The Latino Ministry teens and young adults invite you to join them for a night of food and fun on Friday, July 8. A food truck will be available at 6 p.m. with games and activities to follow from 6:30-8:30 p.m. This event will build community between our Spanish- and English-speaking members and friends and will give our young people a chance to develop leadership skills. Sign-up online to donate food or share your games.
Our Lenten Journey will soon be over. We will gather in the upper room on Maundy Thursday with Jesus and his disciples and hear Jesus say those powerful words that we are reminded of every Sunday morning, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” We will travel to the foot of the cross on Good Friday 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.” And once that final, culminating event of the Resurrection is complete. Then what? What are we supposed to do then?
The month of April reminds us that Easter is more than just one day. Easter is an “every Sunday” celebration during which we come together to receive the blessing 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? Let us follow 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.
So where are we to go once we leave the empty tomb? Let us 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 vocations or 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 daily, ordinary labor and responsibilities that had been 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 vocations or stations in life that God has given to us as gifts. Most of us are not 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 vocations 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 dear friends, we 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
Are you struggling with grief from the loss of a loved one? Mary Lou Charapata and Brenda Lytle will facilitate grief support sessions on April 27, May 2, May 11, May 18, and May 25, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. in the Youth Room. Questions or to make a reservation? Please contact Brenda Lytle or 262-547-8518.
Thank you to all who helped make the Farmers Market a great success. Food, Faith and Farming Network and our visitors loved the whole event. Several have asked for the contact information for the brunch sausage. It is Kettle Range Meat Company. They are located in Milwaukee on State Street and in Elm Grove. Contact them online for more information. Below are some brunch recipes using ingredients from the venders.
Slow Cooker Apple Steel-Cut Oatmeal
DIRECTIONS
Coat inside of 3 ½ qt. slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all ingredients. Stir, cover, and cook on low 7 hours.
Oven-Scrambled Egg and Cheese
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350F. Add the melted butter to a 9×13 baking dish, turning the dish to coat the bottom. Set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, mustard, and eggs until frothy. Whisk in the milk then stir in the cheese. Mix well.
Pour the egg mixture into the baking dish.
Place the dish in the oven and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until the eggs are set.
Maple Cider Vinaigrette
DIRECTIONS
Dress of a salad of Vibrant Gardens spinach, Log Cabin Orchard apples, Happy Destiny dried cherries, pepitas
Each year about this time Christians around the world prepare to enter the holy season of Lent. And as far back as I can remember one common practice for many faithful followers has been to “give up something” – a sacrificial practice meant to honor the 40 days Jesus endured in the desert to pray and fast in preparation for his journey to the cross. However, I don’t hear as much talk about giving up things for Lent any more.
Throughout my life I have progressed from giving up simple things like chocolate, red meat, or TV to more significant things like anger, impatience, or selfishness. And as we approach this Lenten season, the idea of letting go of something that interferes with my relationship with God has me thinking more deeply about what to give up this year. It also has me wondering what you might be planning to give up this Lent. Well, if you haven’t come up with anything yet, and even if you have, I wonder if you would allow me to suggest something.
What if we all gave up division for Lent?
We live in a world where division and dissension are the norm. The cultural climate we find ourselves in today is one that’s highly polarized. It’s one that’s quick to divide people along lines of “us vs. them” over anything and everything. We find ourselves in the midst of conflicts, being pulled toward a particular side, and engaging in a dance to stake out the “rightness” of our positions and seek validation for our point of view.
And too often when we hear something that we don’t like or agree with then our first instinct is to get angry, offended, argue, or in some cases to just leave rather than engage in mutual dialogue centered in listening. We allow ourselves to get dragged into arguments about who is more right, which side is more valid, and even whose belief is more biblically accurate. This creates division and animosity, and it can lead to the tragedy of people who all belong to the family of God seeing those who think differently as an enemy.
These last few years have left me feeling deeply distressed about the many divisions in our world and even more confused about my role. I’ve wondered if this is how people felt during other times of social and political turmoil. I find myself hoping and praying that we could all just let go of those things that divide us.
But rather than taking a strong public stance on the various issues over which we’re divided, I’ve tried to listen, understand, and encourage others to do the same. Every day I encounter conflicting views regarding the pandemic, government policies, politics, justice, and morality. My discomfort arises from feeling uncertain if I am following God’s will or my own. I ask myself if I lack the courage to do more. I ponder how and why good people and followers of Jesus stand firmly on both sides of the issues. I wonder if this paradox is the result of disinformation that leads to false conclusions. Are we unable to accept the truth or even know what the truth really is? Or maybe too much information is suffocating us, and we simply cannot think clearly.
In this era of division, fear, and even hatred, I find myself constantly wondering what does Jesus want us to do? Because I see good people on both sides – people trying to do what they are convinced is the right thing. And it seems that choosing the right side isn’t always clear or easy.
