Merry Christmas!

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. ~ John 1:9

Still in these first days of this new year we hear the words, “Merry Christmas” as the church celebrates the season of Christmas through January 6th with the feast of Epiphany celebrating the arrival of the Magi to greet the newborn king. It is an awfully full schedule for Mary and Joseph, for the Magi, for all of us. I wonder, “Have you had time to catch your breath?”

I am always hungry for the season of Advent to arrive. I enjoy the darkness, the candlelight, the quiet – when I can find it. Advent does not always cooperate. Even this year as Ileen and I completed much of our shopping earlier than usual, we still found ourselves engaged in the rhythms of preparation and celebration bringing us much joy and, well, pulling us in multiple directions.

As much as I commit to a “meeting-less” Advent, there are still more pieces to the church puzzle and the family puzzle and the life puzzle than usual. I think my heart and mind kind of expect Advent to be more intense – but still I try to carve out moments to light the candles of the Advent wreath and breathe prayers of hope, peace, joy, love into the lives of those I know are struggling in these long days of Advent – where the shadows can overwhelm. And before we know it, Christmas has come.

Even as I have counted down the days to Christmas, somehow, Christmas Eve arrives as if I have not been preparing at all. Still I try – to capture the moments of starlight in the night sky and angel song off in the distance. Even as I feel unprepared for Christmas Eve, or more to the point, pray for the night and the feeling to linger longer than it will – there will be a silent night that comes whether I am ready or not and it will last only as long as a night should last. And in the sunrise of Christmas Day, I will already find myself pondering what a year from now will bring when we gather, once again, to light candles to chase away the darkness. And with the arrival of the new year, we are greeted with the light of the season of Epiphany.

As much as Advent is the season of waiting, Epiphany is the season of light. From the shadows of Advent, we welcome the overwhelming light of God in the presence of a Savior sent to save the world. Epiphany provides each of us an opportunity to revel in the joy and presence of our God, come to be present with us.

What joy these words might offer to us. God comes to us. No longer a whispered prophecy. No longer a promised future. Now God comes to us – to live, to love, to laugh, to suffer, and to die. But for a season in this life, we dwell in the light of Christ. So enjoy the light dear friends. Christ is born. Emmanuel – God with us. And maybe, just maybe, each of us can find a moment to sit quietly awash in the light of Epiphany and rest, knowing that God is present with each of us – tending, healing, caring for us in ways we cannot imagine. Peace be with you.

See you in church.

Pastor Chris

Reprinted from the January 2020 newsletter.

Tutoring Update 2020

Tutors Needed
Do you like to work with preschool children? Are you a good team member? We are looking for several more tutors to work with our youngest English language learners. Guidance is provided. Contact Shirley Wehmeier if you can help.

We have recently had new families join our tutoring program with several young children who have limited English experience. We are looking to have more tutors in order to address the children’s specific needs.

Christmas Party
Our fall tutoring program culminated with an entire group event where students of all ages, tutors, and volunteers from the congregation met to make bird feeders, wreaths, aprons, bird houses, fleece hats and scarves, and Christmas ornaments. Our lunch of sloppy joes, fruit salad, and cookies was made by our middle school boys and elementary school children.

The boys made the sloppy joes from scratch – no canned sauce for them. They also cut up strawberries, bananas, grapes, and oranges for the salad. The elementary school students decorated cookies for dessert. This year, the youngest children made snowmen from empty milk jugs and made ornaments to take home. Led by Ron Marien, men made bird houses and bird feeders. They learned to use both power and hand tools. The women had a variety of options including aprons, and fleece wreaths, hats, and scarves. Enjoy the pictures as they tell the wonderful story of people of different ethnicities, ages, and backgrounds working together and having fun! Thanks to everyone who made this such a fun event!

Reprinted from the January 2020 newsletter.

Good Gifts 2020

A big “Gracias” and “Asante sana” to everyone that participated in our first ever Bethlehem Market in December, where we sold items from Tanzania and El Salvador that helped to provide sustainable employment to those in need. It was a big success and we hope to bring the market back again next Advent.

