MOUNT SINAI
by
Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (August 20, 2015)
"Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place
where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he" (St. John 4: 20-26, King James Version [worship in the mountains becomes worship in spirit and in truth]).
Greetings In The Holy Name Of Jesus,
My brothers and sisters, the old song, Ain't No Mountain High Enough, popped in my mind. Maybe because I recently saw a movie of divorced parents with the mother dying of cancer with both the dying mother and the step-mother singing and dancing to the featured world-wide pop ballad song of strong love conviction with a message that spoke to abandonment, loneliness, detachment, lost love, and unbelief, wherein the pain was felt like a song, saying---not even a mountain could keep a loved one from getting to the one they loved, but the love they spoke of was love of the flesh and the mountains they spoke of were earthly mountains, except the dying mother told her young son to see her in his dreams. How can we conquer the mountains of unbelief in our hearts that keep us from God---that keep us from getting to our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus---let us talk about that today as we camp out with Apostle John on the gospel verse, "the true worshippers shall worship him in spirit and in truth" (4: 24, KJV)? As I began to write, I heard the words of Martin Luther King (MLK), "I've been to the mountain top." If it were not for MLK inspiring us of his mountain experience to make us feel he walked close to God as Moses did and found out he would not be with us long---"for he wanted to live like we all do but..", then some of us might have lost more than our grip on hope for a new day in America for African-Americans and some of us might have truly sunk to an all time low of reality as it is and was for African-Americans in America but for the connection to Christ Jesus in saving grace---the belonging to God.
Martin Luther King's mountain experience made us hope for God's will---his instructions for us, his salvation for us---that we were not abandoned, without God, left behind but a part of the salvation of the Jews and Martin was our Moses in his dream seeing the things to be---our prophet standing on high ground. Friends, I do not hate those who felt that way---those who gathered up their strength that way to make it to another day---I felt that it was all a part of worship to feel that you are a part of God's plan---a far bigger plan than you have ever been accepted into and felt significantly changed by [the biggest plan known to man---Christ's plan of action to save man: Grace given every moment---every nano-second, every second, every minute, every hour, every day]. It was our hope. But for me, since a child, I called out, Father and loving God that way, I fell in love with His Son, Christ Jesus and it is he whom I leaned on for my understanding and strength to make it through for God did not give us Moses to help us with the salvation plan, He gave us Christ Jesus. I know it is hard for most of us to leave the mountain top---to go in spirit and in truth to worship but it is God's plan that we do not think of him as far away and only on the mountain---seeking him only on the mountain, for He is far closer to us now than ever before since Jesus died, resurrected, and ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father---He is in our hearts and speaks to our minds---the Spirit of Christ Jesus is in us---the Holy Ghost is in us.
Our Jewish brothers and sisters prayed Psalms---walking up the mountain, in Jerusalem. A lot happened on the mountain---we share the Jewish history on the mountain---"Our fathers worshipped in this mountain" (St. John 4:20, KJV). What is the saying, "Those who do not know their history are bound to repeat it", but " the genius of the Jewish people is their reverence for memory" resonated in the saying, "All of history is His story"---so, let us circle the tents discerning personal experiences with "a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" at Apostle John's camp ground on the bible gospel verse, "of true worshippers---shall worship in spirit and in truth" to discover more of our shared mountain experience, saying our evening prayer [known as the last Psalm of the Old Testament and the first Psalm of the New Testament, the Magnificat is prayed every night in the evening prayer, in honor of Christ Jesus]:
Magnificat
"And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord and My Spirit
rejoices in God My Savior, for He has regarded the low estate
of His handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will
call me Blessed. For He who is Mighty has done great things
for me and Holy is His Name and His mercy is on those who
fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength
with His arm.
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted
those of low degree. He has filled the hungry with good things
and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped His servant
Israel in remembrance of His mercy as He spoke to our Fathers,
to Abraham and to the Posterity forever."
Babylon destroyed the temple on the mountain and enslaved God's children---after the Prophet Jeremiah warned the children of God and the Prophet Jeremiah even told them of the new covenant but they did not heed his warnings is a story that hits home with all of us who dealt with their lambs led to the slaughter and their rebellious children at home; some facing death, others prison bound, some just lost in the world of sinners but there was a prodigal son who made his way back home---an amazing grace that was lost but now found, there was a child that did not die and a child that survived prison time to make it back home and we thank Christ Jesus, God Almighty for each and every last one of them, for one child survived the killings of the babies in Egypt and that child was Moses and one child survived Herod's killings of the boys under two and that child was Christ Jesus. Satan took Jesus to the mountain in the second temptation and to the pinnacle of the temple in the third temptation to get him to worship him, "And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time...If thou therefore wilt worship me...And he brought him to Jerusalem...and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:..." (St. Luke 4: 3-13, KJV [Jesus tempted three times]).
Moreover, Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount wherein we received the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted..." (St. Matthew 5: 3-12, KJV [Sermon on the Mount-Beatitudes]). Jesus preached on the mountain wherein we received the Lord's Prayer, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be the name. Thy kingdom come.." (St. Matthew 6: 9-13, KJV). Jesus met Moses and Elias on the mountain, "...and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,...And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him..." (St. Matthew 17: 1-9, KJV [The vision of Peter, James, and John with Jesus wherein appeared Moses, Elias, and the voice of God on the mountain]). Jesus fed five thousand men on the mountain from the lad's five barley loaves and two small fishes (St. John 6: 3-14, KJV). Jesus fulfilled the law that Moses received on Mount Sinai from God.
In closing, Are you stuck praying the Psalms of Ascent (Song of Ascent, Psalms 119-133)---trying to make it up the mountain, saying, "Let's go up to Jerusalem", circling the camp ground searching for Christ Jesus and you cannot get down--4,000 feet down---Is that why Apostle Luke said, "...every mountain and hill shall be brought low..." (3: 5, KJV)? Is your feeling of safety on the mountain, in the temple, or is it with Christ Jesus---your refuge, your counselor, your truth, your Prince of Peace? Do you not feel the presence of Christ in your heart or hear him speaking to your mind?:
"Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved?
And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for
many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut
the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the
door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and
say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin
to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast
taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not
whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall
see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the
kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall
come from the east, and from the west, and from the north,
and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are
first which shall be last...Blessed is he that cometh in the name
of the Lord" (St. Luke 13: 23-35, KJV).
The Lord be with you. In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Amen.
