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).

New Beginnings

There is a story told of a young boy who lived with his parents in a cottage on a hillside, overlooking a wide valley. His greatest joy was to sit on the doorstep on summer evenings, and gaze across the valley to a house miles away on the opposite hillside, for, just as the sun was sinking in the west, the windows of that house would burst into flame, shining dazzlingly with golden light. How perfectly happy the people must be who live there, he thought! One day he packed sandwiches and set off to find the house with the golden windows, but it was farther off than he expected, and it was already towards sunset as he climbed steeply uphill. To his disappointment the house was a plain cottage after all, and the windows ordinary windows. The good people there offered him supper, and made up a bed in the kitchen, for it was too late now for him to return. That night, in his dream, he asked directions of a girl about his age. ‘The house with the golden windows? Yes, I’ve seen it.’ And she pointed. He woke to the early song of the birds. Drawing the curtain aside he looked out. There far across the valley, was his house – and, wonder of wonders, its windows flashed with gold in the brightness of the morning sun.

T.S. Elliot wrote these words, “And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” September is always a month of homecomings and moments of beginning again. At Ascension, we find ourselves ready to enter into the new possibilities of growing our relationship with God. September always brings excitement. I am excited to renew relationships with those that have been away for the summer; I am excited for the introduction of new liturgies and songs in our worship life; I am excited to see the growth in our ministries with children and youth; I am excited to see what is unfolding in our care ministries and small group ministries; I am excited for new mission opportunities as we seek to expand our vision to walk in our global neighborhood and the neighborhood around our church; I am excited for new opportunities for Bible study and reflection. There is much that is offered inside our walls and outside our walls – where will you find a place to rest and renew?

On Sunday, Sept. 11, we return to our Sunday morning worship schedule of 8:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. with Children’s Ministry (BLAST) and Adult Education from 9:45-10:35 a.m. I also want to invite you to consider another possibility beginning Sept. 14, from 7-8 p.m. and continuing throughout the 2016-2017 school year. I will be leading a Bible study entitled Through the New Testament or TNT for short. Early on in my ministry, I offered this opportunity and found it to be an awe inspiring introduction to the deep, deep love of God for each of us. The idea is that you read seven chapters of the New Testament a week…that is one chapter a day…and then answer four or five questions about what you read. Some questions are specific to the reading – some questions are reflections on your own faith life. You can join us as your schedule allows – but I need to have enough copies of the book in order to provide for everyone. Beginning Aug. 28, you can sign up at the Welcome Center. The cost of the copied book will be $5. We will run from Sept. 14 through May 31. Consider the possibility of reading the entire New Testament with a group of believers. The possibilities are endless. The best part is if you don’t have time in a particular week to read every chapter, someone else will have done the reading, so you can come regardless and share in the conversation. If you have questions, send me an email (pc@ascensionelca.org) or call me. All levels of Bible knowledge and those without any Bible knowledge are welcome. It can be a great introduction or a great continuation of the building of relationships with each other and with the living Word of God.

I am excited for what is ahead. Come and see for yourself! Peace be with you. See you in church.

~ Pastor Chris

(This article was first published in the September 2016 newsletter).

What Are We to Say?

Fabricio leaving for tripWhat then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

These are the words of the Apostle Paul to the Christian community in Rome. They are also the words read at the June 20th funeral for our brother Fabricio.

When I sit down to plan funerals with family members, I offer this reading from Romans as one possibility but I often encourage the family to choose a reading from Jesus’ own words. “I am the resurrection and the life,” or “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” or “in my Father’s house are many dwelling places.” I am hopeful they will choose a reading in which Jesus’ own words speak to them. My efforts are in part because the Apostle Paul has always been a secondary figure in my faith life. However, after Monday, June 20, my opinion of Paul’s words has changed.

Paul’s opening question has been my question over the past weeks as our congregation, as a community and as each of us as individuals, has tried to come to terms with the loss of a beautiful young man full of life, sharing joy with every smile. “Dear God, what are we to say about these things?” I confess I am at a loss (and many of you know me to never be at a loss for words).

