Author: Amy Gilgenbach

The Faith Journey of Lent

We are knee deep in the season of Lent. We find ourselves caught half way between the longing for earlier days of peace and light in Epiphany on one side and on the other the glory of Easter morning. Yet here in the middle of our journey, we are captured by moments of struggle – wanting to be obedient to our Savior’s call to follow but finding it difficult to see his footsteps in the shadows of Lent.

We spend a good amount of time looking to the end of the journey of Lent. Just get us to Easter morning. In the dawn of the resurrection of Jesus, let us hear the cries of Alleluia! God’s promise is that we will, indeed, find ourselves outside an empty tomb come Easter morning. Yet, I am convinced that the joy of Easter is often difficult for us to grasp in the midst of our journeys in this life. It is the reason I need the reminder that I do not walk alone in these days of Lent. Earlier this week, I was reminded of the words of the song that express my hope for these long and some times desperate days.

I want Jesus to walk with me; I want Jesus to walk with me;
all along my pilgrim journey, Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.

In my trials, Lord, walk with me; in my trials, Lord, walk with me;
when my heart is almost breaking, Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.

When I’m in trouble, Lord, walk with me; when I’m in trouble, Lord, walk with me;
when my head is bowed in sorrow, Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.

Our journey of faith is full of twists and turns, mountains and valleys, and often surprises that can be both unexpected moments of joy and shattering times of sadness. God allows all of it in this life. We live. We love. We learn. We walk this journey of faith without being able to see the outcome. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” I need that reminder in my life. I find myself needing to be reminded that God is the one leading this journey. God leads – I follow. The great challenge is in letting go of my own needs and wants long enough to let God lead me where God invites me to go. This is my struggle and hope in this faith journey we call Lent. When I am desperate for Jesus to walk with me, I forget that God has promised to always be near.

I will keep singing the song. The words help me to remember and refocus my days on the promise of God for my life. All along my journey; in my trials; when my head is bowed in sorrow…Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me. And that will be enough.

All the way through the rest of Lent – into the holy days of Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday and Good Friday – all the way to the cross. And then when I am at my end – when we have buried Jesus in the tomb – I will keep singing the song. I will sing in sadness and shadow until Jesus rises from the dead and gives me a new song to sing. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

See you in church,
Pastor Chris
(Reprinted from the April 2019 newsletter)

April Council Update

I wanted to use the April newsletter column to give everyone an update on council activities and to share the wonderful things that are happening at Ascension.

Our council in February decided that additional information was needed before making a decision on whether to sell one or more of our housing properties. Jeremy Poling is leading a housing review workgroup and I anticipate that the council will address this issue within the next few months.

While we are being guided by our current strategic plan, we have added objectives for this year of promoting congregational health and wellness, increasing member engagement experiences, and strengthening Council leadership. The council at our March meeting decided to begin strengthening council leadership by reading a book together over the next year and by having a retreat. We will be reading Pursuing God’s Will Together by Ruth Haley Barton and our spring retreat on May 11 will have the goals of team building, reflecting on progress toward our 2025 vision, participate in training on the ELCA “Stewardship for All Seasons” program, and having a ‘drill’ to test our Ascension disaster plan.

Cynthia Carlson continues to lead our building team which is overseeing our current construction. Our church looks better every week as work continues on Phase Two. Thank you all for your generosity toward our Raise the Roof project.

Scott Tenwinkel is leading our Ascension 70th Anniversary team which includes council members Linda Hansen, Bryn Kirk, and Roger Nordberg. They will need assistance so if you are curious about whether to serve on this group, please contact Scott.

Lastly, Chris Holloway is leading a workgroup looking at technology issues including phone/video conferencing. This will allow the council, wing workgroups, and others to attend meetings without having to be at Ascension, which is important to allow increased meeting participation, as well as when we have adverse weather events or in case of a disaster.

This is an exciting time at Ascension and I hope that you feel encouraged and blessed by all that God has given us. I look forward to what we can do together this year.

May this season of Lent bring a deeper and more meaningful faith for you and your loved ones.

Jay O’Grady
Council President
(Reprinted from the April 2019 newsletter)

In the Wilderness, God Is at Work

I am always caught by the use of the word “wilderness” in Scripture. In the New Testament, we find Jesus in the wilderness when he is tempted by Satan and again on the edge of the Sea of Galilee looking to find a quiet, set-apart place to pray. In the Old Testament we enter the wilderness when Moses leads the Hebrews out of Egypt and again when the Babylonians overwhelm the Israelites and carry them away into captivity not to mention countless other moments in the lives of prophets, kings, and God’s chosen ones.

