Tag: Advent

Advent & Christmas at Ascension

Join us for special worship and activities to celebrate the Advent and Christmas season.

Fourth Sunday of Advent, Dec. 24, 8:30 a.m. :

We will celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 24, before we move to Christmas Eve worship in the afternoon.

Christmas Eve Worship Dec. 24

Christmas Eve Worship on Sunday, Dec. 24, will be at 3, 5 and 9 p.m. Candlelighting, communion, and glorious music will be shared at all the services. If you can help with ushering or communion, please contact Tamie, tamie@ascensionelca.org, in the church office.

Christmas Day Worship Dec. 25

The joyful sounds of Christmas Day worship is at 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 25.

PAST EVENTS

Welcome to Advent Worship Nov. 29

Join us on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 6:30 p.m. for a beautiful worship service as we enter into the season of Advent. We will gather around the music of Holden Evening Prayer.

Deck the Halls Dec. 2

Deck the Halls of Ascension begins at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, to prepare the church campus for the season of Advent and Christmas.

Advent Concert Worship “Rejoice and Sing!” Dec. 9 & 10

Choirs, handbells, praise band, and instrumentalists will present Rejoice and Sing! on Sat., Dec. 9, 6 p.m., and Sun., Dec.10, 9:30 a.m. followed by a potluck brunch. Invite a friend and join us in concert worship!

Annunciation Worship and Breakfast Dec. 12

Celebrate the visit of the angel Gabriel to Mary on Tuesday, Dec. 12, with a 5:30 a.m. Spanish-language worship led by mariachis, followed by a potluck breakfast.

Las Posadas Dec. 16

Las Posadas remembers the journey of the holy family through the streets of Bethlehem where they were turned away again and again until an innkeeper took pity on their plight. This event hosted by our Spanish-speaking members continues to grow year after year. Incredible food, a mariachi band, and a piñata round out the night. It is a glorious gathering of the community of Ascension. It begins at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16, with hot cocoa and coffee. Children of all ages are welcome to be in costume.

Children’s Christmas Program Children Run Joyfully! Dec. 17

The BLAST Sunday School children will share the story of Jesus’ birth in worship on Sunday, Dec. 17, during worship at 10:45 a.m. Dress rehearsal for BLAST children is Saturday, Dec. 16, 9-11 a.m. The 8:30 a.m. service will be regular worship.

Advent & Christmas Schedule 2021

Join Us!

Ascension has Advent and Christmas worship and activities planned that will be memorable for all of our church community. Please join us for these special events and help the glory of the Lord shine in the dark days of winter.

Deck the Halls of Ascension, Dec. 4

Help us get the sanctuary and other areas ready for Advent and Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 4, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Lunch provided

Journey to Bethlehem, Dec. 5

BLAST families and the congregation are invited between services on Sunday, Dec. 5 for Journey to Bethlehem where we will travel with Mary and Joseph as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Children 3k through 5th grade along with their parents will move through various stations of fun crafts and activities that will help tell this amazing story. People of all ages are invited to come and see all the joy and excitement that surrounds this event.

As part of the Journey to Bethlehem on Dec. 5, we’re collecting new books and clothing for children. Just like the wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus, we’ll be gifting these items to people in need. Look for the bin in the narthex starting this weekend.

Advent Concert Worship, Dec. 11 & 12

Invite your friends and family for this worship experience from all of Ascension’s musicians — the Ascension Choir, Ascension Ringers, the Praise Band, and youth choirs. Saturday, Dec. 11, 6 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 12, 9:30 a.m. (Please note: There will be only one service on Sunday.)

A special brunch will follow the 9:30 service on Sunday. Please watch for more information in e-alerts.

Las Posadas, Dec. 18, 5 p.m.

Weather allowing, this event on Saturday, Dec. 18, will be held outside with live music. People can start arriving at 4:45 to prepare with a candle and Mexican hot chocolate to warm up for the winter’s evening. Following the journey, you are invited to join us in a dinner of holiday favorites.

Children’s Christmas Program Dec. 19, 10:45 a.m.

Students participating in the Children’s Christmas program will gather at church on Saturday, Dec. 18, between 9-11a for a final Christmas Program dress rehearsal.

Join us on Sunday, Dec. 19, at the 10:45a worship service to celebrate the Children’s Christmas program. BLAST children will share the joy of the season through readings, singing, and a special live nativity that you won’t want to miss!

Christmas Eve, Dec. 24

3 & 5 p.m. worship, sanctuary
6:30 p.m. outdoor worship, Memorial Gardens (weather permitting)
6:30 p.m. Spanish worship, East Hall

Christmas Day, Dec. 25

10 a.m., sanctuary

First Sunday of Christmas, Dec. 26

10 a.m. (bilingual), sanctuary

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

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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

Got Advent?

