Happy New Year! Now What?

One of my favorite authors is a woman named Jan Richardson. She writes in a way that shapes her words into pure inspiration. I find myself returning to her words again and again as I travel this journey of faith and life. A couple of years ago, Richardson lost her husband after a brief and complicated illness. Over the past couple of years, Richardson has explored her grief as she has wandered the path of love and loss and anger and sadness and resurrection. What I am most grateful for in Richardson’s words is her honest and straightforward heading as she has undertaken her own journey into the unknown, unplanned world she never expected to entertain. So…in celebration of the season of Epiphany – the appearing of the Magi and the overwhelming presence of the light of Christ upon the world – I leave you with these words, written by Richardson, as a blessing in these first days of the new year. May God bless your journeys – each and every step.

For Those Who Have Far to Travel ~ An Epiphany Blessing

If you could see the journey whole
you might never undertake it;
might never dare the first step
that propels you from the place
you have known toward the place you know not.

Call it one of the mercies of the road:
that we see it only by stages as it opens before us,
as it comes into our keeping step by single step.
There is nothing for it but to go and by our going take the vows the pilgrim takes:
to be faithful to the next step;
to rely on more than the map;
to heed the signposts of intuition and dream;
to follow the star that only you will recognize;
to keep an open eye for the wonders that attend the path;
to press on beyond distractions
beyond fatigue
beyond what would tempt you from the way.

There are vows that only you will know;
the secret promises for your particular path
and the new ones you will need to make
when the road is revealed by turns
you could not have foreseen.
Keep them, break them, make them again:
each promise becomes part of the path;
each choice creates the road that will take you to the place where at last you will kneel
to offer the gift most needed—
the gift that only you can give—
before turning to go home by another way.

May the light of the star over the manger shine light on a new road in this new year. To God be the glory!

Rev. Chris Marien

(This article was written for the January 2018 Newsletter).

Instead of the End – the Beginning

The Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Elizabeth Eaton offers these words:

After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb. So begins the Easter story in the Gospel according to Matthew. The women had lived through the pain of Friday and the emptiness of Saturday and were expecting death. All of their hope had come to a dead end. And just then, as the first day of the week was dawning, hope was restored. The angel said, “Do not be afraid; I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here: for he has been raised, as he said.”
 
Instead of death – life. Instead of the end – the beginning.
 
On Easter, we will have glorious celebrations in our congregations and worshiping communities. There will be rejoicing and music and flowers and alleluias. And that’s a good thing. But when the flowers fade and the pressures of life seem so heavy, when the brokenness of this world breaks our spirits, when we have come to a dead end … rejoice. Because it is exactly there where the risen Christ meets us. It is precisely there where we are given resurrection life. It is at that point that we say, “Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Hallelujah.”

The cries of resurrection can still be heard on the mountaintops. Thanks be to God! From the mountaintops we travel to the upper room where the disciples have hidden themselves out of fear. There, Jesus appears. A week later, disciples are still in the upper room. There, Jesus appears. It will be on the beach, where a campfire is tended, that Jesus will appear to his disciples and feed them breakfast. There around the warmth and light of the fire, the light of the world, will ignite a flame in the disciples that will inspire the world.

Instead of death – life. Instead of the end – the beginning.

I read this reflection before the great celebration of Easter. It has carried me forward since we began the celebration of these great 50 days of resurrection. It is entitled Setting Out Once Again by Kelly Hall and Phuc Luu:

Out of the stale darkness, he rises into the light, bright rays of sun split the tops of trees, and clouds depart and blue fills the sky – the smell of angels lingers in the air – his hair feels the cool breeze again. This was not the garden, but a new world made from the eruption of hope and a life that could not be held down. We were witnesses to the life that rose from the dead. God’s relentless love, who comes close to us moving stones from tombs opening the heart to another possibility, death no longer stands. My heart races in my chest as I step forward to face the future, my future, that I grasp with open hands with new naiveté, a child toward a mother to be held and lifted up, and cradled with care. At times, I hesitate and I grasp onto memories of what once was but I know that I am not alone in my apprehension. I feel the hands of others holding me. These are my sisters, my brothers, who are not strangers to my fears and frailties, who have also confronted a hope that frightens them – who can feel their own scars, both fresh and old, they step in pace with me – the weeping women at the gravesite, the scared disciples waiting in the upper room.
 
This is our future, where we walk together toward our new home built by the hands of a wounded king – the new Zion, forsaking the kingdoms marked by borders and divides where all our settlements are only temporary shelters, sanctuaries of rest for the wounded and weary. Then the Christ returns to visit us, as Galilee’s boats pull to shore, these places seem familiar – the lapping water and the sand, but we are not to return to these lands, not those dreams – but become pilgrims, to set our belongings in another home, to wash our sandy feet in some other place, to lay down our tired souls on a distant promise, quilted from both the today and the tomorrow.
 
And we dine as a day sees another setting sun sitting across from each other once again – seeing each sweet face laughing deeply feeling whole once more. And we see the Savior’s smile, he knows our journey’s end and pours us another cup full of his own love and this time, our eyes tell him that we understand.

