Come Off the Mountain

My local church (New Song) has been challenged by our leadership to read through the New Testament as a church family this year.  We've got groups getting together, and we even have some online discussions surrounding our readings.

Today's reading was on John 6.  There are lots of wonderful, deep theological verses in this chapter.  In fact, someone made the comment we could have a Facebook page about just the passage.  It can also be rather confusing, what the whole eating flesh, drinking blood and Bread of Life stuff.

Maybe in light of my recent trip to Eagle Eyrie (see my previous post), there was something else that stood out to me.  It wasn't the feeding of the 5,000 or Jesus walking on water, amazing miracles for sure.  No, it was the bit about the mountain.

Jesus and his disciples had gone up to the mountain, presumably to have a little time away from the crowd and connect with each other.  Instead, a hungry mob shows up.  Instead of moving further up the mountain, Christ challenges his disciples to SERVE them.  I can imagine the grunts and groans. "Awwww, Jesus! We just wanted to be with you!  I don't wanna feed these people.  This is MY time."  Nevertheless, they served, and everyone went home full.

Then they came off the mountain.  Herein lies perhaps the bigger miracle.  I know when I am in a place of solitude, and I am as close to Father as I will ever be, I never want to leave.  I want to stay in that place and rest in His arms and grow my goatee, but I'm called to come down.  No mountain top experience is meant to be permanent.  It's meant to carry us into and through the valley below.  The valley is where the work is.  It's where the people are, and it's where we're needed.

Maybe come down a little slower!

We need to come off the mountain to allow the other workers a chance to rest.  Staying up there is selfish and lazy.  There's work to be done, and we're called to do it.  The challenge is to take the feeling of the mountain into the valley.  Allow the time you had to strengthen you for the journey and the service God has called you to.  Use it to encourage those who have never been to visit the mountain and spend some time in Father's arms.

How do you carry the mountain top feeling into the valley?

Photo Credit, David Niblack, Imagebase.net.