I have a friend who argues with me about the start of the season of Christmas. He is convinced that November 1st is the true start date of the Christmas season. (Mainly, because he wants to decorate the house, put on his elf shoes, and blast the Christmas music continuously through December 25th).

Every year, on November 1st, he announces that the Christmas season has begun and “O Little Town of Bethlehem” begins to be heard by his neighbors on both sides of his house. I argue that December 15th is as early as I can possibly go! You see, I need the season of Advent. It brings me hope. Lingering days of darkness call me to my knees praying to the One who promises that the light will shine in the darkness.

I need the season of Advent to fill me with anticipation for what is coming.
I need the season of Advent to remind me that God promises peace to a violent world.
I need the season of Advent to quiet my own heart for the noise around me.
I need the season of Advent to call me to love at the manger of my Savior.
I need the season of Advent to lift up my head bowed down in prayer for the brokenhearted.
I need the season of Advent to calm my restless soul from its distractions.
I need the season of Advent to remind me that God’s love has no end.
I need the season of Advent to share the joy of the shepherds.
I need the season of Advent to answer the darkness with light.
I need the season of Advent to shock me out of my complacency.
I need the season of Advent to remind me that we are Bethlehem-bound.
I need the season of Advent. It brings me hope. And hope does not disappoint!

So the season of Advent comes to us.

How will you welcome God’s gift of the season? A flurry of shopping, spending, wrapping, worrying, and willing to do Advent differently next year? Or might you take one moment from your day to acknowledge that God has gifted you a season to prepare for the birth of a Savior? To light a candle to chase away the darkness and simply pray the prayer, “Thank you God,” might be all you need to re-center your Advent days into days and nights of peaceful wanderings toward a manger full of joy. I wonder…

Do you need the season of Advent?

I do.

Thank you God.
Rev. Chris Marien

*This article was originally published in Ascension’s December 2017 Newsletter.

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Come, Lord Jesus

Dear People of God,
“Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest.” The familiar table grace many of us learned as children is also an Advent prayer full of hope and longing. In Advent, although we are preparing for the annual Christmas celebration of Jesus’ birth long ago in Bethlehem, we are also keenly aware of the need for Jesus to come again, bringing the fullness of peace and justice with his promised reign. The story we tell begins with the God of Israel, who saw the suffering of the people enslaved by Pharaoh and came down to deliver them. This same God sees the suffering of people today and will come again bringing freedom from death and sin. The coming of Jesus promises life to all creation and assures victory over all God’s enemies.

The challenge we face as Christians is to tell the Advent story and be heard when we are surrounded by a multitude of competing stories distracting and confusing us. The Jesus whose coming we proclaim in Advent is the “joy of heaven,” God’s love sent to earth for the sake of all creation.

The words of author Blair Meeks: “We are entering into the new church year under the banner of Advent. God has heard the cries of God’s people. John the Baptist will call us from the river Jordan. Mary, the mother of Jesus, will sing to the glory of God. A star will light the sky on fire and stop to rest over a stable.” Come, Lord Jesus. I am ready for all of these moments. I am hungry to hear the stories, renewed in my own ears, of God’s tending of our lives once again. Come, Lord Jesus.

I wonder – are you hungry? Do you hunger for peace? Do you hunger for joy? Do you hunger for hope? This is the time of God’s choosing. Are you ready?

Poet Ann Weems writes these words:

Our God is the One who comes to us in a burning bush,
In an angel song, in a newborn child.
Our God is the One who cannot be found locked in the church,
Not even in the sanctuary.
Our God will be where God will be with no constraints, no predictability.
Our God lives where our God lives,
and destruction has no power and even death cannot stop the living.
Our God will be born where God will be born,
But there is no place to look for the One who comes to us.
When God is ready God will come even to a godforsaken place
Like a stable in Bethlehem.
Watch…for you know not when God comes.
Watch, that you might be found whenever, wherever, God comes.

My prayer for each of you is to let your hunger for God call you to new life in this season of Advent. As we move toward Christmas, you are invited to join us on Sunday morning for an Advent Bible Study on Dec. 4 to help you get more through the season of Advent. Advent Concert Worship services happen on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 11 at 8:30 and 10:45 a.m. Children’s Christmas Pageant Worship services happen on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 8:30 and 10:45a.m. Christmas Eve worship services, at 2:30, 4:00, 5:00, and 11:00 p.m., will arrive with candlelight, communion, and carols to give glory to God. Join us in one of these moments or in every one of these moments.

Watch, that you might be found whenever, wherever, God comes.

Peace and joy be yours in these days of Advent,
Pastor Chris Marien

(This article was first published in Ascension’s December 2016 newsletter).