JOLT Adventure Camp Fabricio and TonyA Sunday sermon quoting Fabricio’s own word, “hermosa” (beautiful), brought a little light to our darkness, and the visitation, funeral, and reception, as Ascension offered hospitality in ways I could only have imagined, gave me pause for a moment of deep pride in this community that lives out its brokenness through the lens of the cross of Christ. I have been grateful for countless hugs and words of comfort and prayers. It has been my desire all long to remind all of us that Jenny and Carlos, Edwin and Sarah, and Paul and Shirley deserve that compassion long before the rest of us. I stand in awe of God’s presence and power through the junior high students who loved Fabricio as one of their own – how they have honored Fabricio’s memory and tended to each other. I was grateful for Pastor Walter and Pastor Michelle for their ability to share the promise of God’s love, their gift of interpretation of Spanish to English and English to Spanish, and for Pastor Walter’s tending of a family I was unable to tend in their own language. I am also grateful for Pastor Walter’s care and his tears shed at both the loss of Fabricio and the promised welcome and homecoming for Fabricio at the gates of heaven. I am thankful for the Bishop’s presence to honor the family and the great gift of Pastor Angela who spoke to Jenny and Carlos as only she could, as a pastor to the Aparicio family and as a parent who has lost a child. I am so grateful for her words of faith in God and the explanation of drinking double fisted from a deep well of grief in one hand and a deep source of joy in Jesus in the other. And finally, I give thanks for Tony, who put into words the deep grief felt by Pam and myself. To hear Tony speak of Fabricio as a student he loved as his own son was in some ways too much to bear. Yet, I saw in Tony’s eyes the deep love and pain for this loss and his inability to do anything but love Carlos and Jenny, Karlita, and Johnson.

It will take time for Carlos and Jenny to learn this new world where the voice of their son is no longer heard. And all of you, members of the family of Ascension, give yourselves time to honor this life and your own suffering in the midst of this loss. I have come to understand that Fabricio’s death has touched our congregation in ways I did not comprehend in the days leading up to the funeral. Fabricio and his family attended the early service. Most of the junior high students on retreat and their parents attend the late service. Pam attends the late service but has been a member for her whole life. And who among you does not know Tony or myself? Where the death of any member of the church tears the fabric of the community apart – Fabricio’s life and death have woven the fabric of our community all the tighter for the ways in which we have found a communal suffering in the tragic loss of this beautiful young life.

So, dear God, I ask the question again, “What then are we to say about these things?” Perhaps for now, the words are less important than the touch, the hug, the smile, the tears, the tending to the Aparicio Family and the Wehmeier family and to each other as the family of Ascension. And maybe, just maybe, in the tending, we will begin to see healing, and in the healing, we will see the glory of God.

Peace my friends, deep peace be with each of you; God’s deep peace be with us all,

Pastor Chris Marien

(This article first appeared in Ascension’s July 2016 newsletter).

In These Days of Lent

lenten-crossThe baptized do not just ‘get together’, they are called and gathered by the Holy Spirit. God’s people do not hear just any word, but the Word of eternal life, Jesus Christ, who changes the heart and enlightens the mind. They do not share just any food, but the very Body and Blood of Christ. Those who have been gathered, enlightened and fed do not just ‘leave’ – but, as disciples of Christ, they are sent forth in mission to speak the Word of God and do the work of God in the world. ~ ELCA Worship Resource, This Far By Faith.

What an incredible description of who we are as the People of God, in Jesus Christ, in the world. Our identity, our calling, our hearing, our sharing, and our sending is enlightened and inspired by the work of the Holy Spirit. I believe, such a description brings both freedom and fear to the hearts of the baptized. So much to experience and so much to live up to as the baptized. What an opportunity for us? What a challenge for us?

Here we are in the middle of Lent. The color purple surrounds our altar and hearts as we live into following in the footsteps of Jesus as he sets his sights on Jerusalem. Whatever he sees on the horizon is too far away for our eyes to see clearly and yet, Jesus continues his steady step to the gates of the city. You and I can only follow—not because we have to, but because our hearts call us to follow the one who has saved us from our sins with holy and precious blood. The journey of Lent continues for each of us.

As you walk into the world each morning do you see how many people are oblivious to the journey we travel during these days? Lent? Church calendar? Jesus? Cross? Good Friday? Tomb? Empty? Have so many chosen to forget the promise and presence of God in Jesus Christ? Have our friends, our neighbors, learned to call on God only in the midst of crisis or tragedy? And where does that leave us? Here we are in the days of Lent, trying to focus on what Jesus sees over the horizon, only to be distracted by those same friends, family, and neighbors who just simply do not understand, or choose not to hear, or really do not care at all about the story we would tell—given the opportunity.