So, as we step into Lent on our journey toward Easter, I’m asking if you will dream with me about a world where every person is able to embrace every other person as a beloved child of God and brother or sister in Christ. Then, and equally as important, I’m asking if you will join me in the sacred struggle of giving up division, and not just for Lent, but for life – because this is what God desires for all God’s children.
One of the simplest ways that we can accomplish this is by remembering that while there is much that divides us, the cross and the empty tomb are what unites all of us and therefore what we have in common is far greater than anything that separates us. And if they are the unity that centers us, inspires us, guides us, and moves us, then it really doesn’t matter how different we are from others in our faith practices, political views, lifestyles, or anything else because in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there’s enough grace for all of us.
Pastor Tony
Never fear!
I would never give up coffee for Lent. I tried that one year and my wife and I still do not speak about it.
The Season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. A day to gather to give thanks to God in worship for the promise and power of God’s love and mercy while reflecting on the fragility of life and the need to honor every moment in this life without taking anything for granted. After tending seven families since the end of December as they said goodbye to someone they loved, I am more convinced than ever of our need to cherish the people God places into our lives.
Perhaps we are unable to keep up the energy to cherish those we love at every given moment. I wonder what our lives would like if we would work towards cherishing the ones we love throughout these 40 days of Lent. An opportunity to seek out those we cherish and remind them that they are loved. How unexpected it is in our world today to call, text, email, or write a letter to someone just to share with them their worth in our eyes. What a gift those words would be to the person receiving them?
How quickly we are coming out of the pandemic wanting to return to normal routines while forgetting how much we have lost or given up over these past two years. Maybe, before we let go of the emotions we have carried since March 2020, we might take a little time to tell the people we love that they are important to us. The words we so often speak at funerals in memory of someone who has died would be much better said to someone who is alive to hear them, appreciate them, and enjoy the moment of being told they are loved.
Dear friends, give it a try – 40 days, 40 people. An intentional moment of reaching out to tell someone they are important to you. And then feel the power of God’s love in your own life as you are reminded of the gifts God gives to us each and every day in the people who love us and make our lives that much richer. To the glory of God.
40 Days – 40 People.
See you in church!
Pastor Chris
Ash Wednesday is Wednesday, March 2. The season of Lent begins, and Pastor Chris is so excited! Last year, we were still not meeting in-person when Lent began so no mid-week worship and worse yet, no soup and time for conversation and catching-up. Well, all that is happening this year!
Our Ash Wednesday worship will be at both 12 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (Note the time change!)
Sundays in Lent will be at our regular worship times of 8:30 and 10:45 a.m.
Our mid-week soup suppers begin at 6 p.m. followed by worship from 6:45-7:15 p.m.
We are once again looking for groups or individuals who would like to make soup or donate bread as well as help set-up. The dates for mid-week soup suppers are: Wednesdays, March 9, March 16, March 23, March 30
If your group would like to sign-up for a night, we are looking for about 12 soups and six dozen rolls/loaves of bread. I will be reaching out to ask some of our ministry groups and there will be sign-ups available beginning on Sunday, Feb. 27. Council has given the green light to return to serving food in the church and Pastor Chris could not be more pleased to invite you to return to one of our most well-attended events throughout the year. Please contact Pastor Chris. Want to sign-up early to get your spot? Email PC at pc@ascensionelca.org.
Where do you see God at work in this season of Epiphany light?
In the middle of January, our JOLT confirmation students began studying the ten commandments. I confess, that I was hopeful if a few of the students might know more than five out of ten. To my great surprise, more than a third could name all ten – with the occasional challenge with the word “covet.” There were giggles around the word “adultery.” There always are in junior high circles when you begin to explain the definition and then give them a few examples of what adultery could look like in today’s world. We spent the rest of the class asking the students to place the commandments in the order they believed most important for the world today. For three out of the four groups, “Thou shalt not kill” was the first and most important commandment. In the final group, they stuck with the same order God laid out, “You shall have no other gods before me.” And then we asked them to rewrite the 10 commandments in plain, easy-to-understand wording. Again, the students did not disappoint. The word “lie” replaced “false witness” and instead of the word “covet” the students chose the word “jealous.” The best moment in the class was when a student spoke up at the end of the group discussion and said, “You know, these ten commandments still really are important for the world today.” I could not have said it better myself. God is at work.
On Sunday the 23rd of January, I preached about the return of Jesus to his hometown synagogue where he read from the scroll of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.” It is the moment Jesus introduces himself to the world, revealing God’s plan and promise to the world in the person of Jesus. A reminder that Jesus is the Word made flesh – the presence of God in our lives. During the children’s sermon we played the Ascension version of “Let’s Make a Deal” which backfired on me when the kid at the second service took the dollar bill they started with instead of what was in box #2 or behind curtain #1. What we learned was that the promise of Jesus is better than anything we can imagine. I share these memories because they serve as reminders that the young ones among us continue to be the teachers of faith filled moments in our lives. God is at work.
