Ready for Easter

I am ready for Easter!
I am ready for every word of resurrection joy.
I am ready for every celebratory trumpet sound.
I am ready for a stone to be rolled away.
I am ready for a sunrise that is blinding in its glory.
I am ready for the fragrance of Easter lilies to fill the space of worship.
I am ready for the promise of new life in the green shoot from the earth.
I am ready for Easter!

Don’t get me wrong! Lent has been a wild journey in the wilderness. If I am being honest, the journey has gone far better than I expected. I have walked through dry valleys with some of you. With others, I have celebrated moments of renewal. I have sought my own still waters to find rest. It did not hurt that Lent encompassed Spring Break for all three of our children at the same time. I was unaware of my hunger to have our college age son home for a time. I even celebrated extra cooking and baking and laundry just to hear his voice in the house again. The Church Council and other ministry leaders gathered to begin the journey towards our 2035 vision for ministry. New members are filling out membership forms as they have come to find Ascension to be a place of welcome, a place to call their spiritual home. Alfombras are being traced as we prepare for Palm Sunday when the vibrant colored sawdust will once again tell the story of the last week of the life of Jesus. Musicians are practicing – so much practicing – so that choirs and instrumentalists will offer their very best to the glory of God.

All this leading us to the waving palm branches to welcome a Savior to the holy city of Jerusalem. An upper room will be prepared for a dinner with friends where disciples and teacher will gather to rest, relax, tell stories, and be reminded that that greatest among us must be a servant to all. A garden will serve as a cathedral of prayer until a betrayal and an arrest. A mock trial will claim truth and the powers of this world will be manipulated in order to pass a sentence of death for the Savior of the world. A cross will stand empty until nails are hammered through flesh. Seven last words will call us to weep, reflect, and remember. A newly carved tomb will become the final resting place for the one we called, Immanuel, God with us. And we will leave the graveyard with little hope left among us.

That is, until some women go to visit the tomb. They will go to the tomb to leave spices that will mask the scent of death – myrrh and aloes. Yet they will leave it behind for the shock of the stone rolled away and the tomb found empty. A shock to be sure. A trick? A crime of theft? Or the unimaginable possibility that what their teacher said would happen, actually took place. Resurrection.
Still in disbelief, May will weep outside the empty tomb. One last insult for her teacher and friend. A body stolen from its grave. Until – she hears a voice. One, she does not recognize at first. Then – she hears her name. “Mary.” Instantly she knows. Only one person in all the world speaks her name with such love and affection.

And the rest of the story will be told again and again to all who would listen because we never tire of hearing the story of resurrection joy on that first Easter day. It will begin with the words Mary never thought she would ever say again. “I have seen the Lord!”
People of God, I am ready for Easter! What joy awaits us. Come join the story and the song in the days ahead.

See you in church.

Pastor Chris

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

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Happy Epiphany!

Depending on when you are reading this article, we might still be in the 12 days of Christmas which ends on January 5th; or you might be celebrating the new year; or possibly January 6th Epiphany celebrations have finally arrived to celebrate a star in the sky and the visit of the Magi to the Christ child. Whenever and however, you are celebrating, it is my hope you found a moment to revel in and reflect on the promise of God’s presence among us revealed in starlight and baby cry and the turn of the calendar to 2025.

The gift of Epiphany is the opportunity to rest in the story. There are almost ten weeks of Epiphany this year. A glorious opportunity for reflection as we enter into this new year together. One of my favorite authors is a gifted woman, named Jan Richardson. She offered this blessing for the new year. I have decided to move in.

The Year as a House: A Blessing

Think of the year as a house:
door flung wide in welcome,
threshold swept and waiting,
a graced spaciousness opening and offering itself to you.

Let it be blessed in every room.
Let it be hallowed in every corner.
Let every nook be a refuge and every object set to holy use.

Let it be here that safety will rest.
Let it be here that health will make its home.
Let it be here that peace will show its face.
Let it be here that love will find its way.

Here
let the weary come
let the aching come
let the lost come
let the sorrowing come.

Here
let them find their rest
and let them find their soothing
and let them find their place
and let them find their delight.

And may it be in this house of a year that the seasons will spin in beauty,
and may it be in these turning days that time will spiral with joy.
And may it be that its rooms will fill with ordinary grace and light spill from every window to welcome the stranger home.   —Jan Richardson

Wherever you make your home, may it be blessed, and may you enter this Epiphany and the coming year in peace. People of God, welcome home! See you in church.

Pastor Chris

Advent Arrives

Advent has come! “Advent,” as one author writes, “is a season of the heart, a time when our hearts are warmed by the love of family and friends, and especially, the love of God. Advent is also a time for heart work, a time to address straying of the heart from God’s purposes, hardening of the heart to the people around us whom God has called us to love, and dulling of the heart to the joys and wonders of life.”

