The Promise of Spring

“…Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5 (NLT) 

I think most of us would agree that we’ve had enough of Winter and we’re ready for the promise of Spring’s renewal, refreshment, and rebirth. This past year has been long and challenging for many across our community and nation for a number of reasons. And now we’re finally beginning to feel the warmth of Spring and the hope of a season filled with rejuvenation.

Psalm 30:5 gives us a promise to hold on to during challenging times – “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Life is full of different seasons, some joyful and warm, some cold and filled with sadness. At times we walk through dark valleys, but then we emerge into greener pastures. This season of difficulty, anxiety, illness, and loss will soon pass away, and a new season, a new morning, will bring with it new joy.

We’ve now entered into Lent, the church season characterized by sorrow, humility and waiting as we approach Holy Week and Easter. In many ways, the difficult experiences we’ve encountered over the past year have been like a really long Lent, extended now for months instead of weeks.

Lent invites us to examine our brokenness. It prepares us for Easter by reminding us that we need the Savior, that we’re lost without God’s grace. We can’t save ourselves or fix all our problems. We are dust and ashes, lost and blind without God’s mercy.

We aren’t invincible. We don’t know it all. We can’t fix every problem. Hopefully, taking time to look at our fragility has reminded us that we need God and His gracious healing power. And hopefully, throughout Lent we’re taking time to repent from our pride and foolish self-reliance. And now, Spring is coming again. Easter is just around the corner. Hope and healing are on the way.

Just as the call of Lent to humility is good for our hearts, clinging to the hope of better days can also bring us healing. We can let go of some of our anxious thoughts. We can look ahead with joyful anticipation. That’s the promise of Spring, and even more, the promise of resurrection. God has good things in store that will renew our joy.

As this hope ignites, we also remember that life in this world will have troubles and sorrows. There will be global issues and personal tragedies. We will walk through more dark valleys. But our joy comes from our God who will walk with us in those hard moments just as He has through every difficult time. His promises don’t change with the seasons. His love lasts through the dark nights. Rejoicing will come again in the morning.

This Lenten season I invite you to consider praying or continuing to pray for one another and to reach out with words of encouragement and hope. Your faithfulness and perseverance have carried you through hard seasons, and I trust God will continue to meet your needs as you care for those around you. Peace be with you!

Pastor Tony

Reprinted from the March 2026 newsletter.

We Choose Welcome

Taking advantage of a rare 60-degree day just before Ash Wednesday, I decided it was time to clean the pavilion in the Memorial Garden. Because of the lingering cold and heavy snow, the stable—which had housed our live nativity scene—was still filled with hay bales and corn stalks.

When I entered the church, Pastor Chris noticed my gardening gloves and asked, “What are you doing?” I replied, “I’m cleaning the pavilion. Lent is starting, but it’s still Christmas in the garden. The pavilion has to be ready to celebrate Easter!”

It made me wonder: Is this what the prophets had in mind? Isaiah 40:3–5 tells us: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.”

Brothers and sisters, we have entered the Lenten season—a time of intentional preparation and meditation as we approach the celebration of Jesus’ victory from death to life. It is a time to remind ourselves that our life in Christ is renewed every day. As 2 Corinthians 4:16 encourages us: “Therefore let us not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

During Lent, we are invited to acknowledge our need for repentance and God’s mercy. We were created to experience joy in communion with God, to love one another, and to live in harmony with creation. Sadly, our rebellion often fractures that harmony. However, God, as a loving and compassionate Father, carried out the plan of redemption through our Lord Jesus Christ. We are all called to repentance, and through confession, we find restoration: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

To help you navigate this season, we have provided a guide, Daily Prayers for the Spiritual Practice of Hospitality and Welcome (from We Choose Welcome), available in both English and Spanish. Families in the Latino ministry have received their copies, along with a candle to light during their times of shared prayer. In a world that often obscures the Gospel, we must be reminded of the importance of practicing hospitality and welcoming others into our hearts.

As disciples of Jesus, we are called to resist all that separates us from God, our neighbors, and creation. May the breath of life that God gives us during this Lenten season guide our self-examination as we prepare for the great three days of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pastor Edwin

Reprinted from the March 2026 newsletter.

