Message from Pastor

Dearly beloved brothers and sisters:

 

The absence of loved ones can enclose us in a state of nostalgia and sadness. Physical separation from people who were important to us can leave us feeling paralyzed, stripping us of the hope and enthusiasm to keep looking forward.

 

Jesus, too, departed; his friends ceased to see and hear him when he vanished from their sight. Yet Jesus did not leave entirely; rather, he remained with his disciples, leaving them a promise and a task.

 

The promise—especially for those moments of weariness and overwhelm—is that he would be with us every day until the end of the age; the task is to step beyond our own fears—or the complacency that the passage of time can foster—and to proclaim through our very lives all that we have learned from him.

 

On this Sunday, Jesus reminds us of his promise and his command. He invites us not to lose heart in life, but to place our trust in his pledged word that he will never leave us alone. Furthermore, he encourages us not to yield to the obstacles that paralyze us, but to be capable of bearing witness that it is indeed worth living as he has taught us.

 

Happy Ascension Sunday!

 

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