From an online commentary I read this week: “In the Bible, the wilderness is a locale for intense experiences—of stark need for food and water (manna and quails), of isolation (Elijah and the still small voice), of danger and divine deliverance (Hagar and Ishmael), of renewal, of encounters with God (Moses, the burning bush, the revelation of the divine name, Mount Sinai). There is a psychology as well as a geography of wilderness, a theology gained in the wilderness. Linguists will make the point that the Hebrews did not have an exact equivalent of the contemporary English word “wilderness.” Nevertheless, the Hebrews evidently knew the experience of confronting the wild. Turning to the New Testament, which was written in Greek, not Hebrew, the word most often translated as “wilderness” is eremos (or eremia), an isolated place. The wilderness figures at critical junctures in the life of Jesus. Jesus is baptized by John and then is driven by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days. The Devil is there, but so is the Spirit. “A great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed” (Mark 1:35). This records a search for solitude, for self-discovery, [and] for divine presence.”

In the season of Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday on March 6, we find God calling us…inviting us into the wilderness. Sometimes that invitation is met with joy. On Facebook, I read posts asking the question, “Who would want to live in this beautifully pictured log cabin for a month on the edge of this river without cell phone or Internet or TV? A sign of the times of being overly connected and often feeling alone, I guess.

And yet other times, we are pushed or even launched into the wilderness without any chance to pack a bag. An illness, a job loss, a new diagnosis, a divorce, a death – any of these events can propel us into a time of unknown without map or compass. For many reasons, the season of Lent seems to be a time each year in my life when I am both grateful to welcome the wilderness moments in my journey of faith and also afraid to venture where I am unable to see the finish. In some ways, I find the wilderness of Lent to be the destination and it forces me to trust that God is at work in ways I cannot always see or understand.

I offer these words to you as a reminder that our journeys of life and faith are never what we expect. And even though I am unable to see the finish, I hold on to the promise that God is at work. In the midst of our wilderness moments; in the midst of the death and resurrection moments in our lives; in the midst of not knowing what comes next – God is at work. So my friends, in these coming days of Lent when we cannot see the finish – God invites us to hold on to the promise – that in the midst of our wilderness moments… God is at work.

See you in church.

Pastor Chris
(Reprinted from the March 2019 newsletter)

Council Update: Raise the Roof, Spanish Language Ministry

I want to begin the Council newsletter column for March by thanking God for His blessings as we celebrate our 2018 Raise the Roof project. Due to our members’ generous response we have received $240,616 toward renewing our Ascension Church facilities. In addition to this amount we have $75,836 from the proceeds of the house sale last year resulting in total available funds of $316,452.

Our expenses for fixing the roof (phase one) were $128,815 which covered the Sanctuary roof, the East and West Hall roofs, the Narthex roof, some siding, and the skylights. Our budget for just the East and West Hall roofs was $160,000 based on initial estimates so we were significantly under budget with additional work done.
With $187,637 currently available we have begun phase two which involves siding for the Sanctuary, Office, East and West halls, 2 security doors, windows for the East Hall, and window trim for the Sanctuary. Estimates for this work are $164,985 which should give us $22,652 for additional facilities work.

I want to thank the Raise the Roof team for all of their efforts and especially Craig Greenwood who led this project, Doug Bue as the Stewardship leader, and Cynthia Carlson as our Director of Operations with significant contributions by Darin Maas and Michael Jahner.

The Ascension Church Council this month appointed Edwin Aparicio as our Spanish Language Minister. I want to thank Edwin for his courage in joining with us to begin a new ministry at Ascension and his willingness to serve in this role. We look forward to seeing how our Spanish language service, bible study, and other efforts will be blessed. The Council is committed to supporting this effort as our church family grows.

Michael Hamm has agreed to become the Ascension treasurer for this year. Please thank him for his willingness to serve in this role.
Lastly, Ascension has decided to become a voting site for the City of Waukesha for the April 2nd election. We have a team preparing for this event and look forward to serving our neighbors in this new way.

May God bless you as you grow in your faith,

Jay O’Grady
Council President
(Reprinted from the March 2019 newsletter)

Giving Thanks

Blessings to you in these lingering days of Epiphany! I write to you this month to simply give thanks to the God we serve and the people who serve alongside us here at Ascension.

