And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
We ended 2025 in Ascension, proclaiming the Kingdom of God in many ways, such as the celebration of the Annunciation at 6 a.m. on Dec. 12, the Advent Concert Worship, CRASH Progressive Dinner, the annual Christmas appeal to support El Salvador, the Angel Tree, Healing Hearts, the Children’s Program, Christmas Eve, Christmas worship, Journey to Bethlehem, Bingo Night, AMEN Christmas gathering, Advent book study, Advent Mid-Week worship, and too many other ways to mention.
Las Posadas has recently become a cherished Advent tradition at Ascension. This year, more than 150 people gathered to experience the live Nativity and the glow of the luminaries. Families enjoyed time around the bonfires with Salvadoran hot chocolate and Tanzanian coffee before joining the mariachis in a beautiful procession. We walked alongside the Holy Family as they searched for shelter, eventually finding a warm welcome filled with food, live music, and a communal singing of “Silent Night” in English and Spanish. The evening ended with piñatas for all ages, but beyond the celebration, there are several meaningful stories from the night that I would like to highlight.
First, an English-speaking Ascension member texted me during the week to ask what she should bring for the dinner. It’s hard to imagine a Lutheran dinner without a traditional potluck, but I assured her that our Latino families had been hard at work planning and prepping Christmas foods from our home countries and there was no need for her to bring anything. As the procession arrived at its final destination in the Spanish Sanctuary, it became clear that we were going to have a full house. She told me later that evening, that the first thing she felt was panic that there was not going to be enough food for the big crowd and guilt that she hadn’t brought a dish to share. Her family was one of the last to go through the line, and she was amazed there was still lots of food left on the banquet table. While not a miracle of divine intervention like the loaves and the fishes, it was a testament to the work and dedication of the Latino families.
One of the women made well over one hundred tamales and many other dishes. She no longer feels safe in the US and has purchased a plane ticket to her home country. This is the last Christmas she will be able to share with her husband and children for the foreseeable future, and she wanted to do her part to make sure her last posada at Ascension was special. We have other families with court dates in 2026 as they continue their immigration journey. These families are worried this is their last posada as well, so the emotions were very mixed from our families who worked hard to make sure it was a special night. They did their best to make it a joyful night for everyone.
There is another English speaking family who has just started attending Ascension. They came for the live nativity and expected to spend about twenty minutes at church that night. Their daughters had so much fun that they ended up staying until the last piñata had been smashed. By the time they left, the youngest had decided she was ready to join BLAST because this was clearly a church that knew how to make ministry fun.
Brother and Sisters, many of you shared God’s kingdom throughout the past year in many ways in your daily life, and we give thanks to God for what He has done through you! As we walk into this new year, let the light of hope, peace, joy, and love that Jesus gives us continue to be the foundation of our Christian lives. May the light of Jesus shine through us during the year.
Feliz Año Nuevo – Happy New Year!
Pastor Edwin
