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

Living in the Love of Jesus

“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John 4:7-12)

It’s hard to believe it’s February already, but seeing that it is, it means Valentine’s Day is right around the corner (February 14th for all who need the gentle reminder). Couples will exchange gifts, friends and family will send each other cards, and people everywhere will celebrate the gift of sharing life with people we love and who love us in return. And thanks to the gift of mass commercialization, love will be everywhere.

Will it really, though? Because, while romance will certainly be swirling, it seems to me that love is a different story. At least in my opinion, it seems love is much harder to come by these days. Anger, intolerance, and violence seem to be the prevailing news stories, followed by political division, corruption, poverty, hunger, homelessness, and racism…need I go on.

But as people united in Christ, God calls us to a different way of life. We are called to love – even when it’s not the most popular thing to do. Fortunately for us we’ve been given a great resource to help us do this – Jesus. In the midst of the ups and downs of life Scripture reminds us that loving one another with patience and gentleness invites others into our lives and provides intimate ground for relationships to grow. Strangers whom we may stereotype into a category become unique and beautiful people we truly see, know, and appreciate. And loving this way can bring down the walls of fear and conflict that seem to be successful at separating people right now.

Interestingly, on Valentine’s Day this year we’ll begin our annual journey into Lent, and there we’ll see what real love – perfect, unconditional love looks like. In Jesus, we’ll witness love personified and we’ll experience love in the form of stunning self-sacrifice and loyalty, even toward those who don’t reciprocate. Embraced by this kind of love, we are free to love one another in genuine, costly, and meaningful ways.

And this my dear friends is the kind of love that God calls us to offer to the world not only this February or this Valentine’s Day, but every day. So, sisters and brothers, I invite all of us to let this love be our Valentine to the world, but most importantly to God.

~ Pastor Tony

Preparing for Lent

Last month, I had the opportunity to travel with Pastor Chris and Pastor Tony to New Orleans to attend a national church event called The Extravaganza. This is an annual gathering of children, youth and family ministry leaders from across the ELCA. It is so much more than a conference; it’s space to be grow, to worship, to be inspired, it’s learning from colleagues across the country, it’s sharing your insight with others, it’s informative and transformative. This is an event to renew, learn, and connect with others as a way to strengthen our local ministries.

The extravaganza takes place every year in different cities. In the year in which the Youth Gathering is happening, the extravaganza takes place in the same city. This year the gathering was in New Orleans, where the Youth Gathering  will be held in July. More than 800 leaders met to connect, renew ourselves and get to know the city to which we will bring our youth.

I am very grateful to God that I had the opportunity to immerse myself in something new to me as I continued to walk and learn in this new role as a pastor and youth leader in the US. Not only did I learn about the resources available for children, youth and family ministry, but I also learned a little about the city of New Orleans. To be honest, I didn’t know anything about New Orleans before I went. I heard some jokes in our planning meetings about beads, but I had no idea what anyone was talking about.

One of the first things I noticed when I arrived in the city were the colorful souvenirs available. Eventually we had the opportunity to have free time to explore the city. On my walk, I went into the store to buy the prizes for the chili cook-off. Inside the store, I could see that many t-shirts had the word “Bourbon St.” on it. I approached one of the store workers and he explained its the meaning. The worker explained the cultural traditions behind Mardi Gras, but did not explain me the theology behind this celebration. Later, I found out that, this celebration responds to the Christian calendar that begins on Epiphany and concludes the night before Ash Wednesday. During this time, as you all know, people tend to eat as much as possible before they have to deprive themselves of certain foods during Lent.

This tradition reminds me of the call that God always makes to each of us to prepare day after day, not just during Mardi Gras or Lent. God speaks to us, encourages us and reveals to us his great mercy. As we enter into the season of Lent in this month of February, let us think about the things that often try to prevent us from discovering and experiencing God’s love. 

This 40-day journey is a time to reflect and renew as we prepare ourself to remember and celebrate the passion, death, and resurrection of our Savior in “Semana Santa.”  Whether you choose to indulge during the days of Mardi Gras season, or give something up for Lent, or neither, may this time of year help you feel closer to God regardless of your personal journey of faith.

 Pastor Edwin Aparicio

Welcome to the Season of Lent

Welcome to the season of Lent. Honestly, does it mean anything different in your daily life? I would guess the answer is “no” for most of us. In the church year, the season of Lent was often about sacrifice, spiritual discipline, and reflecting on your relationship with God. To be clear, I am still in favor of all these things. However, I am also a realist. The world we live in today is full of distraction. Finding moments to quiet the voices clamoring for our attention is a constant struggle.

