Church of the Ascension

Today we worshiped at Church of the Ascension, 4729 Ellsworth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, 412.621.4361, www.ascensionpittsburgh.org, The Rev. Jonathan Millard, Rector.

Scripture – NIV

Exodus 20:1-17 –

And God spoke all these words:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

“You shall not murder.

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You shall not steal.

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 –

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

John 2:13-22 –

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

Bob’s thoughts:

We were invited to visit this church and I am always concerned that may skew our impression. Maybe people who would normally greet a visitor won’t greet us thinking it’s unnecessary because they see us talking to a member.

We were sitting in the pew before we saw the person who invited us, and other than the time for passing Christ’s peace, we were barely acknowledged. The welcoming after the service was warm and friendly.

The church building is old and exceptionally ornate with impressive wooden accents. I did find a few small crosses, but was hoping for something more befitting the grandeur of this sanctuary.

I thought the access to the modern education wing and other remodeling was seamless; the atrium-like connect to the new building seemed natural.

The Praise Team blended well and was enjoyable. One female voice was exceptional; I could hear the worship in her voice and see the joy on her face.

I appreciated the inflection in the second Scripture reading and in the sermon. The Scriptures came alive and mean so much more.

The sermon tied the three Scripture readings and included the Ten Commandments. The sermon wove around Christ’s clearing the temple and developed well from the passages quoted, tying in nicely with the Children’s Message as well.

I enjoyed watching the children present, especially a little guy in his mother’s arms finishing a bite of something and almost furiously signing ‘more’ but out of mom’s sight.

It sounds like the church has been called to minister to the youth attending nearby universities, a most significant ministry.

Jan’s thoughts:

I cannot recall the last time I was in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh, so this was an adventure, and we were delighted to worship with one of my co-workers.

As we approached the building we saw several sets of doors, all indicating which door was to be used as the entrance. The indoor signage was excellent also, and necessary in a building the size of this one.

There were other seeming little things that clearly indicated a hospitable attitude such as strips cordoning off the back 1/3 to 1/2 of the pews for the smaller service we were attending, a basket of bulletins in the aisle as well as in the back of this long sanctuary, and an order of worship that clearly laid out the liturgy and expectations of worshipers during a potentially confusing worship service.

The sanctuary was exquisite, with stunning stained glass, murals, and woodwork everywhere.

With three services, I was impressed that several people recognized us as visitors; however, most conversations took place during a fellowship time between the services at 9 and 11, which was actually just fine and allowed for longer conversations.

The untitled sermon centered on possible reasons behind Jesus’ overturning the tables in the temple. Options included God’s righteous jealousy for the hearts of His people or the offensiveness of using God’s temple as a marketplace. In the end, he declared that Jesus’ actions were designed to get the attention of God’s people and remind them of the First Commandment.

This is one of those messages I’d like to hear again so I could catch more of what he was saying toward the end. I appreciated the points he made but I was busy listening instead of taking notes. I do know that he ended with the admonition to cling to Christ, and I know that is the best piece of advice there is.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray this church continues to follow Your lead and answer Your call. Amen.