I’m happy to be here and have enjoyed meeting and working with many of you over the last few months!   I hope to have a chance to many more of you today.  I also send greetings from my colleague, Ann Bailey, who is on assignment in North Dakota this weekend.

As Pastor John said I live in Iowa, but I’m actually a native Minnesotan.  Minnesota is a beautiful state!  In fact, northern Minnesota, where my husband grew up, is a lot like Montana minus the mountains.  The terrain is rugged, there are numerous deep sky-blue lakes connected by rivers of rushing rapids, and miles and miles of forests.

Iowa, on the other hand, is mile upon mile of flat farmland, which is sectioned off into thousands of cornfields and an occasional bean-field.  It has only 2 real lakes, and the rivers that run between them are full of agricultural run-off.   If you’re lucky, you might find a patch of trees here and there. 

The good thing about IA is that the roads all run parallel to the corn fields, which makes driving a series of straight roads followed by 90 degree turns.   It is quite easy to get around and the most direct route is always the fastest and easiest. 

I’m sure you would agree that this is NOT the case in here in western Montana.  I know because I learned it the hard way.  On my first trip to Montana in February I flew into Missoula and rented a compact car.  The good folks at Budget Rental gave me a map which I studied thoroughly to determine my route. 

The primary route running north on this particular map was Hwy 83 -- not 93  -- 83.  To get to 83 it looked like I needed to take Interstate Highway 200 east out of Missioula.  So I found my way to 200 and headed east.  20 minutes later I started getting a little nervous because I couldn’t find any road signs verifying that I was still on 200.  Another 20 minutes and I still hadn’t seen any road signs OR much civilization for that matter!  At that point I began to doubt my map.  

Finally I saw a house, and lucky for me, the owner was getting the mail out of his mailbox.  I pulled up next to him, rolled down my window and said: “Excuse me sir, I’m trying to get to Hwy 83.  Does this road take me there?”  “Where you headed?” He asked.   I told I had started in Missoula and was on my way to Whitefish.  “Well,” he said, “It’s not the most direct route, but it’ll get you there.” 

He proceeded to tell me to continue on for another 15 miles or so, and then turn left by a statue of some animal, I think it was a bear.  That, he said, would be Highway 83.   His directions were quite accurate, and once on 83, I was able to relax.  And that’s when I began to notice the scenery around me.  It was breath-taking! 

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to relax for long because it began to snow and the wind picked up.  As I wound my way through the mountain passes I found myself thanking God for the snowplows and praying my little compact car would make it to Whitefish.   Several times during what turned out to be a 5 hour drive, I would start to feel a little anxious because I was so far removed from civilization.  

But each time that happened, I would come around a bend in the road and there would be an unexpected gift from God: a herd of deer, a babbling brook, a tree-lined lake.  Once a bald Eagle came flying toward me, swooping gracefully over my car, giving me a perfect view of its stately wings. 

At those moments, I felt a sense of peace fill my heart and mind.  It was as if Jesus was speaking directly to me the same words he spoke to the disciples in our gospel lesson today: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid.”  

I’m happy to say I made it safely to Whitefish, and after concurring with my colleague Ann who lives in Hamilton, I discovered that I should have taken 93, not 83.  But when I went back to my map, I discovered that 93 was not on it! 

On my second trip, I got a steal of a deal on a flight into Spokane.  But I was a little smarter now.  This time I did two things differently.  First, I asked for a mid-sized car with 4-wheel drive.  And second, I bought a map – actually I bought 3 maps, one for reach state I’d be driving through.  I also decided that this time, it would be good to take the more direct route. 

As I studied the maps, I discovered that finding the most direct route was a little more complicated than I had anticipated, but eventually I decided that it I would take Interestate 90 east to Coeur D’Alene, and then 95 north to Bonners Ferry Idaho.  Then I’d take highway 2 from Bonners Ferry into Montana, through the town of Libby and into Kalispell.   One thing I knew for sure, I was not going to take the interstate south when I needed to go north!  

Wouldn’t you know, the most direct route was also a winding road through the mountains!   But this one was different than the last one.  This one had dozens and dozens of little white crosses along the side of the road!   As I drove through miles and miles of National Forest with no signs of civilization, I started to worry.  What if my car broke down?  What if I had a medical emergency?       

But just when the worry began to overwhelm me, God once again made Himself known through the beauty of His creation and my heart and mind were filled with peace. “Peace I leave you; my peace I give you,” Jesus said. “Do not let your heart be troubled, do not be afraid.”  Once again it took me a little longer than I had planned, but I made it safely to Whitefish.

On this trip, I flew into Missoula, took highway 93 and, I’m happy to report, enjoyed the beautiful drive without any mishaps.  But looking back on it, I learned a lot from my journeys through Montana.  And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that what I learned could also be applied to my journey through life. 

What exactly did I learn?   Well, I learned that the most direct route to my destination is not always the fastest or the easiest.   I learned that sometimes the route I plan to take isn’t the route I end up on.  I learned that the winding, anxiety-producing roads are often the most beautiful – even holy. I learned that God often makes Himself known through the world He created.  And I learned that the Peace of His Son Jesus is available at all times. 

