Lent Begins...

The season of Lent is a mystery for many in evangelical Christian circles, and that is a loss. The Lenten journey refocuses our attention on Jesus' journey to the Cross and asks us to participate in that journey intentionally and together. Lent represents the 40 days before Easter Sunday and, as many of you who are well-read in your Bible know, 40 is a number of great meaning in the Bible. In particular, the 40 days of Lent bring our minds back to the Israelite stay in the desert for 40 years, Noah's 40 days and nights of rain (Noah and family were actually on the boat a lot longer than 40 days and nights), Jesus' 40 days of prayer and temptation in the desert and the 40 days following the Resurrection.

Regardless of the numerological references to 40, Lent is a time of self-reflection, repentance, prayer, fasting, reading Scripture together and fellowship with a focus on acceptance and lifting up of one another. The history goes way back into the earliest church. The time of Lent was especially important, perhaps even created for, those who would become new Christians through baptism. For 40 days before Easter, the catechumens (those who are being trained into the faith) - who have been studying the faith with mentors and other congregants for about 3 years - come together as a group and begin a period of fasting, prayer and Scripture study to prepare themselves for baptism. On Easter Eve, or Dark Saturday, they would gather in the back foyer of the church. The Easter service was just after midnight. As the service began, the ready-to-be-baptized would be led down a dark corridor and, just off the main sanctuary, they would be baptized. Then the new Christians, dressed in glistening white gowns, would be led into the sanctuary. It would be lit like the sun with thousands of candles to celebrate the new light of Christ in the world. There, the new Christian would be surrounded by their new family. A great celebration would ensue and would culminate in the newly baptized members of the church being led forward to partake of their first communion.

It sounds romantic and almost mythic, but the Lenten preparation and the welcoming of the newly baptized is a well-documented process from the early church. For myself, as a modern-day Protestant who mistrusts authority and any group that would have me as a member, the imagery and stories of this discipline and ritual fills me with nostalgia and desire. Some churches, particularly the Methodists and the Lutherans, are trying to recapture this beautiful and powerful way of bringing people into the family and body of Christ. Some have done it this way for almost 1900 years - the Eastern Orthodox, the Egyptian church, some of the Northern African churches.

For us, in our little church in the mountains, though, Lent is a time to remember who we are and whose we are. We will take time to reflect on what Christ has done for us, to pray and study what has happened and is happening in our relationship with greater things than ourselves and to remember that we are created beings who owe everything to our Creator.

We will begin with an Ash Wednesday service on February 25th at 7pm. For the Wednesdays of Lent, we will experiment with an intuitive, reflective way of reading Scripture called "lectio divina". We will follow Jesus to the Cross during the 6 weeks to Easter. I hope you can join us!
Peace!
Pastor Seth

(image is from Cerezo Beraebo)

Lessons with Jeff

On Friday, I had the great opportunity to go snowmobiling with my good friend, Jeff. He was my snowmobile instructor for the afternoon. He got me standing on one runner to balance the machine going around corners and got me to the base of Henderson Mountain (pictured at right). Coming off of Henderson Jeff took me down a steep hill. I learned very quickly that too much brake on the slope means the back of the snowmobile begins to swing around. And I also learned that speed is your friend on a snowmobile. It was great fun. Fortunately for me, and probably unfortunately for you, Jeff did not get the picture of me standing next to the sled when I turned it onto its side by driving it into a tree well. You will just have to wait.

This afternoon I took my daughter Rhiannon up to the top of Daisy Pass on the snowmobile. It was snowing pretty heavily up there and with the polarized goggles everything turns white and it becomes very difficult to see the pathway down the mountain. 35 mph up became 15-20 mph down the mountain. But it was fun and Rhiannon was thrilled to be on a snowmobile for her first time.

Check out this week's sermon! It may be the first and last time I use a sports analogy for a sermon. This time, I made an analogy on boxing, which by the way is also the title of one of the best written books I have ever read. It was written by Joyce Carol Oates and is one of the best books you will ever read on the Sweet Science.
Peace to all!
Pastor Seth

Snowmobile ministry!

(pictured above:the machine I would like to use to go to Crandall)

Yesterday, after church, I picked up a beat-up old snowmobile from our friends at the edge of Cooke City and followed a wonderful couple to their home in Crandall, WY. We snowmobiled all the way there - about 18 miles - and it was beautiful. We followed the Pilot Creek trail until it turned off onto an ungroomed trail. We went high up a ridge and were able to see all the way down the Chief Joseph Highway and the mountains surrounding. The sun was shining and up at the top, it was hot. Of course, a snowmobile suit, heavy shirt, long underwear and all the equipment a snowmobile requires didn't help how hot I was. This was also my first real snowmobile ride, and it was great fun.

That afternoon, we had our first worship service for the people in Crandall and Sunlight Basin. 6 people showed up and we had a great, informal service that included prayer, discussion and song. I am planning, assuming the weather permits, to go over there twice a month until the road east of Cooke City opens again.

When we returned this morning, an elk carcass, stripped bare by the winter carnivores lay across the path. It was a strange sight. But the machine I was using got me home, this after we stripped the pull-cord trying to start it this morning. When I got back to Cooke City, I found out that the machine had been shot twice by a shotgun. Since that time, the snowmobile has been passed around to several people. Regardless, it was fast and, for a first time snowmobile experience, it was great fun.

A year or so ago, I read a great book called "The Hammer of God" by Bo Giertz, which traces 3 generations of Lutheran pastors way out in the outback of Sweden. They gave it away to all the graduating students of Luther Seminary. It is a very inspiring book. Of course, being Sweden, much of the book takes place in snow and mountains. I felt some vague connection to the pastors in that story as I traversed the trails out of Cooke City to Crandall, WY.

Next time I go, I will take pictures. I wish I had a picture of that elk carcass.
Peace!
Pastor Seth