In the season of Epiphany, we hear moments of revelation of God’s presence among us. We are often in need of such reminders. In the month of January, we celebrated the promise of resurrection for no less than five members of our faith community. If ever we needed the promise and presence of God’s resurrection power revealed to us, it is in these days where the power of death is at work and God’s resurrection glory is revealed. God is at work.
What a journey we continue to travel as we begin to say goodbye to yet another surge of the coronavirus. I continue to be grateful for your willingness to strengthen our community of faith by mitigating possible outbreaks within our congregation. The journey continues. God promises to be with us and the presence of God is revealed in scripture, in the gift of family members and friendships, and the beauty of creation when we choose to set aside time to appreciate all that God offers to us in this life. God is at work.
As one pastor offered to their congregation one Sunday: “May you see resurrection ever about you.” Dear friends, we are in desperate need of resurrection moments at every turn. To borrow a phrase from the TSA, “If you see something, say something.” Let me know where you have seen God at work shining light into the shadows and revealing resurrection moments in your lives. To God be the glory!
See you in church!
Pastor Chris
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
It’s hard to believe that it’s February already, but seeing that it is, this means Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Soon, many will be exchanging heart shaped boxes of candy, cards, or cute little valentines. Others will be delivering flowers to workplaces, going out to dinner at a special restaurant, leaving for a romantic getaway or scheming other creative ways to express love to someone special.
For many, February 14 marks a day to celebrate love, while there are others who reject it as a materialistic, commercialized waste of time. Nevertheless, Valentine’s Day is big business, and according to the National Retail Foundation, it typically adds more than $17 billion to the U.S. economy each year – making retail spending for this day the second largest behind Christmas. Thanks to the mass commercialization of Valentine’s Day, love is everywhere. Love is all around us!
Is it really, though? I mean, sure, our culture has become highly skilled in and dedicated to promoting romance. I can’t tell you the number of jewelry commercials I typically see on TV around this time. But while romance is as abundant as ever, it seems that love is a different story. And at least in my opinion, it seems love is much harder to come by in the public eye these days. Violence always leads off the nightly news, and public discourse has become hostile to the extent that political differences have driven wedges between families and friends.
But as people united in Christ, we are called by God to love others even if it’s not the most popular thing to do. And fortunately for us, we’ve been given a great resource to help us do this – The Bible. One of the best descriptions of love comes to us in the Scripture text quoted above, written by the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthian church. These words to the Corinthians are some of the most enduring words in the Bible and they are familiar to many people because they are often read at weddings.
Despite that common use, though, the implications of the kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13 are wide-ranging. Loving with this sort of patience and gentleness invites others into our lives and provides intimate ground for relationships to grow. Strangers whom we may at first stereotype into a category become individual people we truly see, know, and appreciate. Love like Paul describes can bring down the walls of fear and conflict that seem to be so effectively separating people right now.
This is the kind of love God calls us to offer to the world not only this February or this Valentine’s Day, but every day. So brothers and sisters, I invite all of us to let this love be our Valentine to everyone, but most importantly to God. And let us show this love God has for us in Jesus Christ by offering it to others.
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:14)
Peace,
Pastor Tony
The Christmas season feels like it last a little longer in the Latino culture. While we have included the story of the magi every year during our worship, this is the first year that we made it a special day. We included many of the traditions of a typical Tres Reyes Magos celebration you would see in many Spanish speaking countries. The magi arrived during the children’s sermon with their camels. Since we had traditional music from Mexico and Central America provided by the mariachi band for Las Posadas, we wanted to honor some of our other families’ culture for this festival day with special music from Puerto Rico and Columbia from the group Cache MKE for both worship and fellowship. We shared a potluck lunch following worship. At the lunch, we had the traditional rosca de reyes for dessert. A rosca is a sweet bread intended to symbolize the crown of the three kings. Inside the bread is hidden a tiny baby Jesus (or two or three). If your slice of the dessert contains a baby Jesus, the tradition is that you need to provide the tamales for the next big gathering. Since this is often the day gifts are exchanged in Latino families, we adapted that tradition by having a white elephant gift exchange at the end of the meal. It is our way of remembering the gifts that the magi brought to Jesus.
Remembering the gifts that the magi brought to Jesus is a good way to finish the Christmas season. As we go into the next seasons of the liturgical year, we ask ourselves, what is our gift to Jesus that we keep giving all year long? For me, my gifts this year will be to strive to love my neighbor as myself, to seek justice, and to share the Good News of God’s love and forgiveness for us all. What will your gift be this year?
Edwin Aparicio, Pastoral Intern
