Worship & Ministry Cancellations

Dear Friends,

As we live through this season in the unknown of a new wilderness, I am sharing with you the decisions made by the Ascension Church Council as of this morning, Saturday, March 14, with regard to the coronavirus pandemic. In keeping with the guidelines put forward by public health organizations and in listening to the advice and counsel of members of our church community who work in the medical field as doctors and nurses, the Church Council has made the difficult decision to close the church building to ALL events effective immediately.

This means that through the end of the month of March, we will not offer any onsite activities. Worship, BLAST, JOLT, small groups, soup suppers, office hours, daytime activities – are all suspended through March 29 when the Church Council will re-evaluate the situation.

To continue to be a church community and to foster connection, Ascension will be offering messages of hope and faith through our website, Youtube channel, and Facebook. If you have a need for pastoral care, please call the church office or email a staff member.

Please know that the staff and council continue to tend the needs of our community and the building during this time. Because we will not be collecting offerings in church, we encourage you to consider online giving or mailing in your offering.

Our prayers are with you and our brothers and sisters throughout the world as we navigate this new reality. Take heart and do not be afraid and please, my friends, be safe and wash your hands.

Pastor Chris

Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. ~ Isaiah 41:10

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)

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

 

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)

From El Salvador to Seminary

As I am in the process of completing the paperwork to begin seminary in the fall, I thought I would share the story of my path so far. I have always felt that God had a purpose for my life. My childhood was surrounded by the violence of the Salvadoran Civil War. There were many times I could have died, but God watched over me and kept me safe. I always lived my life knowing God must have a purpose for me.

I had many leadership roles with the church in El Salvador. Pastor Julio, my pastor, asked me to become a diaconal pastor. It took me a year to say yes. After that, I was named a diaconal pastor by Bishop Gomez. My dream was to use my business degree to be an advisor to the church.

I worked with the church in El Salvador until March 2013 when I moved to the US to be with my wife. Moving to a new country can be difficult, but my arrival was exciting because our daughter was born within an hour of my plane landing in Milwaukee. I went to the hospital directly from the airport and she was born five minutes after I arrived. It was an amazing way to start my new life in a new country.

I joined Ascension where I was the only Spanish speaker. I studied English and worked as a landscaper, exploring different possibilities for a new career. During this time, family and friends continued to move to Waukesha and attend church at Ascension. Now I was not the only Latino. There were twelve Latinos at Ascension, attending the English service, even though they could not understand what was being said. PC would use Google translate to print his sermon into Spanish to help the people. I was embarrassed. Ascension had long had a dream of starting a Spanish worship service, and now seemed like a good time.

Since beginning Spanish ministry in September, it has continued to grow. Our congregation has grown and we’ve had special events like Las Posadas, the alfombras for Holy Week, and summer cook outs that have strengthened our cultural traditions and connected both communities. It became clear that the time had come for me to accept God’s plan for me to attend seminary. I am grateful for all of the support I have received from Pastor Chris, Tony, and all of the members of Ascension.

Edwin Aparicio
Spanish-Language Minister

(Reprinted from the August 2019 newsletter)

The Mountain Top

I stood on the top of a mountain in the middle of June.

In the midst of 22 junior high students and four adults, I found myself wrapped in a waist harness and attached to a rope. I walked to the base of the mountain and looked for the first crevices for hands and feet to secure the beginning of my ascent. A couple of attempts met with frustration. And then a ledge for my left foot and a crevice for my right hand and I was on my way up the rock face. Sweat ran into my eyes and every slip of a hand or a foot caused a little skin to stay with the mountain. About half way up the mountain I reached a plateau where I could turn around and sit and rest. Looking out through the thick canopy of trees, I caught glimpses of the river below and the rock formations across the valley. Yet through the canopy of trees, I could not see a clear picture – only momentary glimpses when the wind blew the trees one way or another.

I turned back to the rock face and began again. I learned that the farther up the rock face you climb, the more difficult it is to find crevices for your hands and feet. At the bottom of the mountain there are countless smooth ledges where others have traveled to give you direction. Yet, the higher you climb, the fewer people there are who have gone before you. I was no longer able to depend on the smoothness of edges to tell me where to hold next. So on a wing and a prayer, I climbed upward. At the very top, I found solid footing and stood on the very top of the mountain. When I turned around I could see the entire valley – the river, the cliffs across the valley, and entire canopy of trees – no longer an obstruction but now a carpet to frame the view. If I had decided to stop half way up the mountain I would have never seen the big picture. I am glad for the difficulty of the climb – the view at the top was worth the challenge.

I am always hopeful that I am able to share the big picture with members of the church. Yes, we get caught up in the details every now and again but I am hopeful that much of the time we are able to focus on the bigger picture of who and what makes us church. I am hopeful that we are always focused on God. In our worship, in our study, in our reflection, and in our service that we are always putting God first and always giving God the glory. I am hopeful that we remember that the mission of Ascension – to share the love of God through our Worship; to Grow in our relationship with God; to Walk alongside each other; and to Serve both the community inside our walls and outside our walls is a part of the larger mission that God offers to us. Our ministry, our obedience, our following in the footsteps of our Savior is about joining in God’s mission for the world, specifically: to bring others to the saving knowledge of God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

There are times when we get caught up in the little details. Sometimes we need to get caught. Are we doing what we can in and through our worship to welcome others? Are we tending the needs of our building so that this house of worship can support the needs of future generations? Are we looking outside our walls to the needs of those around us? In all things, are we always pointing to Jesus as our Savior? Now, there is the big picture item.

As you enter into summer rhythms, I invite you to consider the details when you need to but also to keep your eyes on the big picture. Take the step, climb the mountain, choose to step back and reflect when you find a moment. Enjoy the gifts of God that invite us into precious moments with those we love and tender moments of self-care. Sometimes the big picture moments can be found in the smallest of details.

See you in church.
Pastor Chris

(Reprinted from the July 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)

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