A Season of Thanks

For many years my wife and I have wanted to visit Door County in the fall, but we always found ourselves with either too much on the calendar or too little in the bank account. Finally this year we made it happen. Taking advantage of my wife having a day off of school at the end of October, my family and I had the opportunity to get away for two days. I had heard stories about the colorful beauty that can be seen during the fall. The stories are true, as you drive through the streets you can enjoy the beautiful landscape reflected in the forest.

As you may know, fall in Door County is one of the peak seasons for tourism. As we passed by, hotel after hotel had the messages on their entrances: No Vacancy. I immediately thought that the streets were going to be crowded all day but as we drove through the cities, the streets looked like they had little traffic. In the evenings, the streets, restaurants and shops showed something different. The reality was that most people during the day were immersed in all the hiking spots, forests, and lakes enjoying and giving thanks for the beauty that can be found around the peninsula. I thought to myself, what a great way to start the season of thankfulness.

As we approach gathering and celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends, let us thank God for the things and moments God has given us. We as a Church thank God for the eight students from our Church who made their confirmation of faith on Reformation Sunday. We are thankful for the 75th anniversary of our Church that reminds us that we are always growing. We are thankful to have attended the Youth Gathering in New Orleans last summer and that the energy from that experience still inspires our students to have an active faith life in the church. We are thankful that a delegation was able to visit El Salvador this summer and that Rick Frowein is visiting Tanzania, strengthening the bonds of our partnerships and exploring new ways that Ascension can support our brothers and sisters. We are thankful for new members. As we also approach Dia de los Muertos, we give thanks for all those who have gone before us, but left wonderful memories in the hearts and minds of many of us.

I personally thank God for allowing me to visit Door County in the fall with my family. I am thankful that this summer I was able to celebrate my first year as an ordained pastor and my twelfth wedding anniversary. I am thankful to have had my first experience leading a youth trip and looking forward to our next one.

And you, what are you thankful for during this Thanksgiving holiday season?

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his loving-kindness is everlasting.” (1 Chronicles 16:34)

Happy Thanksgiving.
Pastor Edwin

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

Practicing Thankfulness

Being thankful and taking stock of our blessings tends to rise this time of year because of the Thanksgiving holiday that comes around on the fourth Thursday each November. Typically, many think of Thanksgiving as an opportunity to pause, gather, reflect, and give thanks. However, the chaos that continues to rise around the world threatens to upend much of what we look forward to each Thanksgiving.

Politics have left many divided, troubled, and exhausted and the anger and violence taking place in so many places, including within our own communities and families has left many of us nervous over the uncertainty and instability taking place around the world. 

As a spiritual practice I’ve tried to be intentional about taking time each day to think about what is means to truly give thanks to God, to live with a thankful heart, and to reflect a thankful life – especially one that goes beyond a holiday. But living a thankful life isn’t always easy, and it can be especially difficult during challenging times like the ones we find ourselves in at this moment. So, while living a thankful life isn’t necessarily complicated, it does however require intentionality about making a choice to be thankful.

But in order to do that I think it’s helpful for us to have a guide. And while Jesus is certainly number one, another great example for us is Paul and his letter to the Colossians. Despite what he was suffering personally, locked away in prison along with the many reasons he had to be angry, fearful, and despairing – he nevertheless remained thankful. “We always thank God,” he begins (Colossians 1:3). He could have begun his letter with complaining, and instead he punctuates his letter with profound thankfulness (Colossians 1:12; 2:7; 3:15–17; 4:2), and each chapter captures another element of healthy, God-glorifying thankfulness.

Giving thanks to God can be difficult and it’s generally not our first reaction when we find ourselves in the midst of disappointment, anxiety, stress, or fear. And although these are normal and natural responses to circumstances such as those taking place in our world right now, the apostle Paul shows us that there are things that still remain to be grateful for. Amid all the challenging things taking place in our world and in each of our daily lives – there remains opportunities to laugh, to connect, to work, to love, to care, and to find ways to enjoy life. 

As Paul nears the end of his letter, he emphatically stresses the fundamental and spiritual importance of thankfulness. Notice how he repeats himself: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:15–17)

Did you catch the theme – Let peace rule in your hearts with thankfulness. Let praise rise up from your mouths with thankfulness. Let all that you say and do – let it all be done in thankfulness. Whatever you do – even in a shifting and uncertain world, even amid political upheaval, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health – do it all in the name of Jesus and do it with thankfulness to God.

My prayer for all of us is that as we journey through these uncertain times, each of us would allow this season of Thanksgiving to be an opportunity to renew our thankfulness to God. Because, no matter what we suffer, or how deeply we suffer, or how long we’re forced to wait for healing and relief, God has claimed us in Christ and promised this forever – and this my friends should give us endless reasons to be thankful.

With this in mind then, I wonder how you would choose to live differently for the remainder of this challenging year and beyond? What doors might God be opening in the inconveniences, the struggles, and the uncertainty to come? Because, if we do all that we do with thankfulness on our minds and in our hearts, then I also think we’ll be far more likely to recognize the doors as God opens them. 

So, I’d like to say how thankful I am for all of you and for the gift of being one of your pastors. Thank you for your love, trust, understanding, compassion, partnership, encouragement, honesty, and your wrestling. But most of all I’d like to thank you for continuing to walk this journey of faith and life together.

I thank God every time I think of you! Thanks be to God! Amen.

Pastor Tony