Advent has sometimes been called “the little Lent,” but Advent is so much more! A time of preparation and anticipation for the One who makes all things new. Candles are lit each Sunday around an Advent Wreath to help us prepare. Words like Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love are announced to remind us of what the coming Savior of the world will offer to us. There is a joy in the waiting for Christmas because we know what is to come. The labor pains of Mary will give way to the cries of a newborn king. The world will not even take notice. But animals close by the manger and armies of angels in heaven will bend their knee in worship. Emmanuel, God with us, has come to be among us. 

We so often wait with worry, frustration, fear. We expect that the end of our waiting will bring news that is difficult to hear. Even in moments of joyful anticipation, there can be moments of cautious hesitation expecting something bad to happen. It is the broken world that seeps into our hope. It is only by the arrival of Jesus that our hope can be restored and with that hope – we find peace, joy, and love to sustain us in this life. 

Who could believe a baby in a manger would change the world forever? Is it too much to hope for in this life, with all of its struggles and moments that weigh us down, that our God comes to us to be present with us in the valleys and celebrates with us on the mountaintop? Perhaps, most days it is too much to believe that God cares so much as to take notice. Yet, I am convinced that the God who comes to us in every vulnerability, is the same God who comes to us with every strength to carry us through these days and one day, will carry us home. 

So this Advent, join us on our journey to the manger. Seek out the star in the sky, follow the shepherds, hear the cries of a new born baby, and kneel down, with all creation, in worship and reverence for the arrival of the newborn king once again.

People of God, Merry Christmas! (if just a bit early)

Pastor Chris

Thankful for You

Well, friends, I am just a week past my hernia surgery. It has been a journey. No doubt in the month of November you will hear Pastor Tony or Pastor Edwin yell at me for preparing to pick up a chair or move a table. God forbid I move a candlestick! I am not a fan of being dependent on another person. Ask my wife! Though I am very content to ring a little bell so that my wife will know it is time to refill my coffee cup. In my dreams…at least.

It has been a glorious October – Green Meadows worship on the farm, new member brunch and the joy of 27 new members sharing in the gift of this community of faith, CRASH cooking and serving breakfast to the teachers at Hawthorne Elementary, and Reformation Sunday celebrating the public profession of faith of our confirmands. And I thought September was a full month with our 75th anniversary celebration weekend and the kick-off to fall programming. None of this was done by one person alone. The ministry and mission of Ascension is the power of God lived out through the energy and faithfulness of so many of you that make Ascension the community of faith that it is.

November brings the gift of All Saints Sunday and the remembering of those who have died in our community in the last year as well as lifting up the memory of loved ones who still rest in our hearts even as they enjoy the Kingdom of God. Young at Heart will take 50 people to an event to hear the sounds of Christmas a bit early while enjoying the gift of fellowship and community. Ascension’s annual meeting will be on Sunday, Nov. 17, at 9:45am in-between services. An opportunity for us to gather to celebrate where we have been and where God may be leading in the year ahead. Christ the King Sunday celebrates the end of the church year on Sunday, Sept. 24, and the season of Advent will be right around the corner. Again, all of this takes place, with your passion and partnership in the ministry of the body of Christ.

It turns out I am dependent on all of you – though not for my coffee. As one of your pastors, my ministry is encouraged, enriched, and inspired by your ministry and presence in worship, study, and in serving each other and those outside the walls of Ascension. In this month, where we celebrate the day of Thanksgiving, I want to take a moment to give thanks to God for all of you and to thank you for all that you do to share the story of God’s love throughout the world. What joy it brings to walk together in this time and place.

See you in church,
Pastor Chris

Into the Mess

I have spent much of the summer reading a book entitled “Into the Mess & Other Jesus Stories.”

The introduction to the book begins like this: “I don’t like messes, in life or in faith. I doubt I’m alone; no one chooses Christianity because they crave unruliness or disruption. In fact, many of us embrace religious faith for the opposite reason; we assume – and our churches encourage us to believe – that our spiritual commitments will keep life neat and orderly. At the same time, many of us twenty-first century believers are tired of religious language and imagery that skirt the messiness of our lived lives. We’re weary of platitudes, easy answers, and quick “fixes” that fix nothing. We might want tidiness, but we also want a faith with hard edges – a robust and relevant faith that integrates the hard stuff of our days and still makes possible transcendence and joy.” And that was enough to capture my wondering. Few of us enter into a new day wondering what mess we can find ourselves in by the end of the day. More often than not, the messes come to us not the other way around. Which led me to the road I have walked more than once – mess or method, interruption or invitation.

