Letters to a Congregation
Every Thursday I write a pastoral letter to the west congregation of The Austin Stone Community Church. These letters are simple, pastoral musings on what it looks like to live a life that is attentive to God in the midst of a shared context.
The One About Long Goodbyes, Last Words, and Ascension Day
I can’t wait for Jesus to come back - just as He went. I find myself watching the sky more and more as I get older. But remember, that His last words for us before He left were words of blessing, purpose, promise and liberating limitation.
The One About Our Broken World and the Comfort of Knowing That Jesus Left It
In short, I feel a little exasperated as I sit down to write this.
Why is the world so busted? Is there truly a way to live in the tension of the now and the not yet Kingdom of God without giving into empty platitudes or cold-hearted decrees?
So, I am asking the Lord for His help, for help to face the world as it really is, and as I have been sitting here I believe that He has given it. I just remembered that today is actually a significant day in the church calendar. Today is Ascension Day, the day that comes forty days after Easter Sunday, when we remember that the resurrected Christ ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father.