Mountain Bike Theology
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
February 13, 2000
David Beckett, D.Min.

Are you the kind of person who likes to make connections with people? You’re at a party and meeting people for the first time. What do you do? In conversation you try to find out what you have in common with your new acquaintance. That’s why one of the first topics to surface in talking with new people is the weather. It is the one thing all new people have in common. We all experience the weather.

This winter the weather has dominated much of our conversation with new and old friends alike. We’ve all been on a weather roller coaster. Now I like roller coasters. I like to go up and down and around and around. But I like to get off roller coasters and feel the solid ground and be where life is predictable. Many of us have been particularly grumpy this winter not just because of the cold or darkness, but because of the ups and downs of our weather!

The apostle Paul tried to make connections with the people of Corinth, a thriving, bustling city with a reputation for low moral values. One of the ways he did this was to compare the Christian life to a Greek race and a boxing match. Referring to the victory wreath athletes receive he said that Christians receive a wreath that will not wither and perish. When trying to communicate a message it always helps to put it the context of those you want to hear it.

So today I would like to compare the Christian life to a bike trip in the mountains. Perhaps it may offer an insight or two in our own Christian journeys. It all began last June 11. My two sons, Ryan and Jeremy, and I planned a bike trip across the Johnson Pass Trail on the Kenai Peninsula. Our bikes were tuned and ready. We had our gear and headed down the highway. After dropping a vehicle at the end of the trail on the Seward highway Kim and the girls drove us the 32 miles to the Johnson Pass trailhead.

Kim left us with a prayer and hugs and drove on into Anchorage. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! Blue skies, brilliant sunshine, temperatures around 70. We cruised along the trail with high hopes for a great 21-mile bike hike. The trail was somewhat muddy with puddles and some obstacles, but we were feeling good.

Can you remember your first steps on your Christian journey? Some folks can’t remember a time when they did not feel the presence of Christ with them. Others can tell you the exact day and time when they started their walk with Christ. I grew up in the church. I have 12 years of perfect attendance in Sunday School. I went through confirmation. But it wasn’t until my junior year in high school that I decided for myself that I wanted to accept Christ into my life. I remember the feeling of lightness and joy and excitement on my new spiritual path. It was not unlike the beginning of a bike hike in the Alaska mountains.

Then we hit the snowfields. I had forgotten that the snowfall was heavy last winter. These melting snowfields were all that was left from several avalanches. At first they were fun. We rode our bikes onto and into them. We stopped in one valley and threw snowballs at each other. And then the novelty wore off and I realized that they were becoming major obstacles. If we ran into five snowfields in two miles I could only imagine what the remaining 19 miles would be like. I did not fancy the idea of lugging my bike 15 miles across melting snow! So we decided to turn around.

Sooner or later the novelty of walking with Christ will wear off. The sense of newness will disappear. Have you ever been in this place? It’s at this point that we sometimes feel like giving up. Following Jesus Christ is hard work and we’re not sure we have what it takes to do it.

Our trek back to the trailhead was even more fun than before. We were muddy and wet and loved every minute of it! I told the boys that my major goal was not to get flipped off my bike, which I had done on every trip up to that point. Wouldn’t you know it? I hit a slippery rock and was promptly ejected from my bike and bloodied my leg. Even in the midst of blood and pain I was still having fun. Shake it off. Get on the bike and keep moving. We had a long way to get back to our vehicle.

You are on your journey of life with Christ. Your goal is to make it without major illness or accident. You pray a lot for safety for you and your loved ones. But accidents happen, don’t they? One minute you’re cruising down the trail having a great time. The next you are lying on your back with blood on your leg. How do you experience God during the delays in your journey? Do you feel like God is absent when life takes a turn for the worse?

Once back at the trailhead we faced a 32-mile trek along the Seward Highway to our vehicle. Workers were building a bike trail along the highway and we imagined that we were the very first bikers to use that portion of the trail. After a mile’s ride on this path we made it to Granite Creek campground for lunch and fresh water. Journeys such as this require times of respite and quiet. Our time at that beautiful campground renewed us in body and spirit.

In our Christian journey there are times when we need to stop and get off our bikes in order to be refreshed spiritually. How do deal with your need to be spiritually renewed? Do you get away by yourself to a remote cabin? Do you join a group of people who seek God together? Does being in worship help you get spiritually energized for the week ahead? Let me encourage us all to take some time to be alone with God, to be quiet in Christ’s presence, to listen to the still, small voice of God. Early mornings or late evenings may work for you. Mid-day walks might be better. The important thing is to make time for spiritual renewal.

After lunch it was time to get back on our bikes. We knew the hills were coming but this knowledge did not help all of us enjoy the journey. After passing the Hope cutoff our first big hill loomed before us. And then part way up my bike chain broke. None of us had ever repaired a bike chain before. The interesting thing was that I had the tool to repair but didn’t know how to use it! We lost little parts, found them, worked together, learned how to use that tool, and together we fixed the bike! We celebrated with high fives and a prayer and pressed on.

When one member of the family breaks down it is important that others stay with them until repairs are made. It is also important to celebrate the joys of the journey. Thank you, Lord. Alleluia!

As we walk this journey with Christ we will inevitably notice that others are not on the same journey, and that they often do harm to the earth and God’s people. We cannot feel the pain of every person on this planet who is hurting. That is God’s job. But I can allow a bit of your hurt to be felt in my heart. I can allow a small piece of the grief felt by the families of flight 261. I can allow a fraction of the struggle of the poor to be felt in my heart and pocketbook. Compassion is a love that hurts. Compassion is the central piece of Jesus’ life and message. All who would follow him are called to have the same compassion for others.

Traffic was heavy as we trudged up the hill. There were many rest stops and a few whiny stops. As soon as we would crest a hill there would be a brief downhill and another major hill. We began to hit our wall, the end of our strength. At such times you really wonder if you have anything left to continue on the journey.

Have you ever hit your spiritual wall? Have you ever come to that place in your spiritual hike where you felt you couldn’t go on, that you had no spiritual strength to continue?

There’s an old spiritual, "He had to walk it by himself. Nobody else could walk it for him. He had to walk it by himself." I believe there comes a time in everyone’s spiritual journey where we have to walk by ourselves without fellow human companions. Some of the pain we carry will never be shared with another person. Some of our secrets will never come out of our dark closets. And each one of us will face that journey from this life into the next one alone with God.

The next day I wrote down many of our experiences. I didn’t want to forget the sights, sounds, and feelings of that day. When it comes to experiencing God we can do the same. We can write down in a journal our thoughts about a sermon or scripture we heard in church. We can pour out our broken hearts to a compassionate God who hurts with us. We can record the ecstasy of knowing God in the beauty of the Alaskan wilderness.

Your spiritual journey is being written right now. Many of you are facing obstacles and challenges along the path. Every one of us has the power to be with God on this journey. This is true because God has the power and the love to be with us. God chooses to be with us. The question for each one of us is: Will we choose to be with God on the bike trip of life and faith?