In his book “Life Together,” Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes: “We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions. We may pass them by, preoccupied with our more important tasks. . . It is a strange fact that Christians and even ministers frequently consider their work so important and urgent that they will allow nothing to disturb them. They think they are doing God a service in this, but actually they are disdaining God’s ‘crooked yet straight path.’”

I know some of you are probably tired of stories from the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering, but I am afraid there will be a few more along the way this fall. For all of the organizing, coordinating, planning, preparing, contracting, praying, celebrating – I am ALWAYS glad when it comes to an end. It is a mountaintop moment that cannot last and I am convinced I do not want it to last beyond the five days of the event. It is glorious in almost every way, and yet, returning to life in Wisconsin, prepping for the fall at Ascension, dreaming about what is next for this community of faith I deeply love – those moments are just as important, and I miss this place when I am away too long. Prepping for the fall; dreaming about ministry; celebrating 75 years of ministry; collaborating on our 2035 Strategic Plan can all be moments of messiness and at the same time little mountaintop moments to lift our eyes to the hills and to the glory of God as the psalmist says.

One might believe that the work of the Youth Gathering can be exhausting. Of course. And also, the work inspires me to return to my call at Ascension to live, to lead, to discern, and to dream alongside you. Fall programming is always exciting. What will work for us? What will fail? What are we hungry for? What will spark interest for people outside our doors? How will new members enter into our patterns of life and ministry? Who believes they are ready to grow in their faith in a new way? Yes, it gets messy AND even the mess can be a mountaintop moment when we trust that our God leads us into the mess and up to the mountaintop and promises to stay with us all along the way. 

So my friends, welcome to the mess that is life and ministry and new chapters of new school years, new chapters of empty nesting, new chapters of ministry for our community of Ascension and for each of us to the glory of God. Holy God, bring on the mess, it is where we are able to see your hand leading us most clearly into the future you have planned for each of us.

See you in church…

Pastor Chris

PC & the Youth Gathering

Dear People of God,

What an amazing journey we have traveled over these past two weeks. I could fill this entire newsletter with images that tell the story of God’s love unfolding in the lives of high school students. However, I would rather you ask a high school student at church the next time you see someone and hear their own story. As much as we have been to the mountaintop in New Orleans, we are already looking ahead to 2027 in Minneapolis. I am hopeful that Ascension takes twice as many students. The church is indeed alive and well as these pictures share witness. And now back at Ascension, we are already praying for the safe travels and relationship building continuing to happen as members of Ascension travel to El Salvador. It will be exciting to add their stories of how God is at work in El Salvador to the stories told of serving in New Orleans. God’s richest blessings to each of you as these summer days continue to move swiftly towards fall.

See you in church…

Pastor Chris

Pastor Chris: 1984

What do you remember most about 1984?

  • Ronald Reagan was president.
  • George Bush was vice-president.
  • The cost of a new home was $97,600
  • A first-class stamp would run you about $0.20.
  • Gas for your car would cost you $1.20.
  • A dozen eggs would set you back $1.01.
  • A gallon of milk would cost you $2.26.
  • Ascension was celebrating its 35th anniversary in 1984.

The community of Ascension was worshipping in our former sanctuary, what we now call East Hall (where our Spanish language members worship at 10:45.) A gifted young woman entered the doors of Ascension and began sharing her talents at the organ bench as a substitute organist and accompanying the choir on occasion. 

In 2024, we are celebrating 40 years of ministry for that same woman. What a joy it is to call Vicki Taylor, Director of Music Ministries, our colleague and friend, as she continues to glorify God through her gifts of music and choral and handbell direction. Over the years, Vicki has worn many hats here at Ascension and continues to have something magical up her sleeve to offer to the worship life of our congregation. She brings energy, joy, passion, dedication, and a deeply faithful heart to the ministry she provides to and through this community of faith. 

It is pure joy to continue to partner with Vicki in ministry to the glory of God as we imagine the ways in which our worship inspires, comforts, challenges, and brings praise to our God. Please take a moment to speak a word of thanks to Vicki for the many years of ministry and celebrate her for her continued commitment to “make a joyful noise to the Lord.” We are grateful for all that the Lord has done with and through her gifts and we are excited for what is to come in the years ahead.

We will celebrate Vicki at our 8:30 a.m. worship service on Sunday, June 2, and honor her continued ministry with a reception between services. 

Thanks be to God!

Pastor Chris

Easter Reflections

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

We are just a little past the midway point in our Easter celebrations. It has been a glorious season. From lilies and trumpets and music to lead us in praise of our God to baptisms, baptisms, baptisms. A ministry fair and pupusas to purchase and a final trip to New Orleans before the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering this summer. There is a lot going on and I, for one, am wondering when I can step down from the merry-go-round for a moment.

