“When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.” —Matthew 8:1
In my days as a youth pastor, Jenny was one of my favorite students. By 9th grade she’d already become a leader in our youth group. She attended every event we hosted, bringing all kinds of great energy and passion with her. And oh how she loved Jesus!
As I got to know her better, I learned that Jenny belonged not only to our church’s youth group but regularly attended another church’s youth group as well. She also belonged to the local YoungLife chapter, attending both their weekly large group meeting and their small group Bible study. At least once a month, Jenny would go away to a retreat, camp, conference, or mission trip hosted by one of her three Christian fellowships.
I once asked Jenny if she had enough time and space to process all those lessons, Bible studies, and experiences that kept washing over her day after day, week after week. She said it wasn’t about processing those things; it was about the feeling she got being so close to God. She loved to be on the spiritual mountaintop! And she never wanted to come down.
I suspect we can all relate to that desire to dwell on the mountaintop. Life makes sense on the mountaintop. God feels incredibly close to us on the mountaintop. We feel so connected, so loved, and so alive on the mountaintop. Why would we ever come down?
Jesus regularly felt the need to go up a mountain and spend time in solitude and prayer. It was an important practice for him. But he always came back down, ready again to minister, teach, heal, and bless. In the same way, we benefit from mountaintop experiences that inspire our faith, lift our burdens, and fill us where we feel the emptiest. And then we are sent back down the mountain to let those truths sink into our soul, inspire new ways of living, and empower us to serve others after the example of Jesus.
Chasing mountaintops can also be a form of avoidance or escaping realities that need to be addressed. And authentic faith always calls us to wholeness. Sometimes a mountaintop gives us the courage to face a difficult truth or seek the help we need, all with an awareness of God’s steadfast love within us.
Friends, may we climb the mountain to experience God’s wonder and be filled with God’s grace. And may we descend better equipped to recognize the Spirit’s healing in our lives and participate in the healing of our world.
Grace upon grace,
Pastor Scott
