The Joke’s on Me

And my first month as an official pastor is over and what a way to start this new journey. As I mentioned in one of my sermons in July, my colleagues gave me the confidence to be in charge of the church just a few days after my ordination and installation. Not only did they leave me by myself for fourteen days, they also took my wife, my secretary, and my musician! Some of you have already heard parts of this story, but what I have not shared is how beneficial these days were for me as the sole pastor.

As the final months of planning for the Tanzania trip approached, questions about who would worship in English came up because I had to lead worship in Spanish. After a conversation, the three pastors concluded that it was not necessary to find a substitute for worship in English at 10 a.m. We decided to have the bilingual service at 10 a.m. both Sundays.

We have already had bilingual worship on multiple occasions. This was not new to any of us. What was new was the lack of multiple worship leaders. For previous bilingual worship service, it was easier to know when to listen: English-speakers knew to listen when Pastor Chris or Pastor Tony were speaking, Spanish-speakers knew to listen when I was speaking. But with only one pastor, the congregation had to listen all of the time because you never knew what language I was going to speak. As I was looking out while preaching, I could see that it was a greater mental effort than normal to follow, but I could also tell that everyone did the work. If it became too much and you tuned out, you did a great job covering it!

The different services had different challenges. Because Spanish worship is the same time as 10 a.m. English worship, the attendees at the 10 a.m. service aren’t as accustomed to my accent. But, they persisted and continued with an amazing effort to understand me!

For the 8:30 a.m. worship, we experienced a different linguistic complication. Those worshippers were the first ones to hear me preach that day’s sermon. Afterall, my wife was in Tanzania! At the end of the service, one of you approached me to help me with the pronunciation of the word “yoke.” It was the key concept and the word I said most frequently throughout the sermon. I found out I mispronounced the word. Every single time. Instead of preaching that Jesus came to lighten our yoke, I told everyone that Jesus came to lighten our joke. I guess the joke was on me! Thank you for your grace with what must have been a terribly confusing story about gathering water in El Salvador with a joke and the questionable theology that Jesus came to bring us lighter jokes.

This is the wonderful thing about our multicultural ministry. We will continue to walk and experience new things together as a community. I will of course continue to struggle with some words during my preaching, but also all of you will continue to develop your ears listening to the words of hope, peace, joy and love.

Pastor Edwin

Newly-Ordained Pastor Edwin Aparicio

My journey began first with the synod candidacy committee, then seminary, and then the call process with all of you at Ascension, but it is now official. Ordination and Installation are already behind us! On many occasions I have written many words of thanks to all of you and I will not tire of doing so. I am grateful for all your support and participation in this whole process and for having been present. On the Sunday of the celebration, I felt very overwhelmed. Although the worship was a bit long, almost everyone joined us for the dinner that my wife, Pastor Chris and Pastor Tony had planned.   

 Thank you with all my heart for having brought a delegation from the land of my birth. Amilcar, Claudia, Mayra and Pastor Rafael are people belonging to the communities where I began to serve God through the Church in my life. Having had a group of people from my country in the organization and installation was very important, but it was also a way of raising our ties of brotherhood again in a post-pandemic period. (Juntos nos levantamos … together we rise!!)

The first days when I started my classes at the seminary I reflected: I don’t know what is to come, I don’t know what I will face in these four years, but what I do know is that I have to do my part and God will do his. As I begin this new journey as an official pastor, God has reminded me that the same continues to hold true: I need to do my part, the people of Ascension need to do their part, and God will do the rest.

Wait for the Lord;  be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14) 

Pastor Edwin

By the Strength and Grace of God

What joy it gives me to share summer greetings with you!

To be honest, I am a little overwhelmed. The month of June did not disappoint with outdoor worship services, baptisms, senior toweling, JOLT Adventure Camp, the delegation from our sister parishes in El Salvador, the ordination and installation of the newly-minted Rev. Edwin Aparicio, and the blessing and sending of our delegation of members to renew our relationships with our sister parishes in the Meru Diocese of Tanzania.

