Matthew 25

“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:33-34)

This month it was very difficult to narrow down which verses to use for my article because in the Bible, God constantly calls us throughout all generations to practice love and hospitality toward immigrants. We follow a savior that began his life as an undocumented immigrant as the Christmas story ends with Mary and Joseph fleeing to Egypt to protect Jesus. The command to care for the immigrant is one of most written about topics in the Bible, so I had literally pages of Bible verses to choose from.

Many member and non-member families come to Ascension for help. They know that Ascension is a faith community that welcomes, supports, walks with, and identifies in many ways with immigrants. One of those identifications was experienced last month when we celebrated Pupusa Fest. The cold weather and wind were no obstacle. Many visitors came to buy pupusas and see the facilities. Many were surprised to see that we have two sanctuaries and were impressed to learn that worship is held at the same time.

Sadly, three days after the festival, just as I was waking up, I received a call that ICE was arresting a member of our ministry who is of Salvadoran origin. I immediately went to his home to accompany the family and, above all, prevent intimidation. When I arrived, the officers had already entered the apartment without a warrant and were preparing to take our member away. Ultimately, our member had the luck that many immigrants don’t have. He was temporarily freed and released under surveillance. You can imagine the pain felt by many in our community. In a three day period, Salvadoran food was celebrated by the same city that cheered the suffering inflicted on a Salvadoran father who just wanted to keep his family safe.

Many immigrants do not believe those who say they welcome immigrants who come here as long as they do so legally. We see that the people who pledge to support only legal immigrants are the same people who also oppose immigration reform that would allow us to be here fully documented. We watch immigrants that are going through the process to be here legally getting deported when they show up for their appointments at immigration offices. A person can not truthfully say they support legal immigrants if they also prevent the possibility of legal migration.

I have the advantage that other immigrant pastors don’t have in this journey of persecution and intimidation. I am very grateful that Pastor Tony and Pastor Chris are walking hand in hand with me, supporting and spiritually assisting immigrant families as we fulfill Jesus’s calling. I know that there are some of you reading this article that are unhappy with me. I want to remind you of what Jesus tells us in Matthew 25.

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

If Matthew 25 is not enough, Jesus also tells us in John 13, “A new command I give you: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” If my words bother you, I can not say sorry, because that would be rejecting Jesus’s message. As a pastor and a Christian, I will never apologize for doing what Jesus commands us to do, even if God’s word makes some church members unhappy. What I will do is pray for you. I humbly ask you all to pray for all immigrant families and for your pastors as we continue walking in this journey.

May the peace of Christ be with you all,

Pastor Edwin

Resurrecting Easter

On Easter afternoon, my niece said to me as she scrolled through social media on her phone “Tio – I think everyone in El Salvador is at the beach today. My whole feed is just beach photos.” On Friday, my own newsfeed was filled with photos of the alfombras and processions in El Salvador as most of the country took to the streets to honor the ultimate sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus with his death on the cross. But for many Latinos, Holy Week ends on Friday. Easter Sunday is just another Sunday. A day off to go to the beach.

That has been a challenge of mine as Lutheran pastor trying to bring energy to our Easter worship. If we only worship on Good Friday, we are missing the central part of what makes us Christians. Christ’s resurrection brings the promise of eternal life. Without Easter, Jesus is just another martyr.

It has been especially challenging for me at Ascension for a couple of reasons. Imagine walking in to attend Spanish worship and the glorious 8:30 English worship with choir, handbells, brass and crowds to the welcome center is just wrapping up. Then you attend Spanish worship that is trying to be special, but still basically the same as any other Sunday. It can feel deflating. The other challenge, our Latino ministries created for ourselves. Our Good Friday procession and worship has become a deeply meaningful worship service with the alfombras. How do we top that two days later?

It has been a gradual process over the years. First we added the Easter alfombras – a Lutheran theological twist on the tradition of the alfombras that reminds us that in spite of the destruction of the Good Friday, Sunday brings restoration. I knew the message was beginning to get through when some of our members took it upon themselves to create a new tradition of wearing all white on Easter. With six years of people gradually learning some Easter songs and the addition of song leaders thanks to Scott Greger and Marta Aparicio, I was hopeful that this year we would have some joyful moments of worship, but I knew it still wasn’t enough to lead up to the level of emotion equal to Las Posadas or the Good Friday procession.

With my wife, this year we decided to borrow a typical Midwestern Lutheran tradition to enliven our Latino Easter by hosting an Easter breakfast with an opportunity for photos with the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny is not a tradition in our countries, so he usually does not visit the homes of many of our Spanish speaking children. When they go back to school and other kids are talking about what the Easter Bunny brought them, now our Spanish speaking kids have a story of meeting the Easter Bunny at church, so they don’t have to feel left out. The families all had a great time with their photos. The energy from the breakfast carried into our worship. 