Thanks be to God!  See you in church,
Rev. Christian Marien

(This article is taken from Ascension’s May 2017 newsletter).

Welcome to Lent

Welcome to the season of Lent!

Wednesday, March 1, is Ash Wednesday. We will worship God with the imposition of ashes and Holy Communion at both our 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. services. Our hope is that you will take time, not find time, to let the world know that for just a moment on Wednesday night, March 1, you will come before your God and bow down and worship and praise to honor the One who has given you life in this world and promises you eternal life in the world to come.

I am always grateful to God for the change in rhythms during the season of Lent. Wednesday night gatherings for soup suppers and worship are a gift to my heart. God provides an opportunity to share in this journey of faith in different ways from Sunday mornings at  Ascension. On Wednesday nights, I have more time to simply sit and enjoy conversation with friends in the congregation. Worship is intended to be brief but meaningful. Music orients our focus to the worship of God. Sermons are exchanged for brief meditations. In the dark of night – the candles shine brighter. There is a beautiful quiet that hovers in the sanctuary even with the joyous sounds of children squealing with delight over the little things in their lives that we so often miss. On Wednesday nights in Lent, this year, Pastor Angela, Tony, and I will all be taking different aspects of our worship. Children’s messages will be a part of each Wednesday night and music will guide our steps in worship into the way of peace. I hope you will consider joining us for a time of refreshment…one night a week – you can skip cooking and the dishes (unless you sign up for either one at church). What a wonderful gift to come share in the joy of gathering together to the glory of God.

We will gather for soup suppers at 6 p.m. on March 8, March 15, March 22, March 29, and April 5.  March 8 will be hosted by JOLT; March 15 will be hosted by our Tuesday Morning Bible Studies; and April 5 will be hosted by CRASH. Congregational sign-ups will be available to help with soup and bread for both March 15 and March 29. Check the narthex/lobby for the posters. We need about 18 soups each week to provide for the 100-150 who attend. Our Wednesday night gatherings will center on some wonderful reflections offered to provide us with directions to wander while we find ourselves in the wilderness of Lent.

Wednesday Worship Themes
March 8
Discovering the Spirit
March 15
Renewing My Mind
March 22
Redeeming My Time
March 29
Deepening My Relationships
April 5
Transforming My Experience

I am grateful to the psalmist who wrote these words for us, “How very good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” Come and join us on the journey. I wonder – how could your life be different if you made the conscious decision to gather with fellow believers for fellowship and worship on the Wednesday nights in Lent? What would change in your life? Would you be happier? More content? Would you discover new things about God? Would you find your mind renewed? Would you find your time better spent? Would your relationship with God and other believers go deeper? Would you find your life transformed? My guess is that your answer would be yes!  I know, for me, year after year, my answer is always, always…yes!
Peace be with you. See you in church.
Rev. Christian Marien

(This article was first published in the March 2017 newsletter).

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).

The Greatest Story Ever Told

Easter Sanctuary Cross Altar Lilies EmptyI am convinced that the work of God at Easter is far more difficult to believe than God’s gift of a baby in a manger. Easter calls us to believe what we have not seen even once, while babies are born every day.

I said those words aloud during a time of reflection and prayer. I decided they were worth writing down. Maybe. Maybe not. Regardless of the ability of those words to inspire, the sentiment is no less true. A baby in a manger is easy…unless your name is Mary. Easter, however, presents a whole host of problems. Resurrection from sealed tombs and beating hearts stopped and started again without medical intervention are much harder for our logical and proof-demanding world to accept, let alone understand. Yet still I believe.

We are an interesting expression of God’s love, we disciples of Jesus. Our holy book tells us to love one another; to pray for our enemies; to remember our Savior; and to celebrate his resurrection from the dead. Is it any wonder that so many have, over time, walked away from a relationship with God? It is much easier to believe we stand alone – this world is all there is and when we die, we are dead. The end.

And yet, somehow, this story continues to be told again and again. Through the words of Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20, the story of the resurrection of Jesus is told. Through the music of Jesus Christ is Risen Today and I Know that My Redeemer Lives, we hear the news of the resurrection. In the creeds of the universal Christian Church, we speak words of belief that have been spoken by generations of Christians from as early as 325 AD. If this story was simply a device to control people, or if this story was used to simply explain the great mysteries of the world at any time, then I would have expected the story of the resurrection of Jesus to just as simply fall away over these last 1,691 years since the first confession of faith was made at the Council of Nicea.

And certainly, as the story – told in hope and faith – has become too great a burden to bear, people have walked away. And yet, the story continues to be told. I am convinced of the truth of the story of the resurrection of the dead because I have witnessed the faith of far too many believers who have passed on the story to me. The resurrection of Jesus grounds me in this world and promises me a place in the next. I know there will be more days of fear than courage. I know I will suffer long days of doubt over belief. I know that there will be days ahead that will cause pain in this life. And yet, still I believe. As I said in my sermon a few weeks ago, the place between fear and doubt is the foundation of Easter and the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Still I believe, “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” They are words I heard as a child. They are words I speak over my children today. They are words of power – resurrection power. They are words that promise life.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

~ Pastor Chris Marien

(This article was originally published in Ascension’s May 2016 newsletter).