The season of Easter is upon us. We emerge from our Lenten journey and welcome the New Light of Christ into our midst; we welcome the promise of life eternal with Jesus. This hope and promise of Easter is especially poignant for us at this time.
Robert Graham passed from this temporal life to life eternal on 28 March at 12:00 noon. Robert, being not only the oldest member of Immanuel, but the oldest Lutheran in the Montana Synod at 105, demonstrated to us what it means to live faithfully in the promises of Jesus for us. He attended church regularly, was active in civic associations and the life of the community; he enjoyed and participated in the recreation - golf - of God’s creation. He lived his life fully through the blessings of a long and fruitful life, as God granted to him.
We will miss him and all the history he had to offer us. But Jesus grants us the promise, through the Easter resurrection, of life eternal with God in the heavenly realm, sharing the Holy Meal with the communion of saints at the heavenly banquet.
This is the joy, the celebration of Easter, having the promise of sharing the Glory of God with all the saints who have gone before us. This is our hope and this is our promise. This and this alone, is what calls us to live a life on earth, whereby we live the love of Jesus; the love Jesus has for us, that he would die for us, so we may have the promise of life eternal. This is the Good News. This Good News is so joyous we live it, proclaim it, in word and deed.
We give thanks to God by living the Good News, loving God and loving nieghbor; following Jesus as he has taught us through the Gospel and through Holy Scripture.
Thanks be to God!
Alleluia, Christ is Risen!
Christ is Risen indeed, Alleluia!
Thanks be to God!

Ash Wednesday to Remember

We have had some excitement as we started our Lenten Journey on Ash Wednesday. It got off to a rough start when Glen and Mick showed up at 5:45 wondering “where’s the soup?” Others soon arrived at 6:00 asking the same question. What was I to do? I ran over to the parsonage, and used the soup Susan had left for me while she was away and added a can of Swanson’s Chicken Broth to “extend” it a bit and took it over to church and heated it up. In short order it was properly warmed up and with some crackers I found at home; I was able to faithfully serve those who were looking for soup. It may not have been the miracle of the multiplication of the fishes and loaves , but the Holy Spirit was at work and provided fellowship for those who came. Jean Fiveland and Shirley Adams quickly tidied up after eating and we were ready for worship at 7:00.
I started out by blessing the candle stands Mick Handley made for our altar to be used during Lent. These candle stands reflect the austerity and time reflective contemplation of Lent perfectly for our sanctuary. I also blessed our new altar missal of the Evangelical Lutheran Worship. This altar missal will be a nice addition to the altar and compliment our worship service.
The service was progressing smoothly. We had finished the imposition of Ashes. As I walked over to the Lectern for the Apostle’s Creed, I noticed at camp fire like odor. Walking by the altar, I carefully checked the candles to make sure nothing was amiss there. I figured the congregation would – I hope – let me know if I was on fire. As I was reciting the creed with the congregation, I noticed they were restless, agitated. Some members went into the fellowship hall, a younger member went out the church door, soon followed by a member’s daughter who is a flight attendant. She came back and announced there was a fire in the ceiling of the narthex, we should remain calm and leave the church by another exit. Her crowd control training in response to a threat proved to be very valuable to us as a congregation.
People began to leave via the fellowship hall exit and the president and vice president of the congregation grabbed a fire extinguisher and proceeded to deal with the fire in the ceiling. I grabbed two other fire extinguishers and followed them into the narthex and gave handed them to Scott Wittman and John Chepulis. I left them to fight the fire and I returned to the office where John Schatz was trying to call the fire department. A breaker had tripped, a bit too late, and power to the office as out, resulting in a dead wireless phone. I pulled the drawer containing all our church registries and walked over to the parsonage and put them in the bed of my pickup. I took off my vestments and returned to the office where I grabbed a box of our historic records and material and put them into the bed of my pickup. Tayler Wittman asked if there was anything she could do. I said if I see flames coming through the roof, we would empty out our office of all the file drawers. I entered the office again and entered the chancel where I blew out the altar candles and turned off the lights. As I left the office I grabbed my hat and jacket and proceeded to check out the situation in the narthex from the outside.
As I was coming around the corner of the church the fire trucks had arrived and were getting set up, lights were turned on, hoses were connected and laid out, and firefighters had entered the narthex to pull down the ceiling and vent the building. The fire had been put out by the fire extinguishers under the efforts of Scott and John. Charlie Frey had hauled out smoldering ceiling tiles and the firefighters were making sure the fire was completely out. It was.
A light fixture was the culprit that started the fire when it was turned on. I am thankful that we were having a worship service and were on hand at the time when the fire started. What really amazed me and what I am very thankful for is how everyone was able to act and respond to a dangerous situation. Everyone remained calm, we used the gifts God blessed us with to act and respond to the danger of a fire in our building. We all used the gifts we were blessed by God with to respond. There was no shouting, no panic, people acted on what needed to be done and they did it. Even the elements of communion which we keep on a table in the narthex until they are presented with the offering where taken out and put in the parsonage.
The firefighters tidied up after ripping down the ceiling and making sure there would be no continual threat of a fire. We eventually all left for home. I am thankful for the concern expressed to me for my well being by Dan Aadland and Debra Balfany. I did engage in self care, I did my dishes and felt much better.
The next morning Glenn Young, Mick Handley, John Schatz and Don Schaefer were on hand to access the damage and plan for repairing it. They pitched in and did a thorough cleaning, to the point where we were ready for Sunday services. We since have had our first Wednesday joint prayer service with the congregations of St. Paul’s of the Stillwater Episcopal Church, and the Community Congregational Church here in Absarokee, our ceiling has been repaired and we have a new electrical junction box for a new light fixture.
I am very thankful to God for having spared us substantial damage, injury or death of those who responded to the fire. I thank God for the power of the Holy Spirit to work through those who responded. This is the power of God in action. God calls upon us to use our the gifts we have been blessed with to serve, to respond, and to act in our caring for our community and the people of God’s creation. We each are uniquely blessed by God to serve God and neighbor. Jesus calls upon us not to hid our light under a bushel, but to put it on a lampstand, and let our light so shine before others so theymay see our work, and glorify and praise our creator in heaven.
By the grace of God, Immanuel Lutheran Church will continue to serve the people of Absarokee, Montana. Thanks be to God!