I had one other Latino tradition I wanted to incorporate this year. Called huevo chimbo in Central America, cascarones in Mexico, or confetti eggs in English, I wanted to incorporate these eggs in my children’s sermon. I mentioned it to Pastor Chris, and he told me he had the same idea and had already ordered enough for all of the church services.

This year, for the first time, I left church feeling satisfied that our Latino worshippers left church feeling the joy we want everyone to experience on Easter as we celebrate the resurrection. In fact, they may have left with too much joy since many had their laughter hushed as they were interrupting the English service, but that is a problem I am happy to have. 

A pastor from another church asked me on Good Friday if we didn’t worry about the mess made by the sawdust from the alfombras. I assured her it didn’t really make a mess. I thought of that conversation looking around at the church on Easter after worship – now that was a mess. A big beautiful mess of confetti everywhere. A member told that family member that worshiped with them for the first time that day, “This is a NOISY church.” 

May the joy you feel this Easter season be so overflowing that is beautiful in its noisiness and messiness.

¡Él ha resucitado! ¡Aleluya!

Pastor Edwin

The Gift of Resurrection

In March, I preached in Spanish on the Gospel of Luke (13:6-9). These verses tell the story of the fig tree that bears no fruit. The landowner had planted a fig tree in his vineyard, and when the supposed harvest time arrived, he arrived at the land and realized the plants hadn’t produced any fruit. The landowner had confidence and hope that the plants would produce good fruit, but when he arrived at the land, he realized the plants on their branches didn’t have the fruit he expected.

This story made me think about these questions: What kind of fruit did the landowner expect? What caused the plants not to produce fruit? Could a pest have arrived and contaminated the plants? Were the roots weak? Could an intruder have arrived and stolen the fruit? What happened?

The wonderful thing about this story is the appearance of a gardener who pleaded for the plants and promised to take care of them. The gardener will not leave the plant’s salvation to chance. The gardener will do everything possible to remove the bad soil. The gardener will ensure that the plant receives the necessary water and fertilizer to strengthen its roots. The gardener’s intervention is what made the plants’ salvation possible.

During Holy Week, we hear, experience, and reflect on the work, agony, death, and gift of resurrection we received from this merciful, compassionate gardener who intervened, intervenes, and will continue to intervene for all of us. John 3:17 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” This gardener not only came to save us but has also provided us with the tools we need to bear fruit in our lives. In John 6:35, our gardener tells us, “Whoever drinks of the water I give him will never thirst. The water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

The gardener completed his mission and has given us the gift of eternal life. In Matthew 17:23, Jesus says, “The Son of Man will be handed over to the powers of this world, and they will kill him, but on the third day he will rise again.” On Sunday morning, a group of women went to the tomb and found it empty. The fulfillment of the promise of the resurrection had arrived. “He is not there, He has risen, hallelujah!

Sisters and brothers, the gardener has brought us and given us a new way of seeing life. Even if some powers of this world harm us, intimidate us, persecute us, humiliate us, make us sick, increase our anxiety, that is not the end. Now we live in the sure hope of the resurrection. Death no longer has power over us, not because of what I do, but because of what the gardener has done for us!

Happy season of resurrection!

Pastor Edwin 

El Salvador Reflections

Last month, I traveled to El Salvador along with two other Ascension members, Jeremy Poling and Doug Paczesny, for the installation of the new Salvadoran Bishop but also to follow up on the initiative on the implementation of the cacao project with our partnership.

While we were at the tables of our Salvadoran brothers and sisters, a phrase I read in a book came to mind: “At the table of life, we sit side by side with our neighbors, with friends old and new.” That is what I believe Ascension has accomplished with the partnership with the churches in the eastern part of El Salvador. Through these past fifteen years we have been walking and learning from each other. As a result of this journey together, we have seen an opportunity that could continue to strengthen our partnership.

In recent years, projects have been implemented in El Salvador to promote the planting of cacao. Currently, the cacao grown in Salvadoran lands is considered one of the best cacaos in the world. It has been recognized and won awards at an international level. Our delegations that have visited El Salvador in recent years have visited cacao projects with friends from our sister parishes and we have all seen in cacao a great opportunity to possibly embark on a new journey together with our partnership.

Cacao tree

Ascension has hired the services of a cacao professional that we met when we were working with Lutheran World Relief. He is conducting research to determine whether the soil conditions are appropriate for planting cacao or not. In our recent visit Jeremy, Doug and I helped with the research on some of the members’ lands. The research will also include thirty acres of land owned by the Salvadoran Lutheran Church outside of San Salvador. Jeremy, Doug and I met with the new Salvadoran bishop and the new synod council. They are excited about this initiative. At the end of February, we will have the results of the study. It is our dream to someday have a chocolate project that follows the model set by the coffee project.

