Dear People of Ascension,

If the first week of Advent is about awakening to watch in the dark, the week to come is about preparing the way. The voices of Isaiah and John the Baptist call us to action- to clear a path through the wilderness, to repent of ways that no longer serve (and maybe never did) to a change of heart and life.

It can be easy for me to conflate preparing for the coming One with getting ready for Christmas celebrations- cleaning, shopping, decorating, writing, rehearsing, proofing bulletins... which can all be both stressful and distracting. Of course one dimension of preparation is making ready to receive the great gift of love with our love: to offer our best with joy. But another dimension is simplifying our preparation to what is essential, allowing sudden urgent interruptions, realizing that the Coming is often surprising and even hidden.

Paradoxically, the imagery of these texts includes returning home and venturing forth into the unknown. The exiles make their way with God through the desert, the place of their ancestors, the embodiment of promise and hopes held most dear. The Baptist points to One who is to come, as yet unknown yet longed for above all else. In either case, preparation is about letting go of burdens, being ready and taking the next right step, trusting that the way will become clear and God will meet us there.

How are you preparing this Advent? May this season bear fruit and bring you much joy.

Liz

Click this link for this Sunday's bulletin & hymns.

Say Thank You. If you watch our services online you may notice in the lower left-had corner you'll see the name of our producer, Jasmine B. She has been our producer a little over a month now and is doing a great job! Next time you're watching, be sure to give her 5 stars!

How to Add Prayer Requests Online for Sunday Service - Go to Ascensionnyc.org/Prayers and type in your prayer request. Be sure to add them before the end of the sermon.

In union, O Lord, with your faithful people at every altar of your Church, where the Holy Eucharist is now being celebrated, I desire to offer to you praise and thanksgiving. I remember your death, Lord Christ; I proclaim your resurrection; I await your coming in glory. Since I cannot receive you today in the Sacrament of your Body and Blood, I beseech you to come spiritually into my heart. Cleanse and strengthen me with your grace, Lord Jesus, and let me never be separated from you. May I live in you, and you in me, in this life and in the life to come. Amen.

Open Church - Mondays through Fridays, Noon to 3pm. If you would like to volunteer for this ministry, please contact Gretchen Dumler or contact the church office (info@ascensionnyc.org or 212-254-8620.

As the COVID numbers drop and the city and state relax restrictions, we no longer require attendees to wear a mask – although we do strongly encourage everyone to be masked when indoors, and to be sensitive to the concerns of others. Clergy, servers, and choir will remain masked during services.

This Saturday, December 3, the Diocese will elect a Bishop Coadjutor who will become our next diocesan Bishop. Please join in prayer with our clergy and lay delegates (David Cholcher and Elizabeth Adams, alternate) as they represent us at this special convention.(You can watch new videos for the candidates here.)

Episcopal Charities Tribute Dinner, Tuesday December 6- Episcopal Charities fundraising dinner for the outreach programs of the Diocese of New York returns in person this year. It is held in one of the most elegant dining rooms anywhere- the Cathedral of St. John the Divine! Ascension will once again have a table for ten. The full cost of tickets is $750, or $400 for young professionals (under 35). The church will pay $500 of full price tickets or $300 for young professionals, so those attending will pay $250 or $100. It's a fun evening for a great cause. If you want to attend, please speak to Mother Liz.

Have you seen our Ascension Advent Calendar? – Check us out every day on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ascensionnyc) for a daily Advent visual meditation.

Ascension Forum: Traditional Icons & the Mystery of the Incarnation – Join us on Sunday, December 11 after the 11:00 service as Dr. Dennis Raverty, PhD, Art Historian leads us in a discussion of icons and the mystery of the incarnation. This forum can be attended via Zoom as well. Please check out our eBulletin, or contact the church office, to get the link.

Racial Justice Group, Thursday, December 15, 6:30 on Zoom- We continue the discussion of The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature by J. Drew Lanham. Dr. Lanham is an ornithologist, professor and poet, and tells his own family story about land, race and the natural world. For this session we will read pp. 81-149. Please join us! (Link: us06web.zoom.us/j/87102788084)

Come One Come All for the Greening of the Church! We’re looking for several energetic helpers to join us on Sunday 12/18 after the 11am service. We’ll be “greening the church”, which involves setting up pine trees on either side of the high altar, decorating various spaces with pine rope, hanging some wreaths, and adorning the pulpit and baptismal font with evergreens! Your kind assistance will be most appreciated! Speak to Fr. Ed if you are interested.

From The Rev. Posey Krakowsky - Day of the Dead Quilt - Speaker/Author/ Art Historian Dennis Raverty recently wrote an article about The Day of the Dead quilt, which I made for my husband in 2005. The article was published in The Living Church this month. (For a link to the article, click here.)

Spirit Driven Stitching: Quilts by Posey Krakowsky: On View at the Heavenly Rest Undercroft Gallery (1085 5th Ave, New York, NY), through December 31; The Rev. Posey Krakowsky, Priest Associate at Ascension, is also an artist, theologian, and writer. A lifelong fiber artist, Posey's specialty is quilting, but she also knits, weaves, paints, sews, and works with beads. Posey's quilting pieces are multi-layered and rich and take months to complete. Of her work Posey says, “We are Spirit-driven beings on an earthly, incarnate journey. God walks beside us every step. The ways we use our hands inform our hearts, our minds, and our souls: leading them deeper and deeper into Love.”

To watch Episcopal Journal's interview with Mother Posey, click here.

Help Asylum Seekers - Our friends at Judson Church (239 Thompson St.) have created a respite and mutual aid center for asylum seekers who have been bussed to New York from Texas. They are open every Monday from 10 am to 7 pm. You can help by volunteering time (Spanish speakers and those with medical, legal or social work training especially welcome), or by donating supplies. They need new (or like new) winter coats (men’s, women’s, & children’s), underwear (boxers preferably), and backpacks.

To learn more about volunteering, please contact the Rev. Micah Bucey at micah@judson.org. Donated supplies can be brought to Ascension, marked "mutual aid for migrants" and we will see that they get to Judson. Thank you!

Holy Eucharist (Church) 9:00 a.m.

Holy Eucharist w/ Music; (Church & Live Stream) 11:00 a.m.

Meditation & Sacrament (Church) 6:00 p.m.

Church open for prayer & meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Lectionary Bible Study (Zoom) 6:30 p.m.

Budget Meeting (Zoom) 6:30 p.m.

Church open for prayer & meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Church open for prayer & meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Holy Eucharist (Church) 6:00 p.m.

Needlecraft Guild (Zoom) 6:30 p.m.

Building & Grounds (Parish Hall) 6:45 p.m.

Church open for prayer & meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Church open for prayer & meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Holy Eucharist (Church) 9:00 a.m.

Holy Eucharist w/ Music; (Church & Live Stream) 11:00 a.m.

Ascension Forum (Parish Hall) 12:30pm

Meditation & Sacrament (Church) 6:00 p.m.

The Church of the Ascension -- Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street

Clergy | Staff | Parish Leadership