I arrived in Moscow four days ago. A young man at the Spokane Airport greeted me. He was recently married, and we carried on a two-hour conversation about Nacho Libre, music, and more. The trip was delightful. The portrayal of vicious young men in Moscow seeking to devour a widow’s 401K was not communicated. This fella, and incidentally, every other I have met since, doesn’t meet the profile.
My partner-in-crime for over 15 years, Jarrod Richey, rode along with me. Jarrod is a Moscow expert who comes once or thrice annually to teach music. I am an amateur who is back in Moscow after eleven years. The last time I was here, I came to a graduation of a couple of my parishioners. Moscow was a standard Idaho town with two CREC congregations teaching and proclaiming truth. But despite a few controversies, it was not on people’s radars. Fast forward a decade and some change, and I found a massive community of people like the young man that greeted me at the airport—festive, sharp, and aware of their calling.
My bodily clock was a bit shaken, but I managed to enjoy the day and all its delicacies, including some of the most succulent chicken and pork I’ve tasted in my adult life and a beet salad that I didn’t think existed but concluded was divine. If that weren’t enough, we were treated to a local pastor’s audio table where all the delicacies of jazz and sacred music were displayed. The sound was like an ascension offering. The jokes, stories, and discussion stirred my soul, and like the end of a good day one, God said it was good.
The next day was the Lord’s Day which meant we gathered at a local park within walking distance from my hosts. We brought some chairs and sat under the tree-saturated environment. Oh, it was a few of us and 1,200 others. There were three churches gathered for the occasion. The service displayed beautiful piety with Scripture readings, strong hymnody and psalmody, and a sermon by the jolly Douglas Wilson, who, at 70, appears to be playing with time. He doesn't lose a beat, and his Gospel proclamation was a tribute to the Great Commission. It was a dutiful call to believe what Jesus says about the world. Wilson continues to be fundamentally consistent. For Moscow, ID, that continues to be a blessing.
I was invited here by Dr. Ben Maerkle to speak at the CALLED conference hosted by New Saint Andrews College. NSA takes no government money, so she is not imprisoned by any government bureaucracy or whatever the suited men think is best for higher education. The conference is a recruiting opportunity and it appears to have worked quite well. NSA is close to 300 students, and they are comfortably growing and adjusting quite well to the student body's demands.
Monday night was the first day of the conference. Over 150 young adults are here for this first week. Their excitement was palpable. I cannot tell you how joyful it was to address them in my first talk and interact with them throughout the day on Tuesday. Their stories are beautiful testaments of grace.
This week I am addressing the armor of God in Ephesians 6 and arguing that Paul is saturated in Old Testament language. Today, I deliver my third talk, focusing on the breastplate of righteousness and the shoes of readiness. Pray that this time will be fruitful.
Notations
I wanted to wait one day until my Crosspolitic interview was available. Here is the 45 minute-discussion on priesthood:
Goodness
My blog at uribrito.com
My main page at Kuyperian Commentary
From Moscow with love,
Uriesou Brito