Lenten Book Study

Thursday mornings in Lent, join PC in the study of “The Message of Jesus” by Adam Hamilton. It is an easily accessible read and will allow for good conversation over the six weeks of Lent. Join us starting Feb. 19 (the Thursday after Ash Wednesday) at 10:30 a.m. as we walk through the wilderness of Lent. Purchase a book for PC or buy one on your own. Sign-up at the Welcome Center.

Join us for Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. to discuss the following:

  • The Kingdom of God Has Come Near Thursday, Feb. 19
  • The World’s Most Important Sermon Thursday, Feb. 26
  • He Spoke to Them in Parables Thursday, March 5
  • Who Do YOU Say I Am? Thursday, March 12
  • Final Words Thursday, March 19
  • The Resurrection and the Life Thursday, March 26

The Arrival of Lent

Well friends, by the time you read this article we will be less than 3 weeks from Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Where does the time go? I just put the nativity away and already Easter bunnies and Easter eggs have arrived in the greeting card aisle at Target. Mercy.

It is not that I do not want to celebrate Easter for as long as possible, but it does feel like we barely catch our breath from Christmas angels and Epiphany visitors who followed a star, and immediately find ourselves looking at our reflection in the mirror to see how well the pastor placed the cross in ashes on our forehead this year.

Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent is always a signpost on the road of faith. In earlier days of ministry, All Saints Sunday was the day that I would take notice of the names read aloud – faithful ones who had entered into the promise of eternal life. Yet I find our worship on Ash Wednesday to be the marker for life transitions. Perhaps because the ashes are a reminder of what was and what will one day be again. This life we live is but a moment. Who knelt to receive ashes last year that is no longer present with us this year? If I am being honest, the cloud of witnesses that now gather around God’s throne with each passing Ash Wednesday seem to sing praises to God just a little bit louder each year. 

Last week I walked into the narthex before the rest of the staff arrived and I swore I heard music playing. I knew Vicki was on vacation and for just a moment I wondered if the angels had arrived to bring me home. I don’t mind telling you that I carefully and slowly kept walking forward unsure of what I would find. It turns out one of our television monitors had shifted to quiet, background music after a momentary power outage. But still, when I hear beautiful music at an unexpected time, I do wonder if I missed the sign that my time on this earth was winding down.

But until that time, there is work to do. There is: a welcome to offer; someone to love; someone to serve; someone to support; someone who needs your prayers; someone who needs your willingness to listen; and someone who needs, more than anything else, to know they are seen. Does this sound like ministry? I think there are times when we believe the term ministry only applies to Bibles being read and prayers being prayed and people are being fed. All of that is ministry, of course. And yet, there is a simplicity to God’s call on our lives. From Matthew 25:

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Truth be told, it is easier to read what Jesus says than it is to actually practice what Jesus teaches. This the beauty of our faith in God. We often make the practice of our faith much more difficult than God ever intended. Come to the Farmer’s Market – live out your faith. Provide a dish for the next funeral reception – live out your faith. Pray for rain for our sisters and brothers in Tanzania – live out your faith. Remember the overlooked child of God in the margin of this life and imagine their place for even a moment – live out your faith. The season of Lent calls us to all of this and so much more, not out of guilt or obligation but out of joy and a grateful heart for what God has done for us through his journey to the cross, his crucifixion, and his resurrection. It is too early for a “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” But never fear, Easter will be here before we know it.

Dear friends, blessings on the journey before us. You are called. You are loved. And we have work to do to the glory of God!

See you in church.

Pastor Chris

February Worship News

Lenten Worship

The Season of Lent begins on Wednesday, Feb. 18, with Ash Wednesday and continues through the next 40 days not counting Sundays. Worship times on Ash Wednesday are at 12 and 6:30 p.m.

The only difference between the services is the addition of our music ensembles in the evening. Ash Wednesday worship is a peaceful moment of reflection in a world of noise. As is tradition, we will be invited to kneel before the altar and have a cross of ash placed on our foreheads with the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” A provocative reminder and powerful promise that God is the one who forms us out of nothing and returns our bodies to the ground when this life is at an end.

Here at Ascension, the season of Lent is measured in bowls of soup and first communion classes and new member conversations and stories of the presence of Jesus transforming the world before he ultimately journeys to the cross. You are invited to be a part of everything. If this is your first Lent at Ascension, there is much to experience. If you have been a member forever, still Lent offers something new every season.