And now – Pastor Edwin running the world of Ascension. It is as it should be. “Let the new guy do it,” I said as I stepped onto the plane for Tanzania. The time in Tanzania is about renewing relationships and celebrating the education ministry of our partner schools as well as tending the grief of members of our sister parishes who have been forced from their land and repatriated to other land in the area in the government’s eminent domain landgrab. Crops are still struggling, which means livestock is struggling, which means our sisters and brothers are struggling and yet they are so very excited to welcome our return. They are also hungry to share their appreciation for your generosity in gifts to provide food for our three or four partner schools – so much to be grateful for as we return to Usa River and the people of God who gather to worship and minister in and through the Samaria, Neema, and Galilaya parishes. Your prayers are deeply appreciated for safety, health, smooth dirt roads and no impromptu rivers flooding our vehicles. The adventure continues.

Closer to home, I give thanks for so many who offer their hands and feet as the visible work of God in tending the needs of Ascension and our partners in the community. From continuing to tend the landscaping and maintenance needs of the church campus to volunteering to help out at the Hope Center to renewing our partnership with NAMI (the National Alliance of Mental Illness) to preparing for fall programming while we are still rejoicing in the days of summer. The great wonder and beauty of who we are as the community of Ascension is the reflection of God’s love in the gathered community as we serve each other and the world outside our doors. So many of you tend so many moments behind the scenes without recognition or reward. Let me simply say, “thank you.”

Someone outside Ascension sent me a note. It was handwritten which is the reason it stands out in memory. They shared their gratitude for a moment of ministry offered to them in the past couple of months and wanted me to know that it was a testament to the “flourishing” community of Ascension that they felt moved to write the note. Flourishing is a word I do not use very often. My wife’s garden is flourishing with the heat and the added water as long as I stay away from it. The junior high students at Adventure Camp were flourishing in their willingness to step out in faith and courage and face their fears. In response to my request, so many of you offered to help with the welcoming of our brothers and sisters from El Salvador and with the ordination of Pastor Edwin – which invites all of us to flourish when the Word of God is preached and our God is praised and the story of God’s love is shared. Wherever, whenever we gather together to walk together we flourish as the community of Ascension and in our own flourishing we invite others to flourish. After all, the tagline of Ascension is not simply a tagline for us – it is a way of life. It is our way of life. Remember?

Juntos nos levantamos … together we rise.

Yes, indeed, we do. By the strength and grace of God, together we rise. Thanks be to God!

See you in church.

Pastor Chris

Ordinary Life … Extraordinary!

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” (1Corinthians 10:31)

My feet are killing me. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse. That plane ride took forever. This is the best book ever written. I’ve told you this a million times.

Much of our lives are sprinkled with hyperbole – a common expression defined as exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. Perhaps that’s because we humans have always been enticed by the “shiny new object.” And I wonder if that’s because our misguided hunger for what’s new, popular, unique, and exciting holds us captive to our vanity?

In our Western Christianity we tend to follow the liturgical seasons and we are now in the time after Pentecost – a time Lutherans also reference as Ordinary Time. Depending how you count it, it’s 33 or 34 weeks and the liturgical color is always green.

When you hear the word “ordinary” what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Boring? Familiar? Usual? Plain? I think it’s fairly common for most of us to think of “ordinary” in this way, but I do wonder if beauty and amazement can be found in the “ordinary,” especially because so much of our lives are spent in seemingly “ordinary” moments.

We usually eat and sleep at about the same time each day. Our daily diets are fairly usual. The routes we commute to work, school, and social activities are so routine that our smart phones often tell us where we’re going and when we’ll get there even before we’ve left the house.

But ordinary doesn’t have to mean insignificant or unimportant. Sleeping is certainly a very ordinary thing to do, but it’s critical for our health and well-being. The ordinary, “thank you” and “you’re welcome” exchanged between people might not solve world hunger, but it does matter.

So much of the ordinary in our world goes unnoticed. So much of the ordinary never makes the news. But let me tell you, ordinary matters. Just ask anyone going through grief counseling and they’ll tell you without hesitation that they’d give anything to have another “ordinary” moment with their loved one who died.

The ordinary moments of our lives don’t have to leave us sedated, bored, or uninterested. Just take a good look around you. Take a moment to actually notice and appreciate all the people and things that ordinarily surround you each day.