I am a big believer in seeking out moments for reflection. Whether it is a walk, a quiet moment in the sanctuary, lingering over a cup of coffee, or soaking up a little sunshine standing at a window for a moment – how we find those moments is often about our intention to do so. I love to be in the midst of people. The more, the better. Yet, I know there are needed moments in my own life when I am out of balance and in need of some quiet time to even out. The same is true in our relationship with God.

Finding moments to center; to reconnect; to reconsider; to be reminded of our relationship with God can provide us with the opportunity to move ourselves into a deeper, more intimate experience of the presence of God. This is what the season of Lent offers to us.

In Lent, we are invited to step out of our normal routines and step into different routines.

  • Maybe look for a new devotional to use for reading and reflection through the days of Lent. 
  • Consider adding Sunday worship to your weekly routine through the entire five weeks of the season of Lent.
  • Who are people who have inspired your life of faith? Commit to reaching out to thank them by phone or text message or, even, hand-written note during the season of Lent.

You can also consider joining us for Wednesday night soup suppers and midweek worship beginning with our first night soup supper on March 1, with soup at 6pm and worship from 6:45-7:15pm. Our Lenten soup suppers and midweek worship last year saw some of the strongest attendance we have ever seen in the last 12 years. Can you tell I am excited to return to soups suppers and midweek worship? 

Dear friends, Lent is upon us. Find your center. Reconnect with God and people you love. Reconsider how you are spending your time. Be reminded that you are loved by God. All good things in these days of Lent.

See you in church.

Pastor Chris

Our Faith, Lent and March Madness

Most of you are probably aware that I’m a huge fan of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament better known as March Madness – and I’m ecstatic that it’s almost here!

In just a few weeks millions of people, superfans and fair-weather ones alike, will be filling out and checking their brackets daily, if not hourly. Workplace production is sure to diminish. And for three straight weeks sports fans will be glued to their screens watching all the drama unfold.

For some, their enthusiasm looks almost religious in nature. All over the country, fans will clad themselves in their favorite team gear or team colors all while exhibiting a heightened sense of nervousness; desperate for their team to win and advance to the next round. They’ll be watching games while yelling “No, no, no!” and “Yes, yes, yes!” at their television, computer, tablet and cell phone screens. All the while kids will be running around the house dribbling and shooting basketballs while adults are running to the kitchen for more nachos. It’s chaotic. It’s madness. And I’m not ashamed to say that I can’t get enough of it and love every moment of it.

But as I’ve been preparing myself for this year’s tournament it occurred to me that there was a connection between our faith, the season of Lent, and The Big Dance and it makes me wonder, “What if we viewed our faith and the experience of Lent through a different lens”? What if we used the “madness” of the NCAA basketball tournament to gain important insights into our nature as humans created in the image of God?

I think our attraction to March Madness reveals several aspects of our life of faith and our journey through Lent that may be helpful in reorienting us and reenergizing us for the road ahead.  

We want to be part of something bigger than ourselves. March Madness allows us to be part of something bigger than ourselves. We may not be on the court, but filling out our brackets and cheering alongside countless others gives us some skin in the game. So too does our faith. Especially in the season of Lent as we stand alongside countless other Christians taking time to reflect on our lives, intensify our faith practices and turn back to God. Much like the discipline and focus necessary for teams in the tournament to be successful, we too must engage in this same discipline as we make our journey toward Easter.

Disappointment and heartache are lurking around every corner. Teams dream, plan, and prepare for a long and successful run deep into the tournament, however, anyone who has ever witnessed an upset knows that even the best laid plans are sometimes met with unexpected disappointment. Our lives are like that, aren’t they? We plan, save, try to eat healthy, live responsibly, pray and come to worship and yet we still encounter heartache, disappointment, sadness, pain, and grief. Although God never promises us a life absent of difficulties and pain, the more connected we are to God and one another, and the deeper we engage our faith and faith practices the more we open ourselves allowing God to comfort us and heal us in times of brokenness.

We crave hope. Every year in the tournament there are amazing comebacks and last second buzzer beaters. Underdog teams who can’t seem to miss a shot or a team that finds itself down as the final seconds tick away relying on a step back three pointer or an unbelievable half court prayer thrown up in desperation – Cinderella stories reminding us that David can beat Goliath. Personally, I just hope not to be in the bottom half of my family’s bracket pool this year. For people around the world, hope is wanting something to happen or be true and to think that it could happen or be true. For Christians, our hope rests not in our own abilities or a last second desperation attempt but rather in a sure thing. We trust that God’s promises will be fulfilled because he promised them. Our hope rests in the truth that Jesus’s death and resurrection secured victory over sin and death and sealed our relationship with God forever.