Thirty-five years ago, Director of Music Ministries, Vicki Taylor, began her ministry at Ascension as choir accompanist. Imagine the changes Vicki has witnessed and weathered over the years in this place. What a testament to her faith in our God and her faithfulness to this community of believers. We have much to be thankful for in and through Vicki’s presence and ministry among us. We celebrated the 30th anniversary of the construction and installation of the organ on January 20th. Little did Vicki know we would also take the time to say thank you for 35 years of ministry and celebrate her continuing ministry among us. Please, if you did not have the chance to celebrate with Vicki on the 20th of January, take a moment to thank her in the weeks to come.

We are also celebrating a tremendous year of ministry leadership within the church council under the direction of our now past president Craig Greenwood. Under Craig’s leadership, we dreamed and developed a 2025 Vision for Ascension, navigated the completion of Pastor Angela’s call, and completed a “Miracle Sunday” to “Raise the Roof” to tend much needed replacement of our East/West Hall Roof along with siding of the building (with the exception of the Spiritual Growth Wing), raising more than $225,000 on top of our normal operating expenses. We continue to build upon our financial stability and strengthen our ministries to support and lead us toward our vision goals. What a gift, Craig’s leadership has been to our whole community. Please find a time to thank Craig for his leadership.

Again, this year we will find time to celebrate another staff anniversary. This February, marks five years of ministry for Director of Faith Formation Tony Acompanado, who has also now completed 60% of his seminary education towards ordained ministry within the ELCA. If you are keeping count, Tony has completed five of his eight semesters of schooling. We are grateful to God for Tony’s commitment to both serving the people of Ascension while at the same time serving God by attending seminary full-time. It is no small task for Tony – let alone for his family. We continue to watch Tony grow in his worship leadership, preaching, pastoral care, and theological grounding as he continues serving his pastoral internship concurrently with his staff position here at Ascension.

As the month of February welcomes a newly-installed church council, it is time to thank Darwin Moore, who navigated this past year as treasurer. Under his leadership, Ascension moved from a volunteer bookkeeping process (with deep gratitude to Jim Ballantyne who served in this capacity for several years) to a contracted CPA to maintain our financials each month. Darwin has asked to be released from the second year of his two-year term. We are pleased to announce that Michael Hamm has agreed to serve out the second year of his two-year term as treasurer. I am grateful to Darwin for his wisdom and his willingness to enter into the challenges of a large church financial system and I am grateful to Michael for saying yes. It is pure joy to serve a community where members of the church community see a need and say yes to tending the needs of our church.

Another new face in leadership at Ascension this year is Mary Ellen Comp, who returns to church leadership, after a few years away, in the role of Leadership Development Leg Leader. Again a word of thanks will be appreciated when you see her. We are excited to connect members and inspire service with the needs of our community around gifts of leadership each of us possess and positions where that leadership is needed to help our congregation continue to tell the story of God’s love for the world.

Obviously, I could go on for several pages with moments of deep appreciation for so many of you who serve inside our walls and serve outside our walls. Ascension is a special place in so many ways. Thank you for sharing your faith journey in this place with me, with each other, and with the world.

Peace and joy be yours!

Pastor Chris

(Reprinted from the February 2019 newsletter.)

Epiphany — Living in the Light

In the early days of my ministry when the season of Epiphany arrived on the heels of Christmas – I was often at a loss for what to say to people of faith who had just recently knelt at the manger to witness the miracle of God coming to us.

If Advent is waiting for the light and Christmas is celebrating the coming of the light – Epiphany is surely the celebration of living in the light of Christ. Advent is my favorite time of year – the four weeks of anticipating and waiting and watching remind me that, in many parts of my life, I often stumble in the darkness or dim light of what I think I can see. Instead of my stumbling, I believe it would be better to simply wait and rest in the promise God makes to us that the Savior of the world will come. And yet, because I often know better than God (or so I think) I will rush in when I should hide out!

If Advent invites us to wait, Christmas invites us to revel. If one revels – they take pleasure, enjoy the party. Christmas is truly God’s party at the manger. Not exactly the way we think we should party here in this life. No fancy drink or dress – no luxury of hospitality. Instead, we revel in the joy of God’s promise to come to us coming true. Jesus is here. A light to chase away the darkness; a light to one-day drive out the darkness forever. If we stumbled in Advent – Christmas calls us to rest in complete joy in celebration of the pure gift of God’s love given to us.

Epiphany then is our invitation to journey in the light of our God. It is so much easier to walk in the light. I am not sure how many of us take advantage of such a gift.

The Scripture for the day of Epiphany is from Matthew 2. It is the story of the visit of Magi (you might know them as the wise men) and the middle verses of the Scripture are by far the best: On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.”

The Magi left for their home by another road. Once you have found the light of Christ, it is hard to travel the old ways. Or at least it should be. Who wants to walk the same roads of suffering and loneliness and regret they have known before they meet Jesus? Certainly, not me.