Sea turtles in El Salvador

Although we won’t be having our Good Gifts program in the narthex in the months to come, you are welcome to purchase a gift from our program anytime during the year. Visit the catalog online and contact Sarah Wehmeier to purchase a charitable gift.

100% of your gift goes directly to funding the projects!

Reprinted from the January 2020 newsletter.

The Invitation of Advent

The story of Jesus Christ is this:
The people of this earth waited for a Messiah…a Savior…and only God would send a little baby king. The child grew and began to question things as they were, and the man moved through his days and through this world, questioning the system of kings and priests and marketplace. He was called the New Creation, the new Covenant, the Son of God who brought to all who listened, who saw, who understood change and new life. But kings and corporations and churches of this world work very hard to keep things as they are…. And so they killed him: he who said, “Love one another,” he who said, “feed my sheep,” for they didn’t want to share their bread and their wine. Now the story should have ended there except that the story has always been that our God is the God of the covenant. The Good News is that in spite of our faithfulness God is faithful and Jesus Christ was resurrected, for God so loved the world that God gave his only begotten Son that whoever believed might have everlasting life. Listen, you who have ears to hear. Listen, and sit down to bread and wine with strangers. Feed his sheep…love one another, and claim new life in his name. — The words of author Ann Weems.

In the running around and preparing for Christmas, I sometimes forget that the story of Jesus is really this simple. The season of Advent is my reminder that the elaborate preparations of this life, though I take joy in them, are so much more than what I actually need to receive the Savior of the world. Like the story of the angel Gabriel entering into Mary’s world unannounced, I am also never ready and somehow, always ready to welcome the baby Savior into the manger of my life. God knows, my life is hardly filled with the warm, fresh hay of welcome or the sturdy foundation of hand-crafted legs leveled and grounded to welcome the Savior. More often than not, my world is a whirlwind of last-minute preparations and life hacks doing my best to cut the corners enough to get the job done and move on to what is next. It is not always pretty, but somehow God shows up anyways. I am grateful that God does indeed show up, not because I am ready and waiting, but because God’s arrival is both interruption and invitation. I need God to interrupt my life. I need God to show-up unannounced to remind me that I do not have it all figured out. And when I think I have everything figured out, God reminds me that there is so much more unfolding in my life than I honor with awareness.

What I believe to be interruptions actually turn out to be invitations. God invites me to listen more carefully; reach out more tenderly; appreciate more quickly; and be present more often. I certainly recognize the expected pace of the world, yet I find when I acknowledge the invitation, I am almost always surprised with the ability of my own whirlwind of life to slow down allowing me to linger in the moment. Grateful for a conversation that brings me up-to-date or shares the ups and downs in someone’s life. So very often, I am surprised that the supposed interruption truly is an invitation into someone’s story.

Advent feels the same way. When I am rushing to get everything done for the birth of Jesus, the interruptions can overwhelm. When in reality, the interruptions are invitations bringing me closer to a brother or sister in Christ, and through the course of those conversations, bringing me closer to my true self. A reminder that God blesses us with the season of Advent in order that we might linger in the starlight; listen for the angel’s song; and tend the cries of a newborn Savior announcing God’s arrival in the world. My friends, come let us adore him.

Advent is your interruption and your invitation. Do not waste this precious gift of God. Your soul longs for both in these days of preparation.

See you in church,
Pastor Chris

(Reprinted from the December 2019 newsletter)

Fall Homecoming: Rally Day

At Ascension, the month of September feels more like a month-long homecoming celebration than a kick-off Sunday of fall programming. It occurs to me after some nineteen Rally Day celebrations – planned, prepped, programmed, and celebrated in my ministry — that perhaps the entrance into church in a new way in September is not so much about the kick-off but more about the homecoming. For me personally, the idea is far more in-line with who we are as a people of faith always looking towards home.

I am always glad for the arrival of September. I see faces that have been absent from worship and the life of the community. “Welcome Home!” might be a far more fitting entrance back into the life-giving, overwhelming joy of what it means to be in worship and engaging in ministry in news ways in your own life. After all, you do not return to a pattern of BLAST, JOLT, CRASH, small groups, musical ensembles, GriefShare, and everything else without bringing along the stories of summer days divided in multiple directions.

