Word from Wiese

Mountains

Mountains

2 February 2022

As you read this, I am getting ready to fly home after spending two days skiing in the Utah mountains with my son Luke and long-time family friends. It was my first-time skiing west of the Mississippi and first-time skiing in over a decade. I hope I’m still walking!

Ski Accident in the mountainsI doubt my mountain moments were as revolutionary as they were for Peter, James, and John when they summited the mountain with Jesus and experienced the Transfiguration together, in which Jesus’s glory and identity was revealed more deeply with Moses and Elijah. However, I trust I will have spent holy time with Jesus. The beauty of the mountains will inspire afresh my awe of God’s handiwork and worship of Jesus, through whom John’s Gospel and the Nicene Creed declare “all things were made.” The adventure of the mountains will surely deepen my bond with my son and friends and springboard us into all kinds of meaningful conversations about the life’s purpose, joy, complexity, and wonder. Bonus: I’ll be extra ready to root for all the Olympic skiers in competition the next two weeks!

You’ve seen me write this before in one of these WFWs: I’m grateful to work in a job offering vacation days, strategic time for refreshment of the soul and “sharpening the blade” that can dull while fighting the good fight. God’s Third Command of honoring the Sabbath Day certainly highlights our Lord’s design of sustenance with God’s Word & People, but also sabbath from work and a chance to delight in the beautiful creation our Lord provides for our enjoyment.

Seizing moments of vacation amid Covid concerns and regulations is tough indeed. But my prayer for you and all God’s people at COS is that the Holy Spirit guides you to some holy experiences of Sabbath just right for you in the months to come. Skiing or sleeping. Hiking or helping. Beach-combing or biking. Gardening or gourmet cooking.

Let us pray.

Dear Lord, as Jesus took time to climb a mountain with his friends, stir us to take time to climb our own mountains (whether real or proverbial), even if just for a few days. Amid the restrictions of Covid, help us see a pathway forward for holy moments for digging deeper into family, friends, renewal, and the wonders of your world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.