It is true for each of us, that in the light of God’s love we are invited to travel home by another road. And yet we all know people, and sometimes those people are us, that travel the same roads over and over again expecting different results each time. I was reminded that if you want different results for your life than we have to choose different approaches. In my life, that means traveling home by another road. Another road I may not have seen until I chose to open my eyes to the light of Christ and let that light lead me in a new direction – a new road – a new hope in my life.

Dear friends – the choice is yours. The light of Christ shines on the road before you. The question to ask is whether you wish to open your eyes to the new road before you, gifted to you by God, or simply choose to stumble forward hoping for something to change. When in reality, God has already changed everything with the gift of a baby, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Blessings in these days of Epiphany full of God’s light and hope in your life.

Pastor Chris

Reprinted from the Jan 2019 newsletter

Pr. Chris’ Advent Message

I am grateful for the following poem from writer Ann Weems, This Year Will Be Different. She reminds me that the journey of December is far more about my own heart preparing to receive Jesus than all the hearts I want to reach in the giving of gifts and greetings in cards and smiles in pictures. Oh believe me, I love all the trappings of Christmas – right down to the Christmas tree cut-out cookie that somehow never looks like a Christmas tree. Yet, the season of Advent is always brings this longing inside of me to tend the lonely places in my life with the new life of our Savior. I wonder if you have lonely places too that hunger for the new life offered by our Savior Jesus.

Who among us does not have dreams that this year will be different?
Who among us does not intend to go peacefully, leisurely, carefully toward Bethlehem?
For who among us likes to cope with the commercialism of Christmas which lures us to tinsel not only the tree but also our hearts?
Who among us intends to get caught up in tearing around and wearing down?
Who among us does not long for:
Gifts that give love?
Shopping in serenity?
Cards and presents sent off early?
Evenings by the fireside with those we love?
The aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg mingling with pine?
The children cheerfully talking about giving instead of getting?

Who among us does not yearn for time for our hearts to ponder the Word of God: moments of kneeling and bursts of song and the peace of quiet calm for our spirit’s journey?
This year we intend to follow the star instead of the crowd?
But, of course, we always do intend the best. (And sometimes-best intentions tend to get the best of us!)
This year, when we find ourselves off the path again (and we invariably will!)
Let’s not add yet another stress to our Advent days, that of ‘trying to do Christmas correctly!’
Instead, let’s approach the birth of our Lord with joyful abandon!

And this year …
Let’s do what Mary did and rejoice in God.
Let’s do what Joseph did and listen to our dreams.
Let’s do what the Magi did and go to worship.
Let’s do what the shepherds did and praise and glorify God for all we’ve seen and heard.
As for the Advent frantic pace, we don’t have time for that. We’ll be too busy singing.
This year will be different!

Perhaps this year, we will all try to be different: rejoice in God; to listen to our dreams; to go to worship; to praise and glorify God for all we’ve seen and heard; and to gather at the manger to join with the angels’ song: “O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!”

Dear friends – Blessings on your Advent and Merry Christmas (just a little early)! Peace and joy be yours in these dark winter days as we long for the light of a Christmas star once again.

Pastor Chris

Advent Christmas

All Saints Sunday

All Saints Sunday falls on the first Sunday of November each year. Exploring and explaining the relationship that exists between the world we live in and the world to come is always an adventure. The communion of saints exists as a promise and reality for the Christian community. Every Sunday of our church year stands as a testament to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, so much so, that even in Lent the Sundays of the season are celebrated as Resurrection days.

All Saints Sunday stands in witness of the resurrection and in confidence in God’s promise of eternal life for those who have died in the faith and now rest with God. My favorite example of this living in two worlds, or two kingdoms as Luther explained, stems from the Hawaiian tradition of the hula dance. Seldom will you hear that the hula is danced for those who are present—it is instead danced for the ancestors who stand behind the dancer. It is true for us as well that our worship is not as much for ourselves as it is to and for God. And surrounding God at all times are the saints who have gone before us.

The Communion of saints is the understanding that the saints of God are not only the people who have died and now rest in God but all of us, of every age, who gather in the presence of God. Our interconnectedness from this life to the life to come centers on this community that finds life through the presence and promise of God.

The Apostles’ Creed speaks of the “communion of saints.” In the third article of the Creed, we hear: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints.” Luther offers this explanation: “I believe that I cannot by my own understanding or effort believe in Jesus Christ or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and kept me in true faith. In the same way he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it united with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church day after day he fully forgives my sins and the sins of all believers. On the last day he will raise me and all the dead and give me and all believers in Christ eternal life. This is most certainly true.”

