and the celebration of the empty tomb as every day witnesses, freed to live and love and serve as God’s forgiven children in Christ Jesus. And as we go forth empowered by God’s Spirit, living and active within us, may we live in the joy of the resurrection so that everyone, everywhere will see just how great God is! Happy Easter! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Pastor Tony

Ready for Easter

I am ready for Easter!
I am ready for every word of resurrection joy.
I am ready for every celebratory trumpet sound.
I am ready for a stone to be rolled away.
I am ready for a sunrise that is blinding in its glory.
I am ready for the fragrance of Easter lilies to fill the space of worship.
I am ready for the promise of new life in the green shoot from the earth.
I am ready for Easter!

Don’t get me wrong! Lent has been a wild journey in the wilderness. If I am being honest, the journey has gone far better than I expected. I have walked through dry valleys with some of you. With others, I have celebrated moments of renewal. I have sought my own still waters to find rest. It did not hurt that Lent encompassed Spring Break for all three of our children at the same time. I was unaware of my hunger to have our college age son home for a time. I even celebrated extra cooking and baking and laundry just to hear his voice in the house again. The Church Council and other ministry leaders gathered to begin the journey towards our 2035 vision for ministry. New members are filling out membership forms as they have come to find Ascension to be a place of welcome, a place to call their spiritual home. Alfombras are being traced as we prepare for Palm Sunday when the vibrant colored sawdust will once again tell the story of the last week of the life of Jesus. Musicians are practicing – so much practicing – so that choirs and instrumentalists will offer their very best to the glory of God.

All this leading us to the waving palm branches to welcome a Savior to the holy city of Jerusalem. An upper room will be prepared for a dinner with friends where disciples and teacher will gather to rest, relax, tell stories, and be reminded that that greatest among us must be a servant to all. A garden will serve as a cathedral of prayer until a betrayal and an arrest. A mock trial will claim truth and the powers of this world will be manipulated in order to pass a sentence of death for the Savior of the world. A cross will stand empty until nails are hammered through flesh. Seven last words will call us to weep, reflect, and remember. A newly carved tomb will become the final resting place for the one we called, Immanuel, God with us. And we will leave the graveyard with little hope left among us.

That is, until some women go to visit the tomb. They will go to the tomb to leave spices that will mask the scent of death – myrrh and aloes. Yet they will leave it behind for the shock of the stone rolled away and the tomb found empty. A shock to be sure. A trick? A crime of theft? Or the unimaginable possibility that what their teacher said would happen, actually took place. Resurrection.
Still in disbelief, May will weep outside the empty tomb. One last insult for her teacher and friend. A body stolen from its grave. Until – she hears a voice. One, she does not recognize at first. Then – she hears her name. “Mary.” Instantly she knows. Only one person in all the world speaks her name with such love and affection.

And the rest of the story will be told again and again to all who would listen because we never tire of hearing the story of resurrection joy on that first Easter day. It will begin with the words Mary never thought she would ever say again. “I have seen the Lord!”
People of God, I am ready for Easter! What joy awaits us. Come join the story and the song in the days ahead.

See you in church.

Pastor Chris

Ash Wednesday Worship and More

Lenten cross

Begin your Lenten journey with us on Wednesday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m. with imposition of ashes and worship. Soup suppers and worship begin the following week, March 12. Look for the sign-up poster in the narthex/lobby on Sunday mornings to bring soup, help set-up and clean-up.

Thursday Morning Worship: For those who are looking for something new and a little different in this season of Lent, we are offering a half hour worship service every week on Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. beginning on March 6th and concluding on April 10th. For those who might like a quieter, more reflective time of worship, Thursday mornings could provide that opportunity. There will be instrumental music, congregational singing, Scripture readings, a brief message, a time for prayer, and communion each week.

Lenten Book Study: Join Pastor Chris at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday mornings in Lent starting March 6 to discuss the book The Walk by Adam Hamilton. Examine five essential spiritual practices rooted in Jesus’ own walk with God. How do we walk with Christ—daily follow him, grow in him, and faithfully serve him? You can pick up a book from PC for $13 or download it to your device. We will discuss the Introduction and Chapter 1 on March 6.