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(Scott Gunn) Dear friends in Christ, Tomorrow the church celebrates one of our most important feasts, Ascension Day. We commemorate Jesus’ ascension into heaven to sit at his Father’s right hand. The story is told in Luke 24:50-53 and Acts 1:6-11. This feast day is not just about Jesus doing another supernatural thing that defies our understanding of reality, the way he also walked out of a tomb after having been killed. While it is about that, there is a deeper meaning that we do well to ponder. Our celebration of Ascension Day completes our celebration of the fullness of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ in recalling and giving thanks for his suffering, death, resurrection, and yes, ascension. His glorification and presence at his Father’s right hand shows us the triumph of God’s grace and mercy over the powers of evil, sin, and death. In the Ascension, we also see that Jesus has entrusted and commissioned his followers to carry on his reconciling ministry. And not wanting to leave us alone, Jesus promised the presence of the Holy Spirit. That’s a lot of amazing news to pack into one celebration! It’s all because Jesus loves us. Not past tense. Jesus is not merely a moral teacher who showed us how to live. He is those things, but he is also the means of grace and the hope of glory. Right now, when you need him, you can call on Jesus. He is ready to offer us his grace, mercy, and healing when we need it. He is ready to intercede for us with his Father. He knows our struggles and our joys. He is alive, ruling from heaven. So don’t be distracted by the mechanics of Ascension Day. Focus instead on how this event is part of God’s saving love for us and for all people. I hope you are able to find your way to a church this evening for Ascension Eve or tomorrow for Ascension Day. We have a lot for which to offer our thanks and praise. Yours faithfully, Scott Gunn Executive Director More from our ministry: Follow the story of redemption from start to finish: The Path Prayer and inspiration that fit in your pocket: Forward Day by Day Devotions that focus on each Person of the Trinity: A Generous Beckoning Next week: Hear Scott’s hopes for the church’s future in this VTS webinar Share this: Facebook Twitter Tumblr Reddit LinkedIn Pocket More Print Email Pinterest Leave a comment Forward Today: Fearless faith May 1, 2024 Forward Today , scott gunn Rooted and Growing Evangelism workshop at the Fearless Faith Revival. (Photo: The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California on Facebook ) Dear friends in Christ, Last weekend, I visited the Diocese of Northern California to speak about evangelism at their revival, Fearless Faith. The name of the revival got me thinking. Fearless faith could suggest that we practice our faith without fear. It’s tempting to find ourselves limiting how we practice our faith, as individuals or congregations, out of fear. We might worry about money, or what people will think of us, or whether some new ministry will succeed or fail. What if we practiced our faith boldly? There’s no reason not to invite people to our churches. There’s often more money available than we think. Even if some new ministry doesn’t take off, we will learn something—so there’s rarely a total failure. Fearless faith is closer to the adventure that the Gospels suggest when we choose to follow Jesus. But there’s another way to read that title, Fearless Faith. As we just heard last Sunday in the epistle, perfect love casts out fear. Our culture is bombarded by messages peddling fear. Be afraid of those people.” Be afraid of that place.” Be afraid that you might not have enough money.” Be afraid that your appearance is not sufficiently beautiful.” It’s nonsense, and it’s antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In faith, we will realize we don’t need to be afraid of anyone or any place. We will realize there is enough. We will realize that we don’t need to look more beautiful” because we are all made in the image and likeness of God, and nothing could be more beautiful than that! So if we fill our hearts in faith with the love of Jesus Christ, we will immunize ourselves against the bombardment of fear. I am always working on practicing and believing a fearless faith. I hope you are, too. Be not afraid! Yours faithfully, Scott Gunn Executive Director More from our ministry: Fearless evangelism in your congregation: Signs of Life Practical guidance for ministry: Vestry Resource Guide Revive your faith with daily prayer: Forward Day by Day Read through the Gospels one passage at a time: The Bible Challenge series Share this: Facebook Twitter Tumblr Reddit LinkedIn Pocket More Print Email Pinterest Leave a comment Forward Today: And immediately… April 24, 2024 Forward Today , scott gunn From the Basilica San Marco in Venice, Italy. Dear friends in Christ, Tomorrow the church celebrates the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist. As with the other evangelists, we give thanks for their witness in the gospels and we hope to draw inspiration so that we too might proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of St. Mark is the shortest of the four gospels. The story moves quickly, almost breathlessly. A seminary classmate of mine memorized the entire Gospel, and he used to travel and recite the entire Gospel of St. Mark from memory. It took just over an hour, and though everyone knew what was going to happen, the audience would be on the edge of their seats. And immediately…” keeps the reader going at a brisk pace. The urgency of St. Mark’s witness is palpable. We modern Christians might learn something from this and make haste to share the Good News of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Indeed, it is in this Gospel that Jesus commands his followers to preach the Gospel to the whole creation. Some years ago, I traveled to Venice. There you can visit St. Mark’s basilica, where tradition says that the body of St. Mark is kept. I find it very inspiring to visit the sites of veneration of biblical figures; somehow this connects for me the ancient and the modern, the heavenly and the earthly. To venerate the relics of St. Mark is to profess faith that the evangelists were living, breathing people with a living story to proclaim. How will you celebrate tomorrow’s feast day? You can read the whole of St. Mark’s Gospel in one sitting. Perhaps you’ll do that! Or maybe you will consider how his witness might inspire you to be an evangelist in your community. Yours faithfully, Scott Gunn Executive Director More from our ministry: Challenge yourself to read this Gospel: A Journey with Mark Bible Challenge Meditate on the Easter season each Sunday at 50days.org Follow the story of scripture from beginning to end: The Path Free curriculum to learn about scripture: Exploring the Bible Share this: Facebook Twitter Tumblr Reddit LinkedIn Pocket More Print Email Pinterest Leave a comment Forward...