I wonder: Are you hungry when you return to the normal patterns of fall and school year? Even those of us without children under our roofs recognize that our lives are shaped by the unfolding of a school calendar, season upon season. Are you hungry to be in worship regularly? Are you hungry to learn something new about your relationship with God? Are you hungry for a new understanding after a summer of events that may or may not have gone exactly as you expected? I wonder.

In the midst of September welcomes and reconnections, there are some incredible moments for us, as a faith community, to celebrate and anticipate. September 15 will call us to celebrate our 70th anniversary as a congregation. A mix of old and new will greet us that Sunday along with the gift of fellowship. (Watch Pastor Chris’ sermon from the 70th Anniversary here.)

On September 22, we will invite you to consider answering the question, “What happens when God doesn’t fix it?” If you have never known a situation in your life where it felt as if God left you hanging out to dry – then maybe this question and the studies to come are not for you. I suspect there are few, if any, within our midst who believe God has always come through our storms with dazzling displays of answers – exactly as we had hoped.

Even in our wandering, as we find our way home, we have much to celebrate this September. We will slowly enter into the journey of the Call Process this month. Our Spanish worship ministry celebrates its first anniversary on September 8! We give thanks for not only one seminarian beginning his fourth year of seminary but a second seminarian beginning year one! Your support of the ministries inside and outside Ascension have been generous providing a strong foundation for the days ahead. New landscaping in the front of the building and updated landscaping in the Memorial Gardens will greet you when you arrive. Two weddings in September in the Memorial Gardens will celebrate the miracle of life and love that God continues to reflect into the world. And baptisms – baptisms everywhere. A wonderful continuation of the story of God’s masterful artistry of creation in the midst of this life we live.

Come my friends! Come and see what God is doing in us and through us here at Ascension. And, just so you know, you are welcome here. Most welcome here! And when you enter into the doors of the church this September – look for a friendly face – my hope, our hope, God’s hope is that every face is friendly. And every person is reminded that they are welcome in this place. So dear ones – welcome home!

See you in church.

Pastor Chris

(Reprinted from the Sept. 2019 newsletter.)

Building God’s Church

My coworkers at my landscaping job asked if I was going to be building a church while we were in El Salvador. I answered “Absolutely!”

Edwin and a worker from one of our hardware stores in El Salvador

We were going to build the church in San Jorge by showing the people in the community that they were so valued and loved by God and the people of the Lutheran church in the US, that we were going to travel just to be with them. We were going to build the church by sitting side by side with the Salvadorans to learn ways we could work together to improve their lives. We were going to hear the stories about what people have overcome and what obstacles are still in their way. We were going to see the church in Usulutan that was being built by local builders, who were going to have a paycheck during building, thanks in part to Ascension. I don’t think my coworker was expecting such a long answer to his simple question, but building God’s church is more than building with bricks. And my coworkers are used to longer answers to their questions about God and church.

It is the same way we are building the Spanish ministry here at Ascension. We are slowly building this ministry by showing God’s love with hospital and home visits and working together with events like the Block Party and our summer lunches. We are excited to be celebrating our first anniversary this month and to see what God has planned for us in this next year.

We are grateful to everyone who attended our lunches this summer. It has helped our Spanish-speaking members to feel like they are a part of the bigger church body at Ascension.

¡Gracias!

Edwin

 

El Salvador Mission Trip 2019

Ascension’s seven delegates had an amazing trip visiting our brothers and sisters in El Salvador at the beginning of August. Upon following the Facebook updates on the trip, one of Paw Pa Soe’s friends messaged her and said “It looks like you’re on a field trip!” And so it was.

Together with the community from our sister parish, we traveled to Algeria and Jucuapa to Lutheran World Relief’s cocoa project to learn the latest about sustainable cocoa farming, from seed to pod, to fermenting and drying.

The next day, we all traveled together to Playa El Tamarindo where we learned about the endangered sea turtles that nest on the beach and what steps we can make in our lives to prevent these beautiful animals from going extinct. With this knowledge, we worked together to clean the beach at Espino later in the week. The community from San Jorge took the lead, stopping to speak with other beachgoers about the importance of keeping garbage out of the ocean.

