The activities and preparations of getting ready for our Lenten themed Wilderness has been quite abuzz lately.  For me, to be ready for the Ash Wednesday sermon, I needed a two-hour window of time of not being distracted.  I ended up at Seth’s Coffee Tuesday morning, to relax and focus.  As I worked through my sermon the activity at Seth’s was the usual.  Customers in, customers out.  Handshakes and hugs, well wishes and laughter.  But there was one table next to the window, where the sunlight was streaming through, that caught my attention.  One winter coat draped on the mother’s legs and the other coat piled on a chair of the 7ish year old boy standing alongside the table.  I could hear the shake, shake, shake of dice, and then the roll of the dice onto a table. I marveled at their controlled interactive play and their sharing excitement for one another as they rolled their dice.  Then the son with great excitement yelled, “Yahtzee!”  God’s love was alive at this playful table!
 
Last night I certainly could see God’s love coming to life with amazing food, fellowship, and worship.  Our rooms and renovated spaces were filled up!  The sanctuary was full!  We ran out of bulletins and we had so many confirmation students present that we needed to make more copies of the worship notes.  The prayground was active with some of our youngest coloring, rushing the front of church, dancing, and playing together too!  The fellowship hall and gathering space was bursting with conversations and people welcoming one another as families united at mealtime.  The kitchen was busy with our 9th grade students serving soup, washing dishes, and busing tables.  We come together on these Wednesday evenings to name our “Wilderness” journeys in life.  We explore God’s presence in a relational, experiential, playful, and glad-hearted gusto.  Helping and caring for one another in our deepest needs.
 
Last year’s Lenten theme was playful around Disney & Pixar movies.  This year we will be playful about life’s wilderness journey.  In worship last night (and at 11 am too) we received the sustaining spiritual meal of Jesus’ body and blood in Holy Communion.  We also remember God’s promise of eternal life when the ashen sign of the cross was marked on our foreheads.  Ashes are used to remind us of the reality that none of us gets out of this life without returning to the dust.  Let us daily take on the Lenten discipline of devoting some time dwelling in scripture, the word of the week, the devotional booklet, meditating, and praying.  It is important to play with one another like a mother and her child or the coming together that Lent has to offer.  The reality of the world and local news can be sobering especially when we hear about the Coronavirus, shooting deaths at Molson Coors Brewery in Milwaukee, to the recent murder of two children in Kaukauna.  Let’s play a bit more with one another.  Let’s fellowship with one another and ask important questions.  Let’s share the depth of spiritual presence God has and desires of us and we’ll see the love of God come to life at Christ the King and in the world.
 
God’s Lenten Blessings & Peace,
Pastor Nate
 
P.S. in case you missed the Ash Wednesday sermon question from Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 here they are:

1. Where is the physical or metaphorical wilderness for you?
2. What does the scripture teach about the wilderness?
3. How does the wilderness shape those who journey through it?
4. Where is God in the Wilderness?

What a joy to welcome back former pastor and associate with the bishop Doug Bisbee to Christ the King Wednesday night.  Although in a different capacity, as a certified counselor at Samaritan Counseling, he shared about the importance of mental health with our confirmation students, their families and our community.  Our mental health is very important.  1 in 4 people are affected with issues attributed to mental health.  Whether it is trauma we experience or something we cannot control, seeking help is normal and helpful.  The example shared was, if you break a bone, who do you go to?  You would go to a doctor for help.  If you or someone you know is having difficulty with mental health, you help them find a certified counselor.
Mental health can be a pretty serious subject, but in typical Doug style he broke down large concepts so that we could understand.  All people have their ups and downs.  Doug helped us to understand and even laugh!  God has put us here to help one another.  On Wednesday night we saw God’s love’s evident through the presentation and in our youth, who asked some pretty insightful questions about how to deal with life and even situations around suicide.
Important lessons learned is that God is with us no matter what.  God provides other people in our midst to help us.  Doug also taught us the 4x4x4 method for breathing.  Breath in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, and exhale for 4 seconds.  Repeat this 4-7 times and you should feel a calmness come over you.  Exercise such as walking, lifting weights, hitting a punching bag also help us to release tension and stress by readying us for our daily challenges.  Talking with trusted people and seeking certified counselors are always good to help us gain perspective when we don’t have answers.
God’s love came to life and filled the room in our time together.  I thank God for people like Doug and the many people at Samaritan Counseling who can walk with people to help them find their way.  If you are having challenges in your life or need someone to listen.  Pastor Dara and I are here for you and we can help guide and direct you to people in our community who can help.  May you see God’s love come to life in your day.
God’s blessings and peace,
Pastor Nate