Season of Love

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

In a world where injustice, hatred, discrimination, and division continue to cause pain and death among humanity, we, the children of light, are called to show to the world that our light provides us with hope, peace, joy, and love. Considering that we are entering the season of love, I want to take this opportunity to focus my article on that this month. As children of light, the practice of love is one of our qualities that tells the world who we are and how we identify ourselves to others.

The decorative season of Christmas, New Year’s, and Epiphany is now behind us. Now, we find ourselves in a time when we are reminded of the importance of practicing love. Stores are filled with decorations and items, and the barrage of advertisements on TV and social media is constant to remind us of the season and encourage our consumerism. In the Bible, the children of light are also reminded and called to practice love in their daily lives. Texts such as:

  • “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
  • “I have loved you with an everlasting love;I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3
  • “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:18
  • “Beloved, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8
  • “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.” John 13:34-35
  • “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:14
  • “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10
  • “And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:2
  • “This is the message you have heard from the beginning: that we should love one another.” John 3:11
  • “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15

When I attended the Youth Gathering in New Orleans, I had the opportunity to get an Old Lutheran sweatshirt. Old Lutheran is a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening, educating, and helping our brothers and sisters around the world. What caught my attention on the sweatshirt were the words: Love God. Love People. The End. We Christians are called to Love God, Love People. The practice of love is how we will counteract the darkness promoted among us. We, the children of light, are called to be the difference and a clear example of Jesus’ presence in the world. We, the children of light, are called to listen to our God revealed in the person of Jesus. If the world wants to tell us to hate, to discriminate and to oppress others, we the children of the light are called to follow what God commands us.

AMA DIOS. AMA GENTE. EL FIN —LOVE GOD. LOVE PEOPLE. THE END.

Pastor Edwin Aparicio

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

Love God & Love Your Neighbor

Happy New Year! Now that we’ve got that out of the way, what’s next? Well, one of the irritating things about a new year is this business of new year resolutions. For many people it’s typical to step into the new year by setting new goals and aspirations. It’s something that tends to require a reordering of priorities and usually involves writing goals down on paper or creating cell phone reminders or encouraging notes on our computer home screen and then aligning our daily habits to those goals. We all make them – or at least feel like we should make them. But like new Christmas toys, too often they soon end up broken and tossed aside.

I think it’s safe to say if we gathered a list of resolutions from Ascension members we’d no doubt see goals ranging from the ever-popular losing weight, to sticking with an exercise program, to developing a more regular prayer life to being more kind, to being a better spouse, parent, sibling, or friend. All things that are intended to improve our lives.

Recently when I led a study on the Book of Joy, I asked group members, “What brings you the most joy?” Their consensus answer was “relationships and connections with others.” If this is indeed true, and I believe it is, then as we look ahead to this new year, I wonder if we might move relationships to the forefront of our minds as we ponder setting our new year resolutions. First in our relationship with God, and then in our relationships with others. Because if I remember scripture correctly this sounds familiar to something Jesus said – love God and love your neighbors.

As we step into this new year I wonder if each of us would consider these words every time we encounter the clerk at the post office, the receptionist at the doctor’s office, the people who clean your office building, and pick up your trash and recycling. The cashier, bagger, or stock person where you buy groceries, or the people who deliver your packages along with every other person in this world regardless of their race, religion, political affiliation, financial status, language spoken, skin color, country of origin or anything else and remember all of them are God’s children and deserving of love, welcome, acceptance, respect, and compassion.

With this in mind, I pray that your resolutions and mine will all lead toward the peace and joy on earth that we celebrate in the birth of Jesus at Christmas. May the joy of Christ be with you always throughout this new year and beyond.

Pastor Tony