Victory is found in the most unexpected places. An unexpected player or team that surprises everyone by playing far beyond what anyone thought possible and ends up victorious. A superfan nun whose health isn’t  the greatest but still manages to get herself to the sidelines to cheer on her team. The coach or player who overcomes a life-threatening illness or injury only to find themselves on one of the biggest stages of their lives. The unexpected surprises us but it also has the potential to enliven us, if we allow it to. But these stories merely echo the greatest story in all of history. Separated from God because of our sin, humans had no shot of making it back into God’s favor. But then came Jesus, in the form of a servant – living, teaching, and preaching about a different kind of kingdom. Jesus lived a perfect life while challenging the rules, assumptions, power structures, culture, and people’s beliefs and conquered sin and death by dying a sacrificial death and rising from the grave victorious for all. We love underdog and comeback stories, and this is the greatest one for all eternity.

As we step into Lent on our journey toward Easter, I’d like to invite you to join me on this sacred journey and allow God to draw us in and transform us so that we might more fully live into the abundant life that God has promised us. The Final Four may signify a nearing of the end of the tournament as we approach the championship game and prepare to crown a tournament champion. Similarly, our journey through Holy Week gets us one step closer to the championship culmination of Easter Sunday when we celebrate the victorious journey of Jesus and the fulfillment of all God’s promises. 

So, for the next few weeks I hope you’ll enjoy some great basketball games and have fun rooting for your favorite teams. But while you do, I also invite you throughout the upcoming Lenten season to pay attention for the unexpected because you just might be surprised at what God has waiting for you.

Pastor Tony

Holy Week 2020

Even in these days of the pandemic, we continue to mark the days of the journey of Jesus in life, in death, and in resurrection joy. Join with us as we worship in a new way, online (and in print in this newsletter).

Palm Sunday: “Hosanna in the highest!” will be our cry as we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into the gates of the holy city. We will celebrate the beginning of this holy week with the reminder that our expectations and God’s expectations are not always exactly the same. Where the people want a powerful king, Jesus comes as a suffering servant riding a donkey. Through our online worship experience, we will be reminded of the coming of the promised Messiah – the chosen one of God. This worship will be posted on Palm Sunday morning.

Maundy Thursday: We will gather in the upper room with Jesus and the disciples to celebrate the Last Supper. This year, we will hear words of confession and forgiveness and be reminded of the powerful image of the Savior washing the feet of the disciples. As is tradition, we will honor the memory of Jesus’ humiliation at the hands of those in power before he is led to the cross to be crucified by the stripping of the altar and the chanting of Psalm 22. This worship will be posted on Maundy Thursday at 6 p.m.

Good Friday: The ancient title for this day is “the Triumph of the Cross.” A reminder for us that the church gathers not to mourn this day but to celebrate Christ’s life-giving passion and to find strength and hope in the cross as a symbol of new life. We will share in the unfolding drama as Jesus is led to the cross. We will hear the Seven Last Words of our Savior from the cross. And we will give witness to the closing of the tomb. This worship will be posted on Good Friday at 6 p.m.

Easter Sunday: First we hear only hoped for whispers on the wind. Resurrection? Are you sure? We gather to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus, the Christ. We will hear the story of that first Easter sunrise and be surrounded by the joyful sounds of songs that have been sung for generations and songs that new generations are singing. This worship will be posted on Easter Sunday at sunrise around 6:15 a.m. on our website and Facebook.

(Reprinted from the April 2020 newsletter.)

The Wilderness of Lent

I wonder where you are in this wilderness of Lent. From ashes marked on our foreheads weeks ago on Ash Wednesday to our entrance into the wilderness and the story of the journey of Nicodemus, who travels at night, to visit Jesus – Lent is not exactly a quiet ride. Add to this season, the unfolding drama of the coronavirus and the up and down of the stock market and well, perhaps you are considering just staying home in hopes that the wilderness will calm down and then you can venture out once again.

The reality for most of us is that we cannot simply barricade ourselves inside our homes waiting and praying for the world to calm down. In fact, our call from Jesus is to “be in the world but not of the world.” In Matthew 10, Jesus shares these words, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” The world around us can often feel like a wilderness we are forced to navigate instead of a paradise to be enjoyed. In truth, I live with both ideas of approach. The wilderness can bring great challenge but also provide excitement, adventure, and new understanding. When I find myself in the wilderness, I know that I will be expected to reexamine my ideas and renew my understanding of how the world works or at least how I think the world works.

