Bricks and Beauty

Good Shepherd Lutheran is connected by a brick breezeway to Shepherd of the Valley Healthcare Center. That connecting wall is even more beautiful than the majestic snow-capped Casper Mountain to the south.

Good Shepherd is the smallest of four ELCA churches in Casper, a city of 53,000 along the Laramie chain of the magnificent Rocky Mountains. Shepherd of the Valley Healthcare Center is the largest long-term skilled nursing facility in the state of Wyoming. When linked together by bricks, the beauty of the two outshines the mountains.

Some may scratch their heads, wondering how a church can perceive an exquisite scene in a pile of bricks. But it is not the wall the people admire, but what the wall represents - the possibility for people to come together in a divine encounter in a Sunday morning family gathering. Without that long stretch of red bricks, many of those in wheelchairs or with walkers would find it treacherous to navigate through snow-covered property in the depths of winter, or endure blazing heat at the height of summer.

At the assembly we are being challenged to perceive (not just see) beauty in our landscapes. Beauty is often elusive. Can we perceive the beauty of our collective family as we sing of our Lord? Can we perceive courage as we wrestle with social issues that cry out for justice? Can we perceive the changes that must come to our beloved synod to ensure a vital future? Can we perceive the great strength that we already possess, thanks to the tenure of our Bishop, Allan Bjornberg?

Can we behold the beauty of our landscapes, while seeing beyond the bricks?

          Pastor Jack Damien

          Good Shepherd Lutheran

          Casper, WY