“The Mountain Top”

“Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³⁰ Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. ³¹ They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³² Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³ Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. ³⁴ While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” ³⁶ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.” Luke 9:28-36

“The mountain-top is a delightful place. There the soul reaches heights and depths such as it reaches at no other time. Preachers love to preach and poets love to sing of the mountain-tops of life. How delightful are these times in our spiritual life, and how naturally we long for these seasons! How often they are pictured up till one would suppose that they are the principal things in the Christian life! Some people have fancied that when they became Christians the mountain-top experience would be their constant portion. They thought that this exaltation of spirit was the normal state of a Christian. They gloried in it as the days passed by. The time came, however, when this emotional glow subsided. As the barometer of their feelings fell, they began to question themselves thus: “What is the matter with me? Have I done something wrong?” Thus, their faith fell with their emotions. After a while their emotions rose again, and their faith rose with their emotions. Now they knew that they were all right. There are times when we seem to draw near to God in prayer, when the sight and sound of the world is shut out. An inexpressible sweetness and joy and satisfaction come into the heart. How near God seems! How calm and precious is the hour! How our spirits drink in of the water of life! How we seem to talk face to face with our Lord, and how the curtain seems drawn back till our eyes behold the secrets of the Eternal! We give ourselves over to the supreme enjoyment of the hour. But alas! in a short time we find ourselves no longer on the mountain, but out in the broad plain of life, and how tame and monotonous is that plain when we think of the mountain! (C.W. Naylor, “Heart Talks”, p. 181-182)

Have you stood on a mountain top and wondered about life, the universe and all things possible? When you stand on the top of a mountain, it seems nothing can surpass that picture, that view, that feeling. And you are right – nothing can top the top of the mountain. But, unless we are moving into a monastery somewhere in the Alps, we cannot live on top of a mountain. Oh, yes, some people try – but eventually then need to come down for provisions, for possessions, and for people. Jesus goes to the mountain top for the moment of his Transfiguration – and it is there where he speaks to Moses and Elijah. It was good for him to be there – it was good for the three disciples to see this experience. But they were not going to stay atop the mountain. In fact, Jesus comes down so that he can be with the people, to gather more provisions, and to preach against the hoarding of possessions to more people.

Mountain top experiences are nice, but the place where real action happens is down in the valley. Why? Because everything that goes up, must come down. Even Jesus did not just stay on the mountain – he came down to make things happen. Life cannot just be about mountain tops – because there is only so much room on the top.

Extraordinary sights are nice, but you and I live within the ordinary, practical side of life. Enjoy the mountain-top experiences G-d may give to you, but do not count this as the ordinary, usual thing – especially when we compare them to our everyday, Christian life. We must need to learn to enjoy the toil of the ordinary life – and to learn to find the beauty in the common things of life — for some of the most common things are among the most beautiful when our eyes are taught to see their beauty.

Pastor Dave

“In Christ, There is Always Hope”

  “I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason ¹⁶ I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. ¹⁷ I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, ¹⁸ so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.” Ephesians 1:15-19

“Some persons look around at the present condition of things in this world, at sin abounding on every hand, and say, “There is no use for me to try to be a Christian or to be different from the others.” There are many who look at things in this way. They think it useless to try to be righteous under present conditions. There are many other people today in various situations who say: “There is no hope for me. There is no use for me to try.” It is not so much a change of environment that people need as a change of heart and of character. Diamonds are often found embedded in volcanic mud; mud surrounds them on every side, and yet they have lain there for centuries and are still diamonds. What is the secret of it? Why have they not become contaminated? It is because the mud never entered the diamond…” (C.W. Naylor, “Heart Talks”, p. 176-177)

I am sure you have heard someone say “All hope is lost”. People make such a statement when it appears the odds against them are so great, there is nothing that will change the course of their journey. I once saw this quote: “When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope. (Pittacus Lore).

There is nothing more insidious than despair – than the loss of hope. I often think of the three women who had been kidnapped by Ariel Castro in Cleveland between 2002 and 2004. In 2013 they were rescued when one of the women escaped the home they were being held captive and contacted the police. Two of the women wrote a book about their ordeal titled “Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland.”  To believe that these women survived this ordeal is possible when we consider that they never lost hope that one day, someone would find them. It is a reminder to us all that this world can take so much away from us, but it can never take away our hope that comes through Jesus Christ. After all, without hope, what do we have left? When it comes to Jesus Christ, we should never, never utter the words “All hope is lost.” As we hear in Philippians 3:8: “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

Pastor Dave