Worshipping In the Grand Tetons

The Grand Tetons

Yesterday Tim and I set up camp in the Grand Tetons National Park near Moran, WY, where we only have to look west to see the towering splendor of the Teton Range, mountains that soar more than 13,000 feet from the valley floor.  What makes them seem so monumental is there are no foothills standing between the two.  The effect is magnificent!  (And very hard to convey with a photograph!)  Awe-struck, all I could do was to thank God for his marvelous creation.

But there were smaller wonders, too.

Yellow Columbine

Moran, WY is little more than a junction of highways; the fork to the north leads beyond the Grand Tetons to Yellowstone National Park 30 miles away.  There's a post office, a school and a fire department to mark its place.  Definitely no houses of worship!

The view of the Tetons from inside Jackson Lake Lodge

That's why we were glad to find an interdenominational worship service held at Jackson Lake Lodge.  And there we learned of a ministry that I wish I'd known during my younger years.  I would have jumped at the chance to participate.

Showy Fleabane

A Christian Ministry in the National Parks (ACMNP) has had a presence in America's national parks since 1951.  Approximately 200 Christian leaders, many of them college and seminary students, lead worship services and other opportunities for Christian fellowship for park guests and staff in almost 30 national parks during the summer and in some cases, the winter months, too.

Elizabeth and Christian

Elizabeth and Christian, ACMNP staffers, led this morning's service.  Both received training from the ministry and both found seasonal employment at the Grand Tetons National Park.  Elizabeth who graduated with a psychology degree in May works at one of the gift shops.  Christian, a college sophomore, is on the maintenance staff.

Indian Paintbrush

Although the crowd of worshippers this morning was small, each person seemed to feel at home with the Prayer of Confession, the Apostle's Creed, the hymns and the praise songs.  For the scripture reading, Elizabeth used Luke 12:22-32 as the basis of her homily.  The verses that resonated with me were these:

27 "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?"

Bluebell-of-Scotland

Tim will tell you that I snap more photos of wildflowers than almost any other subject, a behavior of mine that calls upon his patience.  So, I can attest to the beauty of these uncultivated plants or "lilies" as Jesus calls them.  (Tim just calls them weeds.)  

Musk Thistle

What boggles my mind is the attention God gives to these wildflowers.  

Goldeneye

He arrays them in such beauty that I, along with other like-minded tourists, are drawn to capture their showiness in photographs.

Globemallow

I tend to dwell unduly on difficulties that may--or may not ever--happen.  Worrywart could be my middle name.  But in these verses, God promises me that He will provide what I need.

22 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  31 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you."

Next time worry overwhelms me, I'm going to thank God for His promise to provide for me.  I might even remember to thank Him for wildflowers, too.