In one of the conversations I had with the cacao professional, he asked me: Pastor Edwin, could you tell me the history of the Lutheran church? How did you get here to San Jorge? And why do you want to do this with this community? After a few minutes of evangelizing to him, he said this, “So supporting this type of project is the result of a long walk and learning together, it is not something that will be done in a few years.” My response was, yes you are correct. The only way to get to know each other better is through walking, learning and visiting each other. 

Brothers and sisters, I want to share my experience from my recent visit to El Salvador to let you know how Ascension is continuing to renew the word that God is already doing through our partnership Milagro de Dios in San Jorge. As we continue this ongoing journey of walking together with our outside and local partnership, let us continue to allow the Holy Spirit to renew us, guide us and enlighten us in the continued proclamation of the Gospel. “I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.” Leviticus 26.12

Pastor Edwin Aparicio

Pastor Edwin: Mountaintops and Valleys

The month of June will mark the one year anniversary of my ordination and installation. It seems like it was a few months ago when you all said yes to calling a third pastor to your ministry. Thank you so much! Many things have happened during this first year as an ordained pastor. If you ask me to reflect on this first anniversary, let me tell you that it has been like a roller coaster! And this is life, right? Many of you have also experienced moments of happiness, sadness, difficult times and good times in your lives. I know my experience is not unique to me.

I felt like I was at the top of the mountain on June 25, 2023 at my ordination and installation, but I also felt like I was at the bottom of the mountain a few weeks later when my family and I met at the hospital to say goodbye to my dad. Only a few weeks had passed since my ordination and now I had to perform my father’s funeral here and burial in El Salvador.

I was initially worried that the new part of my position, high school ministry, would be a low for a year or two as the students acclimated to a new pastor in that role. I am happy to share that I was wrong! It has been a fantastic year filled with moments of fun, community service, worship, and Bible study. Our final gathering of the year was a moment of healing for me coming on the heel of another tragedy.

A high moment for me this year when I accompanied Noé to the hospital to celebrate and give thanks to God for taking care of his wife during the birth of their baby, Melanie. Again, I descended to the bottom a couple of hours later when I had to accompany Elizabeth, Noé’s wife, to identify her husband’s body, and accompany her to their house to share the news with the children that their father had passed away.

Brothers and sisters, on this earthly journey we will continue to experience high moments, but situations will also appear in which we will feel that we are at the bottom of the mountain. The apostle Paul in his letter to Romans 8:35 says, “ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome were going through conflictive times between them. Paul, in his desire to achieve peace and unity, wrote these words to them to strengthen and motivate them so that tribulations, danger and anguish would not separate them from the love of God.

God is always with us! As we walk and enjoy the beauty of flowers, forests, beautiful landscapes and family time this summer 2024, let us remember that there is a God who is always near us with his steadfast love when we are on top of the mountain “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17. We also have a God that is with us when feel that we are at the bottom of the valley: “You change my tears into dance; you take away my sadness and surround me with joy.” (Psalm 30:11)

Pastor Edwin

Preparing for the Beauty of Holy Week

While we just celebrated Ash Wednesday, preparations for Holy Week at Ascension are already underway. In the Latino Ministry, we have begun coloring sawdust to prepare our traditional alfombras for Good Friday. During Journey to the Cross, families began the first alfombra.

Some of you have asked me where all that large amount of sawdust comes from. Sawdust is not just from one place, last month, I had to visit Bliffert, Waukesha, Home Depot, Waukesha and Bliffert, Germantown. We have enough material to make all of the alfombras for this year. The sawdust that those stores collect is put in the trash, but for the month of February, they invite us to use and do wonders with material that is normally garbage. I showed them photographs of last year’s alfombras. They said, “Wow! Thank you for inviting us to be part in some way in this project!” Yes, everyone is invited to participate in some way in the alfombras during Holy Week.

In previous years, I have colored all the sawdust by myself. This year CRASH students were invited to experience the colorization of sawdust. The students really enjoyed it and learned a new skill. This was not only a time of work, but it was also a time for fellowship, sharing and continuing to learn about what Ascension is and what God is doing in our multicultural Christian community.

As we continue to walk this Lenten journey, let’s think about God’s call to us to pass the good news to others. In Holy week, we invite you to participate in our Good Friday procession. We will start our procession from the three crosses in the memorial garden. We will lower the cross and the participants will be able to pass the cross to the people who will carry it on our trip to the tomb (Latino Sanctuary). In the sanctuary, we will, as always, have the experience of walking and experiencing how the beauty of the carpets disappears.

The beauty of the savior living among us dies, but that is not the end. Three days later, beauty returns never to disappear from our lives. Jesus continues to reveal the beauty of the kingdom of heaven here on earth through us and others. We are invited to spread the message of the kingdom of God from where we are.

May God open your eyes this Lenten season to help you find the beauty of the kingdom of heaven in your lives.

Pastor Edwin