On March 8, we celebrated a new thing at Ascension. We hosted a new mission outreach ministry – a Winter Farmer’s Market in the midst of all the other excitement that a Sunday morning at Ascension offers. We could have put lots of rules and confines around the farmer’s market experience – it can only happen between this time and that time; it can only be in these spaces. Instead, as the planning unfolded, we simply tended the details that arrived at our doorstep and did our best to approach each new wrinkle as an opportunity to be welcomed not a problem to be solved. The Farmer’s Market was a huge success. After all was said and done, the Food, Faith, and Farming Network’s 8th and final farmer’s market of the winter season was its second-best sales totals for the season. I am grateful to Lynn Parkhurst who championed this first Winter Farmer’s Market. I am grateful still more for the countless individuals who stepped out of their comfort zones to help cook, set-up, serve, clean-up, host and greet. As with any venture into the wilderness, we will have some adjustments to make before next year – but for a first experience – Ascension was a wonderful partner for the Food, Faith, and Farming Network.

It turns out that I seem to always expect the wilderness to be a place of struggle. What I often find is that the wilderness is much less about the struggle and far more about learning new ways of walking with others. What more would Jesus ask of us in the wilderness of this Lenten season?
I wonder if I have asked for too much time walking with others. Well not with all of you but with my wife, my children, my dog. Already I have entered into a new wilderness with my family inside the ever-shrinking walls of our house. It is a new experience to have so much togetherness on this journey of Lent. Usually, I long for more of you to gather for worship, for soup, for ministry. Yet, in this moment, I could use a little bit of space and some really long walks to provide space for all of our family members in the wilderness this year. Social distancing at its finest – I think. Our house has never been so clean. Our basement has been purged. The laundry room/mud room is organized. And soon the garage. But then what? Holy Week will be upon us and we will walk the road from the gates of Jerusalem to the upper room to Calvary to an empty tomb – all of that walking happening in solitary and silent moments. The crowds that gathered to welcome Jesus into the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday are silent – yet still Jesus comes. The disciples who gathered with Jesus in the upper room are absent – yet still Jesus prays. The people who gathered at the foot of the cross will be far more distant this year – yet still Jesus remembers us. And come Easter dawn – there will be no visitors at the tomb – yet still Jesus rises.

We now know that we will not gather together in worship until the beginning of May at the earliest. A long time to be apart. Our plan, when we are allowed to gather once again, is to mark our first Sunday back together as our “homecoming Sunday.” A chance to engage, connect, celebrate, weep, and rejoice for the long night that will be over. And then hold on! The following Sunday – will bring us together for the great celebration of Easter and the joy of the resurrection. No longer apart and alone. Now all together as we praise our God. Thanks be to God!

Until I see you in church.
Pastor Chris

(Reprinted from the April 2020 newsletter.)

The Value of the Lenten Journey

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?” —Isaiah 58:6-7

The words of the prophet Isaiah are particularly fitting for our journey into the season of Lent. A couple of years ago I wrote a newsletter article on the season of Lent. I revisited those words in preparation for this coming Lent. Even the word “Lent” has become foreign to much of the world. And should you desire to deepen your relationship with God or sacrifice some aspect of your life in reverence and obedience to following God, you will no doubt be met with strange looks and questioning glances from those you might choose to share the faith journey you travel.

And yet, I am here to tell you that there is value in the journey of Lent. A season of 40 days of wilderness wanderings where, even in our presumed loneliness or suffering, God is present. As we are reminded of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, our own Lenten journeys can be opportunities for us to learn new directions; discern God’s will for our lives; and experience deeper moments in our worship and in our relationships with others. Regardless of the road you choose to travel in these days of Lent, God is with you. I believe, God has a deep desire to know you more deeply so that you can learn your value and worth through God’s eyes. And in learning your own value and worth, we can begin to understand that value and worth of those around us. Where each person is both a treasured creation of God and a beloved child of God.

It sounds good on paper; in reality we must find ways to let go of who we think we are in order to learn who we are in the eyes of God. The same is true for our brothers and sisters who sit next to us in worship; live across the street; gather at our borders and learn the story of God’s love for their own lives in the far corners of this world. What will this world look like when all God’s people walk together towards one Kingdom where all are welcome, and all are valued as beloved children of God. My friends, we have a long way to travel this season. My hope is that you will consider stepping into the wilderness of your life to find where God is leading you. Until everyone is given honor, freedom, and love…to the glory of God.

See you in the wilderness.

Pastor Chris
(Reprinted from the March 2020 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).