We visited homes in San Jorge to see goats and trees from Ascension. We worshipped together on Sunday and we traveled to San Salvador where we were some of 4000 Lutherans marching through the streets to celebrate the 33rd anniversary of the Salvadoran Lutheran Church.
As we shared experiences side by side, our bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood where strengthened and tears were shed by both visitors and hosts when it was time for us to say goodbye.

(Reprinted from the Sept. 2019 newsletter.)

Final Fall Semester

Where do I begin? The last 18 months, and in fact the last five and a half years that I’ve been Ascension’s Director of Faith Formation, has gone by so quickly. And here we are – the end of my pastoral internship at Ascension has come, and as I reflect on this wonderful experience, I’d like to share a few thoughts from our journey together.

Throughout my internship, but also since I began seminary in the fall of 2016, and even since I began as Ascension’s Director of Faith Formation in February of 2014, you have patiently walked alongside me, supporting and encouraging me in my journey of pastoral formation. From worship and other church leadership, mission trips, preaching, celebrations, tragedies, and tender moments of pastoral care, we have grown together in our faith and our relationship has deepened along the way. I can recall countless moments where you have reflected the very grace of God that I’ve tried to proclaim in my sermons, and your joy and celebration over my accomplishments as well as support in my struggles has been a crucial piece of my pastoral identity.

Over the past several weeks, many of you have asked what’s next for Ascension; for me; for us. And while I wish I had all the answers for what’s to come, here is what I do know. This month I begin my final fall semester of seminary, while returning solely to my role as Director of Faith Formation. I’m thrilled to focus my energies here once again and walk alongside the children, youth, and families of Ascension – inspiring faith and love for the amazing God I have come to follow even more passionately. And I look forward to building excitement and encouraging the faith formation of Ascension’s families next summer when Ascension begins to look for a new Director of Faith Formation who will love, challenge, support and walk alongside you in faith and life.

I’m eager for my final fall semester to get underway and I’m excited that for the days ahead that we will continue to walk alongside one another. Now, I may not know what the future holds, but what I do know with absolute certainty is that the Holy Spirit is alive and active at Ascension and continues to call us all to a deeper faith and relationship with a God who loves us, desires us, and pursues us every moment of this incredible journey. I know that the Spirit is stirring, and lives are being transformed. I know that whatever God has planned for the future, we will not have to face it alone. And I know that my love for you has grown deeper because of God’s blessing of each day that we have been gifted together.

What I also know is that I am grateful beyond words for your tender care and loving compassion for me, for my family, and for our relationship throughout this journey. I want to encourage us all not to worry about what the future may hold for any of us. God has blessed us with days passed and days yet to come. Jesus our loving Savior has already shown us the way, and now we need to trust and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us to faithfully follow wherever we may be led.

Thank you for accepting, loving, challenging, and blessing me as your intern pastor and Director of Faith Formation. Thanks be to God for all that has been, all that is, and all that is yet to come.

Peace and love,

Tony

(Reprinted from the Sept. 2019 newsletter)

An Ending & A Beginning

In the immortal words of the lyrics from the Sound of Music, “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” Except we are not solving a MARIA problem, we are solving a TONY problem. And truly, the LAST thing Tony is, to all of us, is a problem!

Yet, we have come this far by faith. Ascension hired Tony in the fall of 2013 and he began his ministry as the Director of Faith Formation in February 2014. Lord, how far we have come. In the spring of 2016, Tony and I started talking about the possibility of seminary. We realized through multiple conversations that Tony had been running from God’s call for a long time. Since Tony was a marathon runner – running was no problem. Yet, God has the power and the stamina to outlast us all, and even Tony could not run forever. So in the Fall of 2016, Tony entered Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, IA. He entered a program that allowed him to work full-time at Ascension while concurrently taking classes full-time. After 18 months of classes he began his internship with us in February 2017.

For the last 18 months Tony has led a double-life as the Director of Faith Formation and Pastoral Intern and somehow kept his head above water in order to also be husband, father, and self-care advocate. It turns out we are coming to the end of Tony’s time as pastoral intern. On Aug. 18, Tony will preach his last sermon as our pastoral intern. We will celebrate the end of his internship with a reception in-between services and give thanks to God for his ministry among us as our pastoral intern. (BUT WAIT – HOLD ON!)

