 Moment in the Son . . .
Checking the mail is serious business at our house, an errand rarely overlooked because the boys are eager to see if any of their many "SASEs" have come back with a much-desired autograph of a professional basketball player. In our celebrity-crazed society, famous people are often held in fascination, even by adults. Living in a sparsely-populated state like Montana, hundreds of miles from any major population center, only adds to the novelty and mystique associated with the "rich and famous." Their world is simply not ours.  As a matter of fact, in my discussions with prospective rural pastors and ministry-seekers I emphasize the fact that, if a person is interested in either fame or fortune, this is the wrong place to come. We see little of either in our field of labor, which is just as well, since it’s eternal business we’re here to do.
We might call this an application of Colossians 3.2, where Paul encourages us to "set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." In other words, we’re here to major on what matters. It’s been nearly five years since Lincoln, Montana made national headlines with the arrest of "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski. Believing that high-tech corporations were responsible for imperiling the environment, Mr. Kaczynski committed a series of mail bombings beginning back in the 1970s which left three people dead and over twenty injured. He pleaded guilty in 1998 to a nearly 20-year bombing spree. Kaczynski led authorities on the nation’s longest and costliest manhunt before his arrest at his remote mountain cabin in 1996. The Unabomber’s capture brought national news media swarming into Lincoln, which instantly catapulted the little logging, mining, and retirement community into the spotlight of America. Hungry for a fresh angle on the major headline, a reporter from the Washington Post in D.C. interviewed the pastor of the local Blackfoot Valley Bible Church, our own Frank Jackson. It was April, 1996. In light of the unprecedented sensation which had enveloped Lincoln, the reporter asked Pastor Jackson what he would be preaching about that coming Sunday, Frank’s reply was simple and no surprise to those who know him: "It’s Easter Sunday, and I’ll be preaching on the resurrection of Jesus." The reporter also attended church that Sunday to see if it was true. Frank represents us well. His refusal to be moved from eternal truth for the sake of a quick "moment in the sun" shows a commitment to what really matters: the Savior, the cross, eternal life, the great Good News. 
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