On Wednesdays in Lent, after Ash Wednesday, we meet for soup supper at 6 p.m. You can sign-up to bring a soup or loaf of bread in the narthex/lobby beginning Sunday, Jan. 25. We average between 125 and 150 for soup each week. And then worship begins at 6:45 p.m. and ends at 7:15 p.m. to get littles home and off to bed. Wednesday night soup supper and worship begin Wednesday, Feb. 25. The final one will be March 25.

Sing for a Season Returns

Sing for a Season is back! Join the Ascension Choir and sing for the Lenten season and/or Holy Week. Rehearse with us on Tuesdays (rather than Wednesdays during Lent) from 7:15-8:15 p.m. Feb. 24 through March 24; sing for Palm Sunday, March 29, Maundy Thursday, April 2, Good Friday, April 3, and Easter Sunday, April 5. Interested singers are invited and welcome to join in for 4-5 rehearsals and sing with us on whatever dates work best. Email Vicki Taylor with questions and to sign up.

Children’s Choir

The Ascension Children’s Choir returns for our spring session on Wednesdays from5:15-6 p.m. beginning Feb 25 through Mar 25. Please note the change to Wednesdays; rehearsals will take place immediately prior to Lenten Soup Suppers and worship services. All children in grades K-5 are welcome to join us! Email Vicki Taylor with questions and to sign up.

Ash Wednesday Worship and More

Lenten cross

Begin your Lenten journey with us on Wednesday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m. with imposition of ashes and worship. Soup suppers and worship begin the following week, March 12. Look for the sign-up poster in the narthex/lobby on Sunday mornings to bring soup, help set-up and clean-up.

Thursday Morning Worship: For those who are looking for something new and a little different in this season of Lent, we are offering a half hour worship service every week on Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. beginning on March 6th and concluding on April 10th. For those who might like a quieter, more reflective time of worship, Thursday mornings could provide that opportunity. There will be instrumental music, congregational singing, Scripture readings, a brief message, a time for prayer, and communion each week.

Lenten Book Study: Join Pastor Chris at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday mornings in Lent starting March 6 to discuss the book The Walk by Adam Hamilton. Examine five essential spiritual practices rooted in Jesus’ own walk with God. How do we walk with Christ—daily follow him, grow in him, and faithfully serve him? You can pick up a book from PC for $13 or download it to your device. We will discuss the Introduction and Chapter 1 on March 6.

Welcome to the Resistance

When Pastor Edwin was ordained, I offered these words: “My friend – to hope and to believe is to resist all that is wrong with the world. Resistance is the path of the Christian. Resistance to oppression, injustice, silence, apathy, loss, even to the power of death. Welcome, Edwin. Welcome to the resistance. What does the prophet Isaiah say to us: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!”

Welcome to the season of Lent. Truthfully, welcome to the resistance my friends. To participate in the season of Lent in worship on Sundays, soup suppers and worship on Wednesdays, a book study on Thursday mornings, worship on Thursday mornings, or any practice that turns your face towards our God and away from the world and our own selfish desires is an act of resistance. To be a follower of Jesus is to resist the things of this world that exploit, abuse, neglect, mistreat, disregard, ignore, or dismiss another human being made in God’s image. What does Jesus ask of us?

Love God

  • Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. (Matthew 22:34-38; Mark 12:28-30; Luke 10:25-27)
  • Do things because you want to serve God; not because you want to impress other people. (Matthew 6:1-18)
  • Humble yourselves. (Matthew 18:4; Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; Luke 18:14)
  • Follow Jesus. Don’t wonder about other people.  (John 21:20-22)
  • Pray – and keep praying.  (Matthew 6:5-14; Luke 11:1-13; Luke 18:1-8)
  • Don’t worry. God knows what you need.  (Matthew 6:25-34; Matthew 11:28-30; Luke 12:22-32)
  • Trust God – not earthly treasures.  (Matthew 6:19-21; Matthew 6:24; Luke 12:33-34)