Tony is not leaving but his ministry among us is changing. After Sunday, Aug. 18, Tony will be away from Ascension from Friday, Aug. 23, through Friday, Sept. 8. The time away is to allow Tony to reset himself into the role of Director of Faith Formation and attend his normally scheduled “Prologue” week at the seminary. Tony’s time away also provides an opportunity for Ascension to reset as well. In September, Tony will return to his role of tending the faith formation and needs of primarily our children, junior high, and senior high populations along with their families. He will be, of course, available to chat and tend all of us as he always has, but he will no longer fulfill the role of pastor in our midst. It is unfair of us to ask Tony to continue in the role of pastor while he continues in his final year of seminary education. It is also unfair of Ascension to ask him to tend us as pastor, when we do not pay him appropriately for that specific role. All that being said…what is next?

At the July council meeting, the timeline for the next call process was introduced. In September, members will be invited to nominate other members to serve on the Call Team. The Church Council will craft the Call Team in October and we will install the Call Team in early November with the expectation that we will be ready to interview in February or March. And in February or March, as in September through November, as in every day of our lives, we will invite the Holy Spirit to tend the ministry of this place and the call process to come. We will pray for Ascension and our future; we will pray for Tony and his family and their future; and we will ask God to let God’s will be done among us. And we will not be singing, “How do we solve a problem like Tony,” we will simply continue to sing our praise to God as we have always done and lift our praise and our prayers to our God.

See you in church.
Pastor Chris

(Reprinted from the August 2019 newsletter)

The Gift of Time

The months of June and July were filled with our CRASH Graduate Recognition, JOLT Adventure Camp, visiting sick and hospitalized members, catching up with other members and interfaith partners, stepping in to lead worship, and finally taking a much needed vacation with my family. As now, as I reflect on these incredible moments, I’m overtaken with joy by the gift this time with others has offered.

Being invited into the vulnerable moments of those who have been sick or injured and dwelling with them in their pain, suffering, nervousness, and fear continues to open my eyes to the unbelievable compassion Jesus showed those he encountered, and calls us to model just the same. And having opportunities to reconnect with community, synod, and interfaith partners has been a rich reminder of the joy that is found in being part of the worldwide Body of Christ.

And finally, our family had the most amazing and unexpected experience when we went on a dream vacation with my wife’s family. The reconnecting time with each other and the reclaiming of my own self helped me come to the realization that too often in life we take for granted the gift of time with others. Typically, we go about our daily lives, running here and there, thoughtlessly following routine after routine, and as a result we often get disconnected from being fully present with those God gifts to us. I’ve been sharing with many of you that this was the first vacation I’ve ever taken where I’ve totally disconnected from everything but my family – to say being fully present with them was amazing would be an understatement.

As I wrap up my pastoral internship this month and reflect on the countless events of the past 18 months, I’m amazed how they have helped shape me into the pastor that I’m becoming. And I stand in awe at how amazing it has been to walk with you, lead you, comfort you, and celebrate with you throughout your life moments and my journey of pastoral formation. I am deeply grateful for every opportunity to be involved in the life of this congregation and wish to thank you for your partnership, care, support, and encouragement throughout this amazing journey.

These various gifts of time have inspired me to recognize God’s presence in so many unexpected ways and they remind me of the great joy found in answering God’s call to serve and walk alongside others while pointing them to the beautiful abundance of God’s grace and love.

Now, I don’t believe that you have to experience a milestone moment, go on a church trip, or take a family vacation to experience the gift of time. Whatever moment God places before you, you simply have to not be so wrapped up that you miss out on the gift of being fully present and attentive to those God has generously gifted you time with. From time to time put your phone away, set your to do list and your expectations aside and just be present in the moments God is placing before you. Allow yourself to take in the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of these precious moments – and then filled with unimaginable joy, give thanks to our amazing God for such an incredible gift. Enjoy these last few weeks of summer because they’ll be gone before you know it.

Tony Acompanado
Pastoral Intern

(Reprinted from the August 2019 newsletter)