All Saints Sunday allows us a moment to remember those who have gone before us—their names, their lives — and to light a candle to their memory and in symbolism of all the people who have left this life for the life to come in the Kingdom of God. From the front of the church, the light of their lives is rekindled in the flames of candles and we spend our time of worship in the glow of their memory and in the warmth of their lives once again.

See you in church.

Pastor Chris

Excerpt from the November 2018 newsletter.

Karibu Tena

“Karibu tena” translates from Swahili to English as “welcome again.” It is the invitation and the hope of our brothers and sisters in Tanzania who are already excited for our next visit either here in Waukesha or in Arusha, Tanzania. There is so much to share with you. If you missed Sunday, Aug. 26, during worship or the potluck gathering that evening, please consider joining our delegates on Sunday, Sept. 23, between services for more stories and inspiration from our visit.

As we are walking into our fall programming here at Ascension, I will only take the time to share one story with you from our time in Tanzania. I have a new understanding for the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst. I am well aware of God’s timing and tending in my life. Often times, I am overwhelmed by what God is doing to shape my life and my walk in different ways.

In Tanzania, early in our trip, Bishop Elias Kitoi offered these words. He said, “In America you have all the clocks, and In Tanzania we have all the time.” A reminder that everything that happens will happen in God’s timing. Our rush to keep a schedule was limited by the smoothness of the road before us and the length of the welcome and hospitality of the place where our visiting was coming to an end. I learned to slow down and to let the rhythm of Africa and the leading of our brothers and sisters set the tone for our sense of direction and timing.

The second interaction with the Bishop of the Meru Diocese came with this story. We planted trees at every church we visited. Our first Sunday visit brought us to Maroroni Parish where the Bishop joined us for a building fundraiser during a 4½ hour service. At the end of the service, the Bishop and I planted a tree together. I got dirty, somehow he did not. When we went to take the picture together to commemorate the planting, I apologized for my dirty hands trying not to get dirt on his hands or alb. He looked at me as he grabbed my hand and said, “Pastor Chris, it is okay. In Africa, God reminds us that we all come from the dirt.” Such a simple reflection overflowing with both hospitality and relationship. I was humbled to go as a delegate to Tanzania. I was privileged to meet people of faith who now call us family across an ocean and a continent. Thanks be to God!

And now, back to the clock! Or at least back to the school year that calls us to new fall programming here at Ascension. I want to share with you two invitations for you to consider as September unfolds.

First, we are preparing for a fall small group emphasis around Max Lucado’s new book, “Anxious for Nothing.” Lucado writes these words, “Does the road you’re traveling loom large with mountains to cross, obstacles to avoid, and hairpin curves to navigate? Could you use some calm? If so, I have a scripture for you:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7.

This new small group study begins the week of Sept. 16. I will be leading one small group at church on Monday nights beginning on Sept. 17. Join me or ask at the small group table beginning on Sunday, Sept. 9, about other possible groups to join.

The second invitation has been brewing in my heart for a long time. In the Lutheran Christian world, we only baptize once. As the Apostle Paul says in the book of Ephesians, “4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” In our Lutheran theology, when someone is hungry for a reformation or renewal of their faith, we invite individuals to affirm their faith by entering into a time of study and reflection and spiritual discernment with the eventual response becoming a crafted and shared statement of faith affirming who they are as a disciple of Jesus.

I am excited to invite you to consider an adult confirmation experience – an affirmation of your faith with twice monthly gatherings and book study conversations; reflections on our Lutheran Christian theology, and a crafting of a public profession of faith to be shared along with the laying on of hands. Regardless of your age or your place on this journey of faith – perhaps this is an opportunity for you to consider in the days ahead. We will meet for the first time together on Monday night, Sept. 10, 7 p.m. to provide an introduction. If you can’t make that gathering but want to join us, just drop me an email and I will add you to the list.

So much is ahead of us…Opportunities to GROW like BLAST, JOLT, CRASH and Adult Education on Sunday mornings between services; Opportunities to SERVE like literacy tutoring, the NAMI walk and the Outreach for Hope bike ride; opportunities to WALK like GriefShare, small groups, Supermoms, Knit Wits; opportunities to WORSHIP like communion assistants, readers, choirs, handbells, Altar Guild, ushers, worship leaders, and well – WORSHIP. Come, join us, welcome to the ministries of God’s church – your church – Ascension Lutheran Church!

Peace be with you!

Pastor Chris

From the September 2018 Newsletter