God is at Work!

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

Ascension finds itself in a time of expectation! Easter is upon us and with the announcement that the tomb is empty, we find ourselves looking to the joy of spring – the earth coming alive as the edges of winter begin to give way to the warm winds of life – new life. What would God have us do in the world to God’s great glory? How shall we look to the world around us and see the face of Christ calling out to us?

Now that Easter Sunday has come and gone, are you already setting yourself up for summer break – or is there still a hunger that gnaws at you, calling you to something new, something different, something more in your relationship with God? The lilies have bloomed, the trumpets have sounded, the tomb stands empty, and in these days of appearance as Jesus shows himself to the disciples and countless others before he ascends into heaven, there is energy, curiosity, expectation in the air…do you feel it?

I tell you God is at work at Ascension! Do you believe it? Do you feel God’s presence – the Holy Spirit at work? The fruits of our labor in service to God are not in vain, nor do they go unnoticed! God is at work at Ascension and we are beginning to see the work of God all around us. We give thanks to God for the 32 First Communion candidates who celebrated their First Communion on Palm Sunday or will celebrate their First Communion on April 3. What joy to welcome these fourth and fifth graders to God’s altar. Please join me in prayer asking God’s blessing on the journeys before each of our First Communion candidates. We are also grateful for the work of musicians and altar guild who took extra time behind the scenes to prepare for the powerful and moving worship of Holy Week. We have received new members and look to the future where God will invite more people into the midst of our community. God is at work! The Holy Spirit is on the move and we are looking forward to the blessings of God among us in the gifts of each other!

We have traveled the road of Lent to the cross and we are now on the road of the cross that carries us into the future. During Lent, we were following Jesus to the cross. Now, we look to Jesus who leads us within the shadow of the cross into the future. The cross was never an end but a place to begin again and again and again. Where will God in Jesus Christ take us in the days ahead? Where do we want to go as God’s people? Where do you want to go as God’s child? Who cares? As long as we travel together — following in the footsteps of our God!

May God grant you joy in these Easter days!

~ Pastor Chris Marien

(This article is taken from Ascension’s April 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).

Walk the Road of Lent

Ash Wednesday will be celebrated on February 10 at both 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Ascension. You are invited to gather with your brothers and sisters to worship God and be reminded that God cares about your whole life.

In Lent, we hear God’s promises in new ways…that EVERY end is a beginning; that EVERY night gives way to morning; that EVERY hurt can be healed; that EVERY broken moment can be redeemed; that EVERY life lost can be found; that EVERY cross carried can be given to Jesus; that EVERY prayer spoken is heard.

In my life, Lent is the ground on which I walk the journey of my faith. Sometimes the ground is hard and packed down. In other areas, the ground is dry and cracked. Still other roads are muddy and hard to navigate. And then in the season of Lent, I am blessed – as are you blessed – with soft and fertile ground ready and waiting for the new thing God promises to do in each of our lives…should we choose to be open to what God will do in us and through us. Will you choose to walk the road of Lent? Will you let your journey of faith lead you in a new direction at God’s invitation? The invitation has been made…God waits for each of us…will you come?

I wrote those words last year to share the wonder of God’s promise to be with us. The words were important enough to share with you again as the season of Lent arrives with Ash Wednesday.

After the four weeks of Advent that lead us to Christmas, the 40 days that make up the season of Lent, leading us to Easter, provide the most powerful witness to the events of Holy Week that call us to an empty tomb on Easter morning. God provides everything we need on our journey. You only need to hear God’s call and follow. I know that sounds easier than it is. Our journeys of faith are so often complicated by schedules, careers, children, parents, spouses, weather, and those life circumstances beyond our control. It is true. And then, it is not true.

Our individual journeys of faith are of God’s design. Not one of us travels the same road and yet our journeys provide moments of awareness of the other. I am reminded of the words of the song:

Will you let me be your servant? Let me be as Christ to you? Pray that I might have the grace to let you be my servant, too. We are pilgrims on a journey, we are trav’lers on the road. We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.

Lent is our opportunity to travel the road together to help each other walk the mile and bear the load. You are invited to join us on this journey through Lent. Come and see the new thing God is doing. Peace be with you.

~ Pastor Chris Marien

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

Days of Light

What joy to celebrate the birth of our Savior once again in these Christmas days. It always fills me with wonder and awe to see the body of Christ gather to sing the old songs while experiencing the story and love of God in new ways through the journey of Advent darkness to Christmas light. Even as the world often does not know what to do with the birth of our Savior, you and I hear the call of God to be witnesses to the light of God coming into the world.

Now we find ourselves on the edge of the season of Epiphany – the season of light. I am filled with peace in these days of light – each day a reminder of God’s presence in my life and in the life of the world. When we see the difficult and painful realities of our world, our hope in Jesus gives us strength to face the days before us.

Some of us are experiencing a broken relationship; some of us are living with the consequences of a decision made long ago; some of us are afraid to reach out to someone in need; some of us are wondering how we will get through one more day; and some of us are fearful of the seemingly downward spiral of a world in turmoil. Through all of these fears and worries, the light of God in Jesus Christ shines chasing away the dark night of our fear.

Our invitation is to trust God and follow God from the manger to the temple to the River Jordan to the healing and saving work of God on the cross and through the gate of death to the other side of the empty tomb. The old Norwegian hymn, “I Am So Glad Each Christmas Eve” reminds us of God’s promise.

I am so glad each Christmas Eve, the night of Jesus’ birth! Then like the sun the star shone forth, and angels sang on earth. The little child in Bethlehem, he was a king indeed!
For he came down from heaven above to help a world in need.

“He came down from heaven above to help a world in need.” This is not a future promise to God’s creation, it is a promise already fulfilled. Thanks be to God! In our daily lives, our invitation is to trust what God is doing because of what God has already done. Now there is a promise fulfilled that I can take comfort in during challenging days.

After the Advent Concert Worship weekend, a member of the congregation sent a reflection to the office. I found her words full of the faith we are invited to engage trusting that God is at work in the world. Here are her words.

When I attended the Christmas concert on Dec. 13, I was so moved by [the] production and message I received of Christ’s coming to earth to be among us, I felt I had to say something about it. We had the children singing to the glory of God, the choir at its best singing the joy to the world, instrumentalists playing, the Bell Choir ringing their hearts to God, the Folk Choir singing, and Ben and the Praise Band singing for us. The message Pastor Angela read to us was the message that means Christmas to me. I was overwhelmed with joy. As I sat there, I pondered the budget cuts and the many changes in our church in the past several years and I feel that our church is going in the right direction. There is no way we can make changes for the future without stepping on someone’s toes. Unfortunately someone gets hurt.

My prayer for 2016 at Ascension is that we all can work together and we can nd ways to make up the shortfalls in our budget. We all need to listen to our Lord who speaks to us through the holiday season and all year. Remember my favorite Bible verse, ‘I can do anything through Christ who gives me strength.’ We can do it, I know we can! ~ Arlene Davis

What I appreciate most about Arlene’s words is her unwavering trust in God. In the midst of worship and praise of our God, Arlene saw the light of a manger overflowing with God’s love for a world in need. We will never know a day in our lives without a deep and definite need for God’s presence. I am grateful to serve among a community of faith where joy is shared; where faith is active; and where our faith finds grounding and strength through the worship of God.

May these days of light in this season of Epiphany bring you joy and peace.

~ Pastor Chris Marien

(This article was originally published in Ascension’s January 2016 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).