“Peace I leave you; my peace I give you.  I do not give as the world gives.  Do not let your heart be troubled, do not be afraid.”   Interestingly, Jesus spoke these words to the disciples who were on their own journey through life.  For almost 3 years they had traveled with Jesus watching in amazement as he ministered to people.   They saw him perform miracles, heal people, feed the multitudes, teach and preach. 

But at the time Jesus spoke these words, things were heating up.  The opposition against him had intensified, and Jesus seemed to be more distant and somber.  His focus was on teaching the disciples, but they were having trouble comprehending what he said.  To make matters worse, he kept telling them that he wouldn’t be with them much longer.  This was causing great anxiety among the disciples.

But it was into this anxiety that Jesus spoke.  “Peace I leave you; my peace I give you.”  On the surface there was nothing extra-ordinary about these words.  The word “peace” was commonly used as a greeting in the Hebrew.   But in this moment with his disciples, Jesus uses it more intentionally.   He uses it to bless them with the promise of salvation – which he is about to achieve through his redemptive work on the cross. 

This peace is defined in the footnotes of the Concordia study bible as “an inner rest of spirit in perfect fellowship with God.”    A peace the disciples would desperately need to continue the journey on their own.   A peace that you, the people of Christ Lutheran Church, some 2000 years later, have needed on your journey as a congregation.

From what I’ve heard, the last 10 years, have been a journey not all that unlike my journeys through the state of Montana. A journey characterized by some winding, anxiety-producing roads.   A journey in which the planned route was not the route you ended up on.  Yet it sounds like God made Himself known in some very powerful ways.   And just when faith was about to give way to fear, Jesus would fill you with his peace and remove your fear. 

And here you are today.  

You made it into this building and you’ve even finished it!   That is a major accomplishment!   Now you’ve had a little time to catch your breath -- to experience life as a community of faith in this new space.  The move has required some re-adjusting, even some grieving.  But God has made Himself known along the way; He has revealed the beauty of His faithfulness to you.    He has blessed you with the same promise of salvation he gave to the disciples.  You have access to that inner rest of spirit in perfect fellowship with God.  

And now, God says, you’re ready for the next leg of the journey.

During the next 6 weeks you’re going to be preparing for that next leg of the journey.  Through the worship services, and some intentional times of prayer, Pastor John, the worship leaders, and the IMAGINE spiritual life team, are going to fill your tanks to overflowing.   Through materials you’ll receive today, and on May 17th along with a special DVD presentation that day, you’ll have a good road map to follow. 

In the next couple of weeks pastor John is going to ask you to IMAGINE the future of Christ Lutheran Church   He will remind you of the mission for which this building was built.   And he will challenge you to join him in reaching out to the lost, serving the under-served, building into the lives of children and youth, and growing deeper in faith.   This journey is about laying a solid foundation of ministry upon which Christ Lutheran Church can grow - and sustain its growth.  

There are a couple of things you, as a congregation, need in order to accomplish the mission and vision you’ve been called to.  First, you need another pastor.  You simply cannot grow without someone who can help build a ministry infrastructure.   Second, you need to free up more of your operating budget for ministry.  This means paying down the principle on your mortgage.   And finally, it is the intention of this churches leadership to practice the value of generosity by building a church in Ecuador.        

And so in preparation for the next leg of your ministry journey, you will be encouraged and inspired to make a financial investment in these priorities.   You will be given the opportunity to experience the joy of giving and growing in faith.    

The good news is that generosity is already a part of your DNA.  Did you know your very first building Christ Lutheran Church built was built during the depression?   Can you imagine the courage it took for that group of pioneers to commit to building the church when unemployment was at an all time high and most people were living without the basic necessities of life?  

Our countries current economic struggle has sparked my curiosity about the Great Depression.  And from the perspective of our culture today, I have been amazed by what I’ve discovered.   Instead of the “every man for himself” mentality, there was an “every man for his neighbor” mentality.  Story after story told of incredible generosity.  Grocery store owners who never collected from their patrons because they couldn’t turn hungry children away.  Mailmen who would share their earnings with the people of their route by delivering a roast with the mail.  Instead of a spirit of fear, there seemed to be a spirit of faith. 

That’s the spirit with which this church built its very first building!  Imagine for a moment what that congregational meeting must have been like!   Do you think it was 3 hours long and filled with heated arguments? Not hardly!   Something tells me it was a short meeting with a unanimous vote!      

And I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if a passage from the 14th chapter of the gospel of John was read that day.  The passage where Jesus said: “Peace I leave you.  My peace I give you.   Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Do not be afraid.”

That decision was the beginning of a journey through winding roads on unexpected routes for Christ Lutheran Church.  A journey that has led you to today.   A today that has some similarities to those early days of economic hardship.   

The question is how will you respond?   Will you allow God to re-route you when necessary?   Will you acknowledge the beauty amidst the struggles?   Will you hold back in fear or move ahead in faith?   Will you keep what is rightfully yours, or share generously with those in need?

And perhaps most importantly, will you hear Jesus when he says: “Peace I leave you, my peace I give you.  Do not let your heart be troubled.  Do not be afraid.”?

May God bless you with His Peace on this next leg of your journey.  AMEN