Perhaps, therein lies the real quandary. Have any of us had the opportunity to share our story of faith with anyone in these days of Lent? Has God offered a shoulder, a listening ear, but we have turned away in embarrassment or timidness? Have we looked for opportunities to share our faith in word or in action with those we meet in these days of Lent? Where will this Lenten journey lead us? Where will God enter into our lives and offer an opportunity for us to live out our callings as the baptized? When the Holy Spirit calls and gathers…when the Word is heard…when the food is shared…when we are sent…where will we go? To whom?

May these days of Lent continue to move each of us into the world for the sake of the mission and ministry of God in Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Peace be with you.

~ Pastor Chris Marien

(This post was originally published in Ascension’s March 2016 newsletter).

The Power of Presence

On Saturday, June 27, my day began at 3:30 a.m. as I made my way to the Milwaukee airport to fly to Seattle because my oldest friend invited me to preach at the worship service at which she was being installed as a new pastor. Flying to Seattle via Chicago meant there would be no time to change clothes before the worship service, so I wore my clerical collar through the airport, on the plane, and at lunch before finally getting to the worship service at 2 p.m.

I do not usually notice the stares, and sometimes glares, of people who see me approaching when I wear my collar. On this day, I traveled with a friend whose dad is a pastor. Several times, Jordan mentioned the stares pointed in my direction. I smiled as I remembered I was wearing my collar; after I put it on, I sometimes forget I’m wearing it. What was surprising to both Jordan and me was the deer-in-the-headlights look that so often confronts me when I travel in my collar. I imagine people have three main reactions: one offers respect and often a smile or head nod; a second is one of disdain (usually because of an experience with the Church where the person was mistreated, judged, or ignored); and the third reaction, which is the most fascinating because it speaks to our world as it is today, is one of complete and utter helplessness. As if some far off memory reminds them that they might know the collar represents something but they are unsure of where to place it or how to interact with it so they give me a wide berth. The symbol of the collar can be both an invitation and a distraction for people. I struggle to find a balance between the two, but I like to believe that the invitations outweigh the distractions.

I joined my friend at the service of installation and preached a message about new beginnings and hope for futures resting squarely in the grace of God. I shared a message that spoke to my friend’s gifts for the ministry and her hunger to share God’s love. And I promised the congregation she is now serving that she would love them but also push them out of their comfort zone. I asked them to consider the future as an adventure to share with their new pastor to the glory of God. At the end of the sermon, I reminded them that God is faithful – that they should feel blessed for being the “luckiest congregation in the ELCA” and invited them to “be at peace.” It was a wonderful day to worship God and to share in the journey of my friend as she begins a new chapter in ministry. The funny thing is – after wearing my collar all morning, through airports, plane rides, and lunch on the beach – it was so hot at the church that my friend invited me to choose to continue wearing my collar or to cool off by changing into a different dress shirt. I chose the cooler shirt, which did not make me that much cooler but did remind me that the journey we travel as people of faith is one that calls us to be wholly present for the good and the not so good moments of this life.

So, my friends, look for the moments in these summer days and remind yourself to be wholly present, so you might share all of who you are with a friend, a child, a parent, a spouse, and especially your God. Perhaps, in these summer days, you might even consider giving your whole self to yourself as a gift – to rest for a quiet time of reconnection with who you truly are and not who think the world expects you to be.

Peace be with you,
Pastor Chris Marien

(This article was taken from Ascension’s August 2015 newsletter)

A Future Unfolding

By: Rev. Christian W. Marien

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt – a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ~ Jeremiah 31:31-33

Counting down the days to summer used to be a joy in the season of spring. In grade school, summer vacation meant long leisurely mornings and playing outside. In high school, summer days meant getting to my summer job by 8:30 a.m. and working until 5 p.m. if I wanted to fill my wallet and savings account. Now, as a parent, counting down the days to summer means navigating childcare, day camps, and new routines for drop-offs and pick-ups. Needless to say, I do not count down the days to summer vacation with the same enthusiasm as I did as a child.