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Walk the Road of Lent

Ash Wednesday will be celebrated on February 10 at both 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Ascension. You are invited to gather with your brothers and sisters to worship God and be reminded that God cares about your whole life.

In Lent, we hear God’s promises in new ways…that EVERY end is a beginning; that EVERY night gives way to morning; that EVERY hurt can be healed; that EVERY broken moment can be redeemed; that EVERY life lost can be found; that EVERY cross carried can be given to Jesus; that EVERY prayer spoken is heard.

In my life, Lent is the ground on which I walk the journey of my faith. Sometimes the ground is hard and packed down. In other areas, the ground is dry and cracked. Still other roads are muddy and hard to navigate. And then in the season of Lent, I am blessed – as are you blessed – with soft and fertile ground ready and waiting for the new thing God promises to do in each of our lives…should we choose to be open to what God will do in us and through us. Will you choose to walk the road of Lent? Will you let your journey of faith lead you in a new direction at God’s invitation? The invitation has been made…God waits for each of us…will you come?

I wrote those words last year to share the wonder of God’s promise to be with us. The words were important enough to share with you again as the season of Lent arrives with Ash Wednesday.

After the four weeks of Advent that lead us to Christmas, the 40 days that make up the season of Lent, leading us to Easter, provide the most powerful witness to the events of Holy Week that call us to an empty tomb on Easter morning. God provides everything we need on our journey. You only need to hear God’s call and follow. I know that sounds easier than it is. Our journeys of faith are so often complicated by schedules, careers, children, parents, spouses, weather, and those life circumstances beyond our control. It is true. And then, it is not true.

Our individual journeys of faith are of God’s design. Not one of us travels the same road and yet our journeys provide moments of awareness of the other. I am reminded of the words of the song:

Will you let me be your servant? Let me be as Christ to you? Pray that I might have the grace to let you be my servant, too. We are pilgrims on a journey, we are trav’lers on the road. We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.

Lent is our opportunity to travel the road together to help each other walk the mile and bear the load. You are invited to join us on this journey through Lent. Come and see the new thing God is doing. Peace be with you.

~ Pastor Chris Marien

(This post was originally published in Ascension’s February 2016 newsletter).

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Almost There

Advent has come to us. Anticipation, expectation, promise, fear, doubt, sorrow, and joy
make their presence known in these days that lead us to the manger. I am grateful for their companionship on the journey to Bethlehem. Last year, Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith wrote the song Almost There for Christmas. It has stuck with me since then, and I am happy to share the words with you this day.

Mary, full of innocence
Carrying the Holy prince
You’re almost there, you’re almost there

Mother of the Living Word
Trusting in the voice you heard
You’re almost there, you’re almost there

You’re almost where the angels see
Redemption’s plan unfolding
All hope is in the Son you’ll bear
You’re almost there

A lonely road, a willing heart
Pray for strength to do your part
You’re almost there, you’re almost there

Trust the Father to provide
Bread of heaven prophesied
You’re almost there, you’re almost there

You’re almost where the waiting ends
Delivering the life within
The answered prayer, Emmanuel
You’re almost there

You’re almost where the journey ends
Where death will die and life begins
The answered prayer, Emmanuel
You’re almost, almost there.

I have held on to this quote as we have entered these days of Advent. I share the quote with you to remind all of us that God is not content to be contained in our self-made boxes.

God travels wonderful ways with human beings, but he does not comply with the views and opinions of people. God does not go the way that people want to prescribe for him; rather, his way is beyond all comprehension, free and self-determined beyond all proof. Where reason is indignant, where our nature rebels, where our piety anxiously keeps us away: that is precisely where God loves to be. There he confounds the reason of the reasonable; there he aggravates our nature, our piety—that is where he wants to be, and no one can keep him from it. Only the humble believe him and rejoice that God is so free and so marvelous that he does wonders where people despair, that he takes what is little and lowly and makes it marvelous. And that is the wonder of all wonders, that God loves the lowly….God is not ashamed of the lowliness of human beings. God marches right in. He chooses people as his instruments and performs his wonders where one would least expect them. God is near to lowliness; he loves the lost, the neglected, the unseemly, the excluded, the weak and broken.

These are the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book God is in the Manger. (Please forgive the masculine pronouns Bonhoeffer uses). These words are my reminder that the journey we travel in Advent is often a time of reflection and a bit of wandering about in the more definite journey of faith we travel to the cross and the empty tomb.

In my Advent journey, I can often find myself working to be present in the moment for fear that I forget that the waiting and the surprise of these Advent days is exactly where God will find me and share with me once again the wonder of the miracle of a baby born in Bethlehem.

Blessings on your journey in this season,
Pastor Chris Marien

(This post was taken from Ascension’s December newsletter).

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