Love Others

  • Love your neighbor the same way you love yourself.  (Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-37)
  • Love each other the same way Jesus loved his disciples. (John 13:34; John 15:12)
  • Love each other – it is by your love for each other that the world will know that you are Jesus’ disciples.  (John 13:35)
  • Love your enemies.  (Matthew 5: 44; Luke 6:27)
  • Treat others the same way you like to be treated yourself.  (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31)
  • Be humble. (Matthew 23:11-12; Luke 14:11; Luke 18:14)
  • Pray for those who persecute you.  (Matthew 5:44)
  • Do good to those who hate you.  (Luke 6:27)
  • Bless those that curse you.  (Luke 6:28)
  • Serve each other.  (Matthew 20:25-28; Mark 10:43-45)
  • Don’t judge others.  (Matthew 7:1-2; Luke 6:37)
  • Don’t condemn others. (Luke 6:37)
  • Do more for others than they ask of you.  (Matthew 5:39:42)
  • Forgive others.  (Matthew 6:14-15; Luke 6:37; Luke 17:3-4)
  • Be merciful.  (Luke 6:36)
  • If someone has done something that upsets or offends you, go and talk to them about it. If they won’t listen to you, take someone else with you and try again.  (Matthew 18:16. See also Luke 17:3)
  • If you know that you have done something to upset or offend someone – go and talk to them and sort it out.  (Matthew 5:23-24)
  • Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’.  (Matthew 5:34-37)
  • Give to anyone who begs from you.  (Luke 6:30)
  • Teach new disciples to obey everything that Jesus commanded his disciples.  (Matthew 28:20)

To follow Jesus is to follow love itself. To follow Jesus is to resist the very power of sin and death that so often pretends to be a voice of care and concern in the world today. 

May our prayers become protests. (Against everything that tells us that love is not the answer.)
Our worship become witness. (That we might tell the story of God’s love through our words and our actions.)
Our faith become fuel for change. (So that more and more people may come to know or be reminded of Jesus.) 

Welcome to the resistance. Welcome to the season of Lent. See you in church.

Pastor Chris

The Subversive Season

In my first article of this year 2025, I highlighted the moments of joy and fellowship we had during the month of December. Last month, I shared with you all about my experience on my recent trip to El Salvador. And as the days and weeks drew closer to writing this month’s article, I’ve been thinking about what I should write about. Because we are in the season of Lent, I finally came to the conclusion to write about the season of uncertainty that many families are facing right now and will face in the days to come.

Last month I was at an event held by our synod called Together in Mission. My wife and I were in charge of preparing a table that shared the story of  the partnership between the Greater of Milwaukee Synod and the Salvadoran Lutheran Church. On the table, we decided to put a replica of the Subversive Cross on our display table. This cross was used by the Salvadoran Lutheran Church in a special service of reconciliation during the Civil War. The church asked the congregation to write on the cross the injustice they were going through. Many of them wrote words like hunger, discrimination against women, lust for power, murder, violence, persecution of the church, among others.

If I had the opportunity to write on the Subversive Cross right now, I would write the word persecution again. Yes, an unprecedented physical, psychological, inhuman persecution. A reality that many communities are going through right now and with whom we as Christian leaders are called to walk and pray with them on this new uncertain journey that for some has already caused increased anxiety, fear, and in some cases mourning due to the harassment they have received.

Many of you have probably heard the story of a Latina student from a school in Gainesville, Texas who died by suicide as a result of the constant harassment she received from other students. The 11-year-old girl was harassed and told that immigration would be called to deport her family. After a few days in the hospital, the girl sadly passed away. After hearing this story, I asked myself the question: Are these actions part of the kingdom of God? Is this the kingdom that Jesus brought to the world? Is this the kingdom that he taught us? I don’t think so. Jesus did not come to the world to establish a kingdom of oppression, harassment, persecution, hatred, exclusion and mockery. On the contrary, the kingdom of God that Jesus describes is a way of being and living characterized by love, compassion, justice and peace. In John 13:34-35, Jesus tells us, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Matthew 25:35 says, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,” it gives all of us the characteristics that the kingdom of God on earth should have.

Brothers and sisters, as we walk through this season of Lent, a time of spiritual preparation as we wait to relive and reflect on how God’s love was poured out through Jesus Christ on the cross to free all of humanity, and as we walk through this uncertain time, let’s take some time to reflect on the recent events that are impacting many communities. Seeing and hearing what is happening around many communities, I ask myself the question and invite you to meditate and reflect with me. Is this the kingdom that Jesus brought to us?

Jesus sent his disciples out two by two to proclaim the good news and said to them, “Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” Lucas 10.9

 Pastor Edwin

A Season for God’s Presence

“For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to break down and a time to build up; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance;” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4)

In March, as the days begin to grow longer and the flowers quietly prepare to bloom, hope can spring up inside of us that perhaps we too will come to fruition. For several months now we have been journeying through the dark and dreary days of winter, through a divisive election, illnesses, surgeries, job transitions, mental health challenges, relationship struggles, deaths, and so much more. All the while our journey through life continues.