Love, grace, mercy, death, resurrection, prayer, Jesus, rest, food, nature, laughter, work, family, and friends – these are just some of the amazing things that make up my ordinary life. And yet, as I take time to reflect on each of them and the value they have in my life I begin to notice them no longer as ordinary but extraordinary. My simple prayer is that in all things each one of us would take the time to dwell on and give thanks and praise to God who graciously gifts us every ordinary-extraordinary thing.

~ Pastor Tony

Ordination & Installation

By the grace of God and the call of the Holy Spirit, the honor of your presence in worship and prayer is requested by the community of Ascension Lutheran Church at the ordination and installation of Edwin Alexander Aparicio Ortez into the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

3:30 p.m., Sunday, June 25, 2023
Ascension Lutheran Church
1415 Dopp Street, Waukesha, WI  53188

A dinner reception will follow the worship service.

Bishop Paul Erickson – Greater Milwaukee Synod, Presiding
Reverend Christian Marien, Preaching

Clergy are invited to vest and process for worship. The color of the day is red.

Young at Heart (55+)

Dancing Horses Theatre Aug. 17

Over 55? You’re invited to the Young at Heart trip to the Dancing Horses Theater on Thursday, Aug. 17. For the cost of $75, enjoy a bus ride, box lunch, and watch the show at 1 p.m.

We’ll leave Ascension at 11 a.m. The box lunch includes a turkey club sandwich on croissant, potato salad, fruit cup, cupcake, and lemonade or water. Sign-up in church on Sundays, June 11 and June 18, or at the next Young at Heart meeting on June 21. Sign-up and pay by Wednesday, July 19.

Waukesha K-9 Unit Presentation & Demonstration June 21

The Young at Heart group meets on the third Wednesday of each month for a potluck and to play cards and games. At the June meeting, there will also be a presentation and demonstration by the Waukesha K-9 Unit. Bring a dish to pass for the potluck at noon. The presentation will be at 12:45 p.m. followed by cards and games.

Bunco — Not Just for the Young at Heart!

Join the Young at Heart and others on the fourth Wednesday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m. for a few rounds of bunco (a dice game) and a lot of laughter!

What’s Next?

Graduation is now a memory. As you know, on Sunday, May 14, my family and I had a wonderful weekend. My wife even took a day off of work for the first time to extend our stay in Dubuque. On Friday, we visited the aquarium before heading to the seminary. My daughters, Marta and Luisa, were very surprised when they saw Wartburg for the first time. Luisa said this, “Did Daddy go to Harry Potter’s school?” Having toured the building a bit, Luisa wanted to visit the seminary playground. Marta and I joined the cricket game for faculty, students and their families. Marta loved cricket and she’s ready to bring it to Ascension.

Edwin graduating from seminary,
May 2023

Saturday was a day of much practice and celebration. My daughters were part of the baccalaureate procession, so even they had to attend practice. That evening we all attended the banquet where families and friends participated and witnessed the wonderful stories of this brilliant Christian community called Wartburg Theological Seminary.

After four years of waiting — Sunday — graduation day arrived, but the day did not start the way I wanted it to start. I realized that morning that in my excitement I had never written the prayers of the people to send to Pastor Jay, who was subbing for me at Ascension. I stayed in the hotel room, but in my excitement, it took me longer to write the prayers than usual. Finally, my parents-in-law offered to drive to campus with our daughters to save us seats. They got there just in time to get the last seats in the last row! Finally, the prayers were finished, I emailed them to Pastor Tony. My wife and I arrived at seminary and we were able to walk in one minute before the procession started. 

In the afternoon, we had the graduation ceremony. During the ceremony, I was flooded with memories. Remembering my past as a child in my country El Salvador, memories of my time working with the Iglesia Luterana Salvadareña, thought of the ever-present support of the Ascension community, and reflections of all the things my family had to bear due to my absence and my stress. At last the diploma was placed in my hands. The first thing I did was check my name. It was misspelled in the program, so I was worried, but they got it right where it matters — my diploma was written correctly. 

