"When Mountains Won't Move"
-Reverend A. LaMar Torrence,
Pastor of Cross of Life Lutheran Church
“I am bound for Mount Zion way up on a hill.And if anyone is going to make it, surely I will."
Those words seem to sum up our mission as we travel along our pilgrim's journey. We seek to obtain that great eschatological promise of an eternal celebration. We even seek to possess a portion of the celestial kingdom here in our current reality. It is our prayer that God's kingdom will come and the Lord's will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven.
We want a bit of heaven down here on earth. That's why we dream our dreams and see our visions. We want to make Mount Zion into a reality.
We have the passion for the project. We have a conviction for the cause.
We want to do, what God will have us to do. But, our pathways seem to be filled with rugged hills and steep mountains. We want to affect a change but there are some mountains in way. We want to turn our declining churches into revitalized missionary soul saving stations but we have some mountains in our way. We want to transform our ruined cities and severely distressed neighborhoods into empowered and thriving communities but we have some mountains in our way. We want feed the hungry, welcome the stranger into our midst, clothe the naked, and comfort those who mourn but we have some mountains and hills in our way. And it's not that we don't have faith to move those mountains.
I believe most of us are confident that we could move the mountains, only if somebody would just clear all those hills out of our way."
It seems that we cannot get to the mountains because we are constantly confronted with hills. We can’t address the real issues because of the pettiness around us. Our nation can’t address the mountains of terrorism, falling stock prices, and race relations because we are still distracted by Jennifer Flowers, White Water, and Monica Lewinski. We cannot confront the mountains of social injustice, sexism, and classism because we have to climb over our conflicts of interest, policies and procedures, and bureaucratic red tape. Our churches cannot deal with the mountains of violence, drugs, and AIDS because we are separated by ridges of doctrine, dogma, and denominationalism.
We can't move the mountains of homeless people, the unemployed, or pregnant teenagers because we are besieged with mounds of church folks fighting over pews, stained glass windows, and hymnals. We can't deal with the real issues because we are surrounded by individuals making mountains out of molehills. Even in our personal lives, we cannot deal with the real problems because we distracted by other issues. We cannot deal with our troubled marriages because we are distracted by our careers and social obligations. We cannot deal with our troubled teenagers because we are focused on making ends meet.
We cannot deal with the emptiness we feel inside because we are caught up in our own insecurities.
And it seems that our distractions – those various mountains and hills -- have become places of worship preventing us from pursuing God's vision. We tend to worship the aesthetic rather than focusing on the pragmatic. We rather worship our way than walk in a Godly way.
As a result our churches have more programs than wholistic ministries.
We have more social clubs and cliques than fellowships. We find ourselves with music ministries that are only Glee clubs; we have men and women ministries that are only the Boys and Girls club; we host bible studies that have now become the Book of the Month Club.
If only those days will come when the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be raised above the hills and the nations shall stream to it. If only we could get people to leave their mountains of false worship and go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. If only we could get caught up in Godly worship rather than spiritless routines. If only we could empowered people to pursue the vision of a place where the hungry are fed, the homeless have shelter, the sick are healed, and the captives are freed. Only, if someone could just move those hills – those distractions out of our way -- maybe then we can get to Mount Zion. Maybe then we can get to that place where our churches are filled with disciples rather than members. Maybe then we can get to that place where we are tithing and not just making change. If someone could just conquer those hills and lead us to Zion, maybe then we could worship the Lord.
In our text, Isaiah gives utterance to our concerns. He gives a prophecy to what has become a reality; that is, someone has conquer those hills. Someone has made every mountain and hill low. Someone has made the crooked places straight and the rough places plain. Someone has caused the mountains to be carried into the midst of the sea; and the hills to shake with a swelling. The hymn writer, George Bennard says that the conquest took place on a hill far away on an old rugged cross. The gospel writers call that hill -- Calvary, Golgotha, and ‘the place of the skull’. And the conqueror is Jesus, the Christ, the Lamb of God, the King of Kings, and lord of lords. He was able to conquer to hill.
It was there on Calvary where Jesus joined heaven and earth into a mysterious union. It was there on Calvary where sorrow culminated and joy was consummated. It was there on Calvary where death occurred sot that life could begin. It was there where judgment and truth held court but grace and mercy won the verdict. It was there on Calvary where a hell-raising hill was turned into a stairway to heaven. Jesus has conquered the hill. David says, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. In order words, Jesus is king of the hill. He is the one mediator between God and men who gave himself as a ransom for all. He has done all the work so that we may face our hills and mountains. When our mountains won’t move, we need to turn to Calvary and focus on the cross of Christ. There is where our help lies. The word says that, ”I will lift my eyes to the hills from whence does come my help. My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” If we turn to Christ, giving him ourselves completely, he is faithful to remove those things that separate us from doing his will. Christ is our help and faith in him will triumph over our mountains and hills. Having faith to move mountains is to know that we can’t move the mountains but we serve a God that can cast mountains into the sea. To have faith is to also have hope.
