Pastoral Message: “Reflections on the Festival of the Ascension of Our Lord” Week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter May 10, 2023
Pastoral Message:
“Reflections on the Festival of the Ascension of Our Lord”
Week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 10, 2023
Dear People of God at Faith-La Fe!
We are approaching the festival of the Ascension of Our Lord, which we’ll celebrate on the actual feast day, Thursday, May 18, with a special liturgy that evening at 7:00 pm. I hope and pray that you’ll plan to join us for this occasion, as it is our current intent at Faith-La Fe to mark such midweek celebrations on their actual days to draw focused attention to these important liturgical days.
Indeed, Ascension of Our Lord is one of the major festivals of the liturgical calendar. In some European countries, Ascension is still a national holiday. With its significance in mind, I dedicate this week’s pastoral message to exploring the history and meanings of this feast day in anticipation of and preparation for our worship together next Thursday evening.
The Ascension commemorates and celebrates the tradition that Jesus ascended bodily into heaven forty days after his resurrection. During these forty days, Jesus made many and various appearances to his disciples and presumably many others, a select few of those resurrection appearances being recorded in the New Testament. These forty days parallel Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness, when he was tempted by the devil and was ministered to by angels. And Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness also echo the people of Israel’s forty years’ wilderness journey on their way to the promised land. Forty days into Eastertide – a celebratory season lasting fifty days – we are on our way as Christian people to our own promised land with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, which is the fiftieth day of Easter and concludes Eastertide with its own major festival celebrating the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost that births our own promised land of life in the church.
So, the festival of the Ascension of Our Lord is a fulcrum occasion between Easter and Pentecost, tipping the scales to the coming of the Holy Spirit which followed the return of Jesus to the Father in heaven.
The Ascension, as a biblical event, is recorded mainly in the Gospel of Luke (cf. Luke 24:44-53) and the Book of Acts (cf. Acts 1:6-11). The longer and later ending of Mark’s gospel, probably not part of the earliest versions of the gospel, also briefly mentions the Ascension (cf. Mark 16:14-20). While the Gospel of John records Jesus making many references to his return to God, the Father, there is no reference to the Ascension as such in that gospel. The Gospel of Matthew also does not specifically mention the bodily ascension of Jesus into heaven. That Gospel ends with Jesus meeting the disciples one last time on a mountaintop – seemingly an appropriate setting for Jesus’ return to the Father – but Matthew ends his gospel with the great commission, instructing his followers to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them everything that Jesus taught. The final words of Jesus recorded by Matthew are these: “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b, and see also Matthew 28:16-20). These are not words of absence, but of the continuity of Jesus’ presence.
In addition to the scriptural witness, both the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds make reference to Jesus’ ascension. Here’s how the Nicene Creed puts it: “[Jesus] ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.”
By the beginning of the fifth century, the feast of the Ascension as a liturgical holy day was pretty much universally observed and celebrated in the church, and reference is made to the day in the writings of many of the early church fathers, including Augustine of Hippo, John Chrysostom, and Gregory of Nyssa. Hymns for this feast also appeared in books of chant in the fifth century. Thus, our own observances have solid foundations in the scriptures, the creeds, and the earliest traditions of the church.
Now I turn to some of my own personal, theological reflections on the Ascension of Our Lord. This feast day celebration, paradoxically, makes some room also for the honest acknowledgment of grief, uncertainty, and the anxiety of “Oh, my God, now what do we do?” Jesus had been with his followers 24/7 for three full years. They overcame together their brief three-day period of grief after his death when Jesus revealed himself to his followers as being alive again. For forty days, they basked in the presence of Jesus’ resurrected new life. But with the Ascension, Jesus became absent from them at least in terms of how they knew and experienced him. And at least in terms of the events recorded in Luke and Acts, the Holy Spirit had not yet come. Thus, it seems to me, there’s room to acknowledge some grief at the loss of the ways the disciples grew accustomed to relating to Jesus, even amidst the celebration of yet another victory in the return of Jesus to the Father. Moreover, these were days of uncertainty and anxiety for the followers, again, even amidst celebration. Jesus was gone, at least in recognizable bodily form. Now what? The familiar ways of relating to Jesus were no more, and the new ways of encountering Christ had not yet appeared on the horizon, and wouldn’t until the Day of Pentecost. So, the time between the Ascension and Pentecost was a period of ten days of uncertainty, a liminal period between the old, familiar routines and the promised new way of life in the church. Thus, along with Jesus’ disciples, we, too, are allowed in our own observance of Ascension to acknowledge our own losses and uncertainties, for we, too, live in days of grief and radical changes, of things we’ve left behind even as we wait for a new normal to appear on the horizon.