The school year is quickly coming to an end, which means a graduation to prepare for in our house. Fourteen years ago, when I arrived at Ascension, my oldest child was four years old and now he looks to a new chapter at University of Wisconsin at Madison. This is my moment to say thank you to all of you for helping to shape my son; for providing a place of welcome and hospitality and for allowing him to become his own person in your midst. Sometimes the children of the pastors must deal with a good deal of judgment and pillar balancing. I am grateful that you have allowed my oldest to be himself and know this faith community as a place of welcome and love for most of his life. All that being said, this pastor/dad is learning to balance all the pieces that come with preparing for the first of his children to make his way in the world. I confess, I am not sure how I feel about it. There are a lot of unknowns and several of you have already offered advice and honestly, thank you. Some of it makes me laugh and some of the advice is pure gold and somehow, it will all work itself out.

That is exactly how I am feeling about this summer and preparing to welcome 15,000 high school students – all of them for the very first time – to New Orleans and the Youth Gathering. In some ways, I have it easy this time around. It is my job to entertain and teach faith formation for about 3 and ½ hours each night of the event and make sure closing worship goes off without a hitch and everybody gets communion. Pastor Tony has to keep everyone safe. I think I will stick with my job, thank you very much! As I fly home from New Orleans, I am reflecting on all the work that has been done and the work still to do. Work, I can do because of your support and willingness to allow me to serve the national church in this way. It is no small task, and I am only able to balance the youth gathering and the ministry of Ascension with the partnership of Pastor Tony and Pastor Edwin and the amazing people who I work alongside each day. Amy, Ben, Sarah, Tamie, and Vicki tend to so many moments of ministry alongside the pastors – please thank them when you see them. Ascension runs as smoothly and provides so much to so many because of their dedication.

And then there is this incredible community of people. All of you who show up, step up, and stand up when there is a call to serve in some way to share in the ministry of this community of faith allowing all of us to grow and flourish. It is because of your commitment and faithfulness to the story of God’s love and your willingness to give of yourselves in leadership and love and in sweat and tears and laughter all along the way walking your individual journeys of faith as well, that Ascension becomes more and more of who God is inviting and leading and pushing us to be. Who we are, as the community of Ascension, a place of welcome and multi-cultural ministry, is because of who you are as God blesses you and invites you to share in the story and ministry of this community of faith.

In the season of Easter, as much I want to celebrate the resurrection and give praise to God alone, I am also filled with deep gratitude for the ways in which God inspires you to serve; to care for the other; to walk alongside each other and serve the world around us all to the glory of God. I am humbled to serve as one of your pastors and grateful for the ministry we share.

See you in church.

Pastor Chris

Christ Is Risen!

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

I never get tired of hearing those words. They offer praise. Bring peace. Extend comfort. Reassure troubled hearts. And even raise the dead. Okay, maybe not in the literal sense, but for many of us who know someone who is in a season of their life that is painful, difficult, hopeless – these words of resurrection joy can lift someone from their suffering, if only for a momentary glimpse of the Kingdom of God and the joy to be found there.

I have often wondered why our funeral liturgy does not include this resurrection announcement. I imagine the mood would change for those who gather to remember a loved one, if the first words they heard and said included: “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

I am all for: 

  • John 14 – Let not your hearts be troubled;
  • Psalm 23 – The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want;
  • Matthew 11 – Come to me all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens;
  • John 11 – I am the resurrection and the life.
  • Romans 8 – What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us?
  • Job 19 – I know that my redeemer lives.
  • Psalm 118 – Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter them; 

And yet, none of those words fill me with the power of belief like, “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Who among us has not known the sting of death or felt the bitter wind at graveside? Even in the warmth of the summer sun, to stand at the edge of the grave of someone we love, there is a known sense of loneliness, regardless of the gathered crowd around you. So again, I ask, why do we not include the resurrection announcement at the beginning and end of every funeral we attend? For that matter, why is the story of resurrected Savior and empty tomb not reminded to us again and again at the entrance to the sanctuary and the gate of the cemetery? It is as if the celebration of Easter is not enough for us. AND YET THIS EASTER NEWS IS ENOUGH! It is all we need. If we had no other words of Scripture but this story of resurrection of the Son of God, it is enough. 

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’s head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed, for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

I invite you to carry the story and these words of resurrection joy and promise with you into each new day – long past these 50 days of Easter celebration. Carry this resurrection joy deep within you, write it on your heart, and speak it in greeting to remind yourself and others of the good news of our God. “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! 

May the joy of Easter carry you into each new day.

Pastor Chris