We recently welcomed a new slate of leaders to our church council, and we are praying for them as they begin the important work of dreaming about and implementing the many ways we can live out our faith together, as well as how we as a collective community of faithful individuals will navigate God’s calling for us in the world.

In just a few days we will step into the season of Lent – a time that encourages self-reflection and repentance. I love the passage from Ecclesiastes about everything having its due time because it reminds me to keep things in perspective. I’m well aware there are things in life that I can control, and yet much, much more than I cannot.

Lent and Good Friday are important reminders for us that our best life materializes when we turn ourselves toward God and place our trust in God’s presence and promises, rather than simply relying on our own limited human understanding and abilities.

And as a community of believers who have been called together at this time and in this place by the movement of God’s Spirit, it only seems fitting for us to take time throughout this season of Lent to pause, breathe, and immerse ourselves in God’s presence. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Sit in the warm sun and be comforted, and as you do, remember Jesus’ time in the desert. Pray for strength for yourself and this congregation. Get out in nature where you can see the vibrancy of new life. Pray for the countless growth opportunities waiting for you and our congregation. Take a walk near a body of water and listen to its movement. Pray that your spirit would be moved with excitement and renewal. Help someone accomplish something that has no apparent payoff for you. Pray and reflect on how much God has done for you.

My friends, may we all be reminded that for everything there is a season, and if we are willing to trust that God is always with us and always for us, then we can be confident that we will be just fine because we are exactly where we are meant to be in this moment. Have a blessed Lent!

Pastor Tony

What the Holy One Can Do With Dust

“All those days you felt like dirt, as if all you had to do was turn your face toward the wind and be scattered to the four corners or swept away by the smallest breath as insubstantial –did you not know what the Holy One can do with dust?” (Jan Richardson, Blessing the Dust)

Already we find ourselves on our way to the story of Lent. Jesus climbs a mountain and shines like the sun enjoying the presence of friends and the strength of spirit that comes with hearing the voice of God share God’s desire, “This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him.” Only to be driven into the wilderness days later to face the temptations of the devil. What we know so well is that the mountaintop moments in our lives do not last nearly as long as the wilderness wanderings. Why is that exactly?

Are the mountaintop moments so focused, so blindingly glorious that we cannot bear them for too long a time? Consider some of the mountaintop celebrations in this life: a wedding, the birth of a child, the miracle of healing, a long night of conversation with old friends, a seven-course dinner that excites all your senses to name a few mountaintop moments. Yes, we want them to go on forever and if our hearts could be any fuller, they might explode from the overwhelming feelings of joy. But in the wilderness, we can wander amidst one distraction after another: a career change, a relationship ending, the death of someone we love, a question of which path to choose, the diagnosis, the untold story, and even the secrets we keep which we believe make us unworthy of love or peace or joy or God’s forgiveness. Yes, the wilderness offers us many distractions which can keep our eyes, our hearts, our minds, and our ears distracted from all that God wants for us. Welcome to the story of Lent. All those days you felt like dirt…but do you not know what the Holy One can do with dust?

As much as the journey of Lent leads us into the wilderness, God promises to be present for every mountaintop and valley, twist and turn, of this wilderness journey. While Jesus enters the wilderness alone, God promises that we are never alone. While Jesus suffers the temptations of the devil, God stands as a shield against all that would harm us. Even in our struggles, when we believe God has abandoned us or does not listen to our prayers, God is more present than we can imagine. The journey of Lent is our reminder that we do not wander alone in this wilderness. God is present with us – always, everywhere – that is God’s promise to us. Lent may call us to turn our hearts back to God, but God has never turned God’s face from us. And that my friends should bring us joy, no matter how deep the valley we travel in the wilderness moments of our lives.

“Let us be marked not for sorrow. And let us be marked not for shame. Let us be marked not for false humility or for thinking we are less than we are, but for claiming what God can do within the dust, within the dirt, within the stuff of which the world is made and stars that blaze in our bones and the galaxies that spiral inside their smudge we bear.” I am grateful to the author of these words. Jan helps me remember that God offers us so much more than the world, or we, can possibly imagine.

You are invited – join us on the journey of Lent. Start with Ash Wednesday on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 12 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. Receive the smudge of ash on your forehead and be reminded what the Holy One can do with dust. To the great glory of God.

Peace be with you.

Pastor Chris