That said, cause for celebration on Ascension outweighs the honest acknowledgement of grief, anxiety and uncertainty in my estimation. For the Ascension of Our Lord is not reduced to “Up, Up, and Away,” and being bereft of encounters with our Lord, Jesus Christ. Recall that in John’s Gospel, the Pentecost event there focuses on the bodily, risen Jesus breathing on his followers and saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” In John, the Spirit of Jesus was available to them on the day of Resurrection. And, of course, as we are hearing in the readings from John’s gospel during the Sundays of Eastertide, we, too, are given the gift of the Holy Spirit of Jesus who abides with us always. As Jesus poignantly puts it in his farewell discourse to his disciples: “I will not leave you orphaned.” (John 14:18a) That goes for us, too.
Therefore, the Ascension of Our Lord is not finally about Jesus’ disappearance. Quite the contrary, the Ascension makes possible and inaugurates Jesus’ universal reign such that his ruling as monarch of all things is not limited to one place at a time. The Spirit’s coming about a week and a half after the Ascension seals the deal for the universality of Christ’s reign in the church throughout the world and throughout the ages, with the Spirit of our Trinitarian God being given to the multitudes of the baptized. Through the Spirit dwelling in each one of us and in our communities and abiding in all of creation, the resurrected, ascended Christ reigns over the whole cosmos. Thus, in faith, and when it’s all said and done, we affirm and celebrate Jesus’ promise and its fulfillment recorded at the conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel: “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” So it is in our life together infused with the presence of the Spirit of the risen, victorious, ascended Christ.
In terms of our liturgical celebration of the Ascension on Thursday evening, May 18, we’ll maintain a vigil-like atmosphere, for the Ascension began those days of waiting among the apostles for the Spirit’s coming as they huddled prayerfully together in the upper room in Jerusalem. To make for this spirit of vigil, we’ll observe more silences and pregnant pauses in our worship on Ascension Day, nurturing a slower pace to open us to deeper prayer and reflection in waiting. Thus, you can expect lengthier silences after the readings, during the prayers of intercession, and at the consecration of the Eucharistic gifts and during the communion of the faithful – all of this in service of my call to lead you to deeper spirituality in our life together.
Musically, in terms of the setting for Holy Communion, here’s what you can look forward to: the Kyrie is Russian Orthodox traditional music; the Gloria is the classic Lutheran hymnic version of Gregorian Chant, “All Glory Be to God on High;” the Sanctus and Agnus Dei are from Franz Schubert’s Deutsche Messe. Our Chancel Choir will be present to lead us in song.
So, with all of these musings and this reporting, I pray that I have whetted your appetite to make a special effort to join us in worship on the day of the Ascension of Our Lord, May 18 at 7:00 pm.
Celebrating the Resurrection, awaiting the coming of the Spirit,
Pastor Jonathan Linman
Pastor’s Office Phone Number: 602-265-5860
Email: pastor@faithalive.com
Announcements
Congregational Meeting on May 21st and Potluck Luncheon-Convivio
On Sunday, May 21st we will celebrate a single bilingual service at 10am, followed by our second of two annual meetings. A congregational pot luck luncheon and convivio celebrating our unity as one congregation engaging in mission in two languages. Please plan to attend this important event in the life of our congregation. At the meeting we will receive a financial update, elect new council members, elect preschool board members, and select the 2023-2024 nominating committee. For the potluck convivio luncheon, please bring your favorite foods to share. So that the people organizing the serving of the food can also attend the service, please bring your items to the Parish Hall kitchen no later than 9:30 a.m., plated and ready to serve. Thank you.
Annual Reports Due May 16
Annual reports need to be prepared for distribution at the annual meeting. These reports contain valuable information about the activities and health of our congregation. If you are a ministry coordinator or regular participant, please prepare a brief report highlighting the events you’ve supported in the past year. Content to be included in the annual report should be send to worship@faithalive.com by Tuesday, May 16th. Worship Ministries will aggregate the submissions into a bulletin style report.
An Updated Membership Directory is Almost Here!
The long-awaited, updated Faith/La Fe Directory is almost ready, but first we need your help. Please check your listing in one of the proof copies available in the Narthex and mark it OK or provide changes if needed. Also check the picture section at the end. If your picture does not appear or if you want to show a different picture, please email your picture to info@faithalive.com by May 18. If you notice omissions, please also note those. If you prefer you may provide any changes to your contact information (street address, phone, email), directly to the office by email to info@faithalive.com. With your help, our new directory will be complete and accurate.
Another Rummage Sale is Coming, but Not Yet!
We enjoyed great success at our last rummage sale, and another one is being planned in the coming months. Thanks to generosity and hard work, our January Rummage sale was such a compelling event that we want to do it again. In the meantime, kindly do not yet bring rummage sale items to the church, for there is no place to store the items. We will announce the date when items for the coming rummage sale can be and will be received. Again, no date has been set at this time, so please do NOT bring any items to Faith/La Fe for our next rummage sale until we announce the date and put out a call for contributions. Watch this space for updates. Thank you in advance for helping us make our next sale as successful as our previous sale. And thanks, too, for your patience in holding on to your treasures at home for a little while longer.
