View the post for February 22 for an explanation of my theme for Lent. As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” At 7,244 feet Black Elk Peak in Custer State Park South Dakota is the highest peak between the Rocky Mountains and the Pyrenees Mountains. As I planned our trip to the Dakotas I read about the hike to this mountain and decided that even though it would be a challenge that I wanted to try to climb it. There are several trails but I took the one that was supposed to be only 6 miles total with a 1,000 feet of elevation gain. It turns out that the trail I took was actually 8.5 miles total and the hike was much harder than I had expected. The trail traveled up to a point level with the peak and then back down to the canyon floor before climbing up again. There were several times when I considered turning around. After I arrived at the Harney Point Lookout Tower on the top of the mountain the view was amazing. I could see past the Black Hills all the way to the Badlands.
Like my hike to Black Elk Peak there will be times as we follow Christ that will be hard. Luke tells us about would be followers that came to Jesus and professed their desire to follow him. He made it clear to each one that following him was not easy. They would have to make it the highest priority in their lives. They would face hardship but in the end the view would be amazing for they would find life in Christ. Each day we must ask ourselves, “Will I follow Christ, no matter how hard the hike?” Prayer Lord Jesus Give us strength and the peace of your presence as we seek to follow you today. Amen
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He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I pray that I will never forget that day. It was still dark when we left our room at Paradise Lodge in Mt. Rainier National Park for Reflection Lake. Whenever you want to see a sunrise you have to leave in the dark and be quiet so as not to awaken others. I knew this was going to be a special time. The skies were clear. There was no wind, only stillness. It was easy to get to the lake, only a short drive with no hiking involved. There were only a few other cars there, mostly photographers. When I saw Mt. Rainier, so massive with just a little cloud above its peak, perfectly reflected in the lake it took my breath away. This was a time to wait in silence for the sun to rise and light up the mountain with beautiful reflected light.
In our busy world finding a time to be still isn’t easy. It is something that requires thoughtfulness and some work. While there are many places to be still, I find it much easier to find stillness in the mountains. And those times when I see the darkness give way to sunrise in the mountains are the most special. For the Hebrew authors of our scripture, mountains are places where Heaven and earth meet, where God and man meet. Remember the stories of Abraham and Isaac on Mt. Moriah, Moses on Mt. Sinai, Isaiah on Mt. Horeb, and Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. During this season of Lent, a time of darkness, stillness, and self-reflection my posts will include scripture and images of mountains, places where we meet God. I pray these images and words will provide time and space for you to “Be still and know that I am God.” Prayer Lord God, Give us the desire to sit in stillness and be quiet. May we meet you on the mountain, even if the mountain is only a little hill close to our home. Amen When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Fog settled in making it hard to see the other end of the bridge. It just seemed to disappear. Even in the fog many cars that day trusted the bridge to continue their journey. Why did they trust?
There are many times in our lives we come places where we can’t see the way forward. We can only see a bridge draped in fog. What gives us the courage to drive forward, to trust the bridge. We know the Maker of the Bridge. God can be trusted. Many times he will ask us to go where we can’t see anything but fog. We make our way across the bridge knowing that he has been and will always be faithful. What are some times that you have trusted and found God faithful? Prayer Father God We put our trust in you. We walk forward unafraid and sing our praise to the Maker of Bridges. Amen Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. They go by various names, "frost flowers"" ice flowers", but they really aren’t flowers at all. Instead they are small ice formations that happen under specific conditions: air temperature must be below freezing, ground temperature must be above freezing, ground must have moisture from recent precipitation, and there must be a plant with a hollow stem. As water is drawn up from the ground to the stem, the stem splits and is ice is formed in these unique shapes when the water hits the cold air.
These were the first frost flowers I had ever seen and I would not have seen them without a friend. She was the one who noticed them on the ground next to the trail. She had never heard of them but I knew what they were because I had read of them. We made this unique and beautiful discovery because we were together. I have come to see that understanding scripture is just like this. We need others who will commit to study diligently the scriptures with us. We need the wisdom of scholars who write commentaries to help us understand the meaning of words and customs from other languages and cultures. Paul knew the importance of studying together as he encouraged the Colossians to “let the message of Christ dwell among you richly.” In our individualistic culture we tend to read “you” as singular, applying to us individually. But in this passage the word "you" is plural. For the message of Christ to dwell richly we need each other. As a result we will sing to God songs of gratitude. Prayer Lord Jesus Open your message to us as we study and meditate on your word together. Give us wisdom to encourage each other with ideas and inspiration we learn from your word. With great gratitude, Amen. |
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Soli Deo Gloria,
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan