Pastor's Letter

Lifted Up!

 Today we focus on the mystery of Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Luke tells us he simply was “lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight” (Acts 1:9).
 
It’s not hard to see why the disciples were caught looking up at the sky with their mouths open in awe and wonder. The two men dressed in white who “caught them looking” (could they be angels?) suddenly appeared to tell them, in a roundabout way, that it’s not that big of a deal. Jesus will come back to earth the way he ascended into heaven.
 
Maybe it was just a polite way of saying, “move along folks.” But not a big deal? That’s something else.
 
What’s interesting is that two men dressed in white also appeared at the empty tomb with a similar message: “He’s not here”, encouraging the women at the tomb to move on. And that’s puzzling. The resurrection and ascension aren’t normal everyday things. Don’t they require some time take them in? Why are we being moved along?
 
Maybe God’s two messengers are telling us, that when God’s involved in our world, expect the extraordinary to be the ordinary. Expect the unexpected—like empty tombs, the resurrection and the ascension. They have the effect of leaving us in awe. But, they also move us in a new direction. They move us to think about them, pray about them, talk about them, and do something with the news that God is at work in our lives. 
 
So, we begin to look and notice. We encounter incredible things in both the ordinary and extraordinary things in life. God is at work all around us. If it moves us to do anything, hopefully it moves us toward gratitude and thanksgiving. God is giving us a new way to see. God is good and gracious and moving us closer and closer toward Him.
 
Our Extraordinary Ordinary Moms
Growing up, I readily admit I would take my mom for granted. She’s an extraordinary woman and role model, but in those years she was simply my ordinary mom. She still is, but through the years I have come to see that she is far from ordinary. She is a blessing and a gift.
 
Today is the day we celebrate our mothers and all they have meant to us. We celebrate who they are and the ways they have helped us be the person we’ve become. 
 
For a lot of us, we also remember our moms who have gone before us in faith, who we miss very much. We are grateful for their love, which is still with us. 
 
So today, we pray for all our mothers whose love never leaves us. They gave us life, and no matter how old we are, they continue to lift us up. Our moms are never ordinary. They are part of who we are.
 
May God continue to bless us and lead us in these final days of Easter,