Faith is hoping. To say that faith is substance of things hoped for – is to say that faith is the substance of the Christ we are hoping for. When we are dealing with our mountains, we are hoping for Christ. We are hoping for his intervention. We are hoping for his guidance. We are hoping for his healing. We are hoping for his power. We are hoping for his return. Faith in Christ is hope for Christ. With faith, our mountains will move because we have hope in Christ. With faith, our obstacles will become opportunities for ministry. With faith those mountains of frustration and strife will become campgrounds of prayer and revival. With faith, dry bones will live. Stiff necks will bend. Gossiping tongues will prophesy and articulate visions. All things are possible with a little faith.
And I don’t know about you, but I need to know how to strengthen my faith in Christ.
I need to know, how can we rely on him when our world seems to be falling apart. How can we stay focus on him when we are constantly distracted by conflict, tragedy, and uncertainty? How can we trust and obey God even when it seems that our mountain won’t move?
Well, the Holy has given me some divine insight. He tells me that we as a people must first learn to feast on the nourishment given by Christ. In our text, Isaiah says that mountain of the Lord will give us a feast of fat things -- full of marrow. We will get spiritual delicacies that will nourish us for our spiritual warfare with powers and principalities in high places. It is at the hill of Calvary where God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies. Those who hunger will find the bread of life.
Those who thirst will find living water. Those who need power will find new wine spilled out for their taking. We must feast on the Lamb that was slain for only he can give us spiritual nourishment to deal with the mountains before us.Every thing that God gives us we must take it in – the bitter with the sweet. The good and the bad. Therefore, we have to read God’s word – that’s our nourishment.
We have live out the preacher’s sermon – that’s our banquet.
We have to pray without ceasing making supplications for family, friends, and foes.
We have to reach out to strangers and not forsake the fellowship of the saints.
For it is in these things where the spirit of the Lord is.
And where he is there is liberty, and where there is liberty, there is power to deal with the situations in front of us.
When your mountain won’t move feast on Christ and in your feasting find comfort in the joy that only Jesus can give. When we get discouraged, we must tap into the joy Jesus has promised us. The joy Jesus gives -- is more than a Sunday morning thrill. It is a state of mind. It is a willingness to accept God’s will for our lives. It is a joy that helps us to say like Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” With this joy, we can say like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being cast into the fiery furnace, “our God is able to deliver us but even if he doesn’t we still won’t bow.” With this joy, we can say like Jesus weeping in our own gardens, “nevertheless, not my will but thy will be done.” This joy helps us to deal with our struggles as we confront our mountains. This joy keeps us calm when we are surrounded by chaos. This joy keeps us from losing our minds when it seems that we have lost everything. This joy comes from knowing Jesus.
The world can’t give it and the world can’t take it away. That’s why we can worship because we have joy. We know that God has brought us this far by faith. And I don’t know about you but I don’t believe he has brought me this far to leave me. That knowledge gives me joy -- knowing that God has everything in control. I got joy because God is still in control. He is still on the throne. I have joy because He sees all and knows all. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to fret. Isaiah says that ‘His hand will rest on my mountain.’ And anything that the hand of God touches must yield to his authority.
Somebody said that ‘in his hand are the deep places of the earth:
the strength of the hills is his also.
In order words, He sees my mountain. He knows every crevice, every cliff, and every ridge. He hand is in my situation. His hand is in the midst of my trouble.
Like the young folk say, “He is in the mix.” That means, if I’m dealing with grief—God knows about it. If I’m struggling with cancer and aids, God cares about. If I’m in a difficult relationship, God sees every tear. He hears every argument. He knows every disappointment. If God watches the little sparrow, I know he watches over me. His hand is on my mountain. And that’s good news church. God’s hand is on your mountains.
He knows the challenges before us. Some mountains he will move.
Others, we will have to climb. And if we have to climb, he will gives us strength to rise over every cliff. If we tend to lose our grip and slide back down to where we started, God will pick us up so that we can continue our ascent. And I have found out while climbing up my mountain, the higher I go the better the view gets. I can look back and see where he has brought me. When I was in the valley, I couldn’t understand his will. When I was in the pit I couldn’t see his purpose. But now, as I approach the peak, now as I rise to the summit everything is beginning to fall into place. That rocky path I went though last week was for a purpose. That cliff I struggled to get over last month, had some significant. And I know that if I just keep on climbing, sooner or later
I will reach the top. I will be able to shout, "How I got over, my soul looks back and wonder how I got over.” The Lord's hand is on my mountain. The hand of the lord is on your mountain. And with one touch of God's hand, shackles are broken, burdens are lightened, the blind can see, and the lame can walk. Hold on! Hold out! Wait on the Lord and God will prevail. Amen.