In the month of May, I received an invitation from the Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Service of the ELCA to participate in a workshop in Mexico from June 5 to June 9. The workshop consists of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Processes for companions in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. This will be my first learning experience in this type of event.

The continuous life of learning and discernment continues. A cycle has ended. Now, I’m waiting for what the Holy Spirit says about the next journey he has prepared for me, my wife and my daughters. Psalm 32.8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;  I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” 

Edwin Aparicio, Spanish-language minister

Life’s Journeys

 As we begin stepping into the summer months I find myself reflecting on how much I love the rhythm of summer. In some wonderful ways, the pace is a bit slower, or so I’ve been told, but life being what it is my summer schedule is filling up fast – so I’m not quite sure how much slower this summer promises to be.

For many people, summer typically brings with it the opportunity to take a vacation, and for a good number of people this means traveling. Maybe it’s visiting family or friends in another state. Or maybe it’s going to visit a national park or a theme park. Perhaps it’s going up north to a summer cottage.

Regardless of where we go, who we go to see or what we go to do, traveling offers us new opportunities for fun and reconnection with family, friends, creation, and even our likes and our passions. Surprisingly, it can also give us a pretty good idea of what we can expect in this life as the children of God.

In biblical times traveling was a challenge and often required endurance. It certainly came with its own set of difficulties that arose along the way – where will we stop to eat? Can’t you hold it just a little bit longer…and didn’t you just go the last time we stopped? What’s that smell? Are we there yet? What’s taking so long? Any of this sound familiar?

No matter how seasoned a traveler you are, from time to time we all encounter some challenges when traveling. And although we love when everything goes smoothly, deep down we know there’s always a possibility that things might not go as planned. But despite the bumps, we make adjustments, we change our timeline, and we keep going because we’re committed to reaching our destination.

In a similar way, I think many of us are guilty of expecting that our lives will always go smoothly. However, if we think of life in this world in the way we understand travel, then we’ll be reminded that the bumps along the way are a normal part of the journey.

When my family takes a road trip or flies somewhere for vacation, we definitely enjoy seeing what’s around or below us as we pass by – like stopping at different restaurants and experiencing exciting places and things along our journey, but ultimately our hearts are not set on what we’ll pass along the way – our hearts are set on our destination and on the people we’ll see and the time we’ll get to spend with them.

I think sometimes difficult journeys can be beneficial to us because they can cause us to take a step back, gain a new perspective, and reconsider how we travel in the future, but ultimately, we will keep on traveling.

The days of traveling through life can at times be amazing and challenging at others. There are bumps in the road – delays, frustrations, cancellations and the possibility of so much more along the way. But, when we set our eyes on the wonderful destinations that lie ahead promising to offer us joy, excitement, peace, comfort, happiness, and more, we are able to maneuver through the difficulties and setbacks with determination because we know what lies ahead.

So too it is with our journey through life. We will certainly encounter wonderful days along with the difficult ones, but if we keep our eyes fixed on our ultimate destination – on what God has promised us – eternal life with God and a life more wonderful that we could ever comprehend, then we will also find renewed courage, strength, determination, and joy for whatever lies ahead.

My friends, I encourage you to keep your eyes and your hearts focused on the destination that God has promised and gifted to each of us. I pray that God blesses your summer and any travels that come with it. And wherever you go, I hope that you allow the experience of those journeys to offer you a new perspective as you continue on the journey of life. May you know the depth of God’s love, peace, and joy in all the days to come!

Pastor Tony

Summer Worship

Summer Time Changes & Outdoor Worship

The late services (both Spanish and English) will move to 10 a.m. starting May 28. Beginning June 4, the 10 a.m. English worship service will be in the Memorial Gardens on the first and third Sundays of June, July and August. Please consider coming early at 9:30 a.m. to help set-up chairs and tables for outdoor worship.

Sing for a Sunday! June 25

Join us to Sing for a Sunday on June 25 at the 8:30 service. Singers of all ages are invited to take part in an intergenerational ensemble. We will meet for one rehearsal on Wednesday, June 21, from 6 to 6:30 pm. The song is easily learned and all are welcome! Email vicki@ascensionelca.org to sign up and sing with us.