Invitation to Contribute to These Weekly Pastoral Messages
Please remember that our congregation newsletter is now published quarterly and has more of a wider community, outward-facing, evangelistic focus to herald special, seasonal events at Faith-La Fe. Which is to say, these weekly pastoral messages and their announcements effectively take the place of the more membership-focused concerns of our congregational life. Thus, if there are events and matters related to our life together that you wish to have included in these weekly messages and announcements, please let Pastor Linman know: pastor@faithalive.com. He is always looking for and welcomes new content.
Faith Volunteers Do Their Thing!
Clearing clutter, building, weeding, planting, repairing, touring, and planning for the future…all in a day’s work for 31 volunteers who made last Saturday’s Pre-School/Church Workday a success. At the Pre-School, we assembled two four by four foot raised garden structures, filled them with 10 large bags of soil, and planted various vegetables. (Garden structure and soil were financed with a $250 Thrivent Action Team grant, and Pre-Schoolers will help maintain and snack on the produce). Classroom doors also got washed and the playground cleared of tree droppings and debris. Our Pre-school director, Alma, conducted a classroom tour for a couple of curious congregation members.
Additionally, our church campus gardens and nearby area received a thorough weeding and a weed prevention ground cover was applied to some of the beds. The church library area in the Parish Hall had been rendered useless, cluttered with many and various items. Our volunteers moved “keepers” including a heavy marble slab and cabinets to Faith Place; directed some items to the garbage bin; others to Good Will; and posted no- longer- wanted tables on Craig’s List. (Several takers showed up before the workday concluded). The library is again an uncluttered space and is available to be rediscovered as usable space. Nearby, a work team of ladies from our Spanish-speaking members repaired many Parish Hall chairs which had become seating hazards. An office lounge chair and file cabinet were moved to more suitable locations. Outside, Donavan Havir, Jeff’s grandson, performed a high-ladder act to remove a burned-out security light high on the south wall of the church. After a trip to Home Depot, he ascended again to install a new light. An external light receptacle was repaired and three ill-working church doors were fixed by some of our handy-man volunteers.
We also surveyed our campus for security issues. Members of our property team also found time to brain-storm future plans to eliminate a huge pot hole outside the Pre-School entrance, erect a trellis and vines outside the south entrance to the church to provide shade, and replace the battle-weary carpet in Parish Hall. Time and money will be involved but Saturday’s accomplishments forecast a prediction of hope.
Thousand thanks to the 31 persons who offered their time, talents, and sweat equity to sprucing up our campus!
Mark Your Calendars Now for Upcoming Special Worship Services
Further details about the following special occasions for worship is forthcoming, but please note these special liturgies now in your calendars!
May 18 at 7:00 pm + Ascension of Our Lord, Holy Communion
May 28 at 9:00 and 11:00 am + Day of Pentecost
May 31 at 7:00 pm + Visit of Mary to Elizabeth, Holy Communion
July 22 at 10:00 am + Mary Magdalene, Apostle, Morning Prayer
August 15 at 7:00 pm + Mary, Mother of Our Lord, Holy Communion
September 14 at 7:00 pm + Holy Cross Day, Evensong
November 1 at 7:00 pm + All Saints’ Day, Holy Communion
Upcoming Saturday Quiet Days at Faith-La Fe in 2023
Saturday, June 3 – a day to more deeply explore the spirituality of preaching, with special focus on how sermons are occasions of spiritual guidance. We’ll also spend some more time on your role as listeners to sermons, and how you can get still more out of preaching for your spiritual edification. We will touch on listening to sermons at next Sunday’s adult forum, but focusing on this topic for a whole Saturday will give us occasion to go still more deeply into the topic. On this day, we’ll also learn some of what Luther had to say about preaching!
Saturday, September 30 – on this day, close to the commemoration of St. Francis of Assisi, we will explore Franciscan Spirituality and what it might mean for Lutherans in ministry and mission in the 21st Century.
Saturday, October 28 – as we approach Reformation Sunday, this will be a day devoted to revealing key features of specifically Lutheran Spirituality, or Christian spirituality with Lutheran accents. We will discover that there’s a lot to draw from in our own tradition to take us ever more deeply into the spiritual life.
Saturday, November 18 – this day will be devoted to spending our time together in our beautiful nave doing “Stations of Our Stained Glass Windows,” a series of visual meditations on our stained-glass windows and the miracles and parables of Jesus they depict. We’ll explore in conversation the bible stories the windows are based on, and then look carefully at the windows to see features of the story which the stained-glass art highlights. Each station will feature a hymn before we move on to the next window.