The days are surely coming says the Lord, prophesies Jeremiah, reminding us God is not finished with God’s people. It is a word spoken of a future yet to unfold. I am grateful for church council under the direction of Council President Nada Draeger as Vision ARISE 2025 begins to bring focus to the future direction of Ascension. Church council, staff, wing and leg leaders, and other ministry leaders gathered in May for the first substantial piece of our new vision of the future for the glory of God. The excitement was palpable. We are indebted to Craig Greenwood who lead the retreat and laid the groundwork for the months ahead. 2025 might be ten years away but soon enough we will welcome 2024 and look to the next ten years of ministry of Ascension. Daunting? Not at all! Exciting? Absolutely! The Church of God seeks new expression even as we love and live what we now know.

The days are surely coming says the Lord. Let them come, Lord God. A new covenant – yes! A renewing of your promise to be among your people – yes! As the Holy Spirit moves among us, may we seek out those places and people where we realize the Lord’s presence.

In the next few months, I will extend invitations to you to share in listening sessions to help shape ARISE 2025, Ascension’s vision for the next ten years. The church council, wing leaders, and members serving in ministries of each of Ascension’s butterfly wings are beginning the next step of the visioning process. So the excitement grows!

Where will the Holy Spirit lead? How will we be moved by the tending of our God? Interested in joining in the conversation? Let me know. Give Nada a call. Talk to any council member. We would all love to have you join us in this second leg of the journey towards the future.

Counting down the days to summer used to remind me that the school year was over. Now as an adult, the summer days find different shape and purpose. I am glad to share in this journey of faith with each of you. Join in worship inside and outside this summer. Find your summer days marked a by a moment of prayer – giving thanks to God for a day of rest or a time of renewal with family and friends. Finally, ask God to help you recognize the presence of God in those around you and in yourself. And instead of counting down the days to the end of summer, imagine counting down the days towards a fresh fall and a future filled with hope for our church and our world to the glory of God.

Peace be with you!

(This article was taken from Ascension’s June 2015 newsletter).

The Hovering of the Holy Spirit

How does one begin to say goodbye? Just a few weeks after Easter and already we are prepare to say goodbye to our Savior as Jesus ascends into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. We feel like we hardly have enough time with Jesus. Even though we have the Word to keep us in tune with the teachings of Jesus and the will of God, it never seems fair at the end of the day that God did not allow for a little more time with God’s people while residing in human flesh. The day of Ascension flies by on May 14 this year. We lose Jesus on the cross after some major ministry and teaching, only to be reunited with him at the empty tomb. And in our great joy, realizing that our Savior has now risen from the dead, we get 50 more days of appearances before he ascends into his Father’s heavenly kingdom.

It just doesn’t seem like enough. I want so much more. I want the time to spend talking with Jesus after he has been to the other side. What is death like? How did it feel to push aside the stone? What was it like to laugh in the face of death as you pulled the grave clothes from your restored body? So many questions we never get to ask. And then, before we know it, the day of Ascension is here and our Savior ascends into heaven and we are left with…what? Is there anything better than Jesus? Why not stay on earth and coordinate a new way of life – a little beginner’s course on living a new life in the afterglow of the resurrection?

However, Jesus clearly tells us that after he ascends into heaven, we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit:

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. ~ John 14:16-17

What great promise can be heard in those words? It is as if Jesus says, “Not only have I died on the cross for your sins, but in case that wasn’t enough to convince you, I will be sending someone to make the whole idea of salvation and the free gift of God’s love and grace more understandable.” The Holy Spirit is the person who moves in and among us, preparing us for God’s will and to hear God’s voice and pushing us in directions we sometimes would rather not go. This is the person that now stands as witness to God’s great glory and who helps to change our minds, warm our hearts, surprise us, challenge us, and propel us into the work God calls us to do as the people of God.

If we still do not understand what the ascension of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit have in common, Jesus offers these words:

I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. ~ John 14: 25-26

It’s as if, in God’s great wisdom, the saints are being equipped to do the will and work of God long before we ever heard words like empowerment, equipping, and the priesthood of all believers. So while there are still millions of alleluias to be shouted from rooftops as we rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus, the tears of goodbye can be set aside in order to do his work.

We are not passive observers of the ministry of Jesus, his life, death, and resurrection. We are full-fledged priests and participants in the will and the work of the One who is, who was, and who is to come. Come and be party to the great glory of God. Let your hearts fill to overflowing as your joy brings service and your service finds expression. Let that expression be to the glory of God in both the ministry of Ascension, and especially, in the life you lead each day.

With alleluias still ringing,
Pastor Chris

(This article was first published in Ascension’s May 2015 newsletter).