From the Mountain to the Valley

By the time you read this, we will have had our Homecoming Revival, Homecoming service, packed up the pumpkins, and we will be settling in for Thanksgiving and thinking about Advent and Christmas. But there’s one thing I don’t think I’ve talked about that I want to bring up now: life gives us highs and lows, mountains and valleys – what is a faithful way to live and thrive in each condition – the highs and the lows?

Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9 all tell the story of Jesus going up to the mountain, being transfigured, hearing a word from the Father, and then going back down the mountain into the valleys, where he will be heading to Jerusalem, where he would suffer and be put to death. In other words, he had an amazing spiritual moment, followed by a long period of grief, challenges, and betrayal. While we could say that Jesus is unique, and no one’s life should be like his, the reality is that while Jesus is unique as the only begotten Son of God, he also is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

As an example, it is said that Mother Teresa had many visions and spiritual experiences before she started the Missionaries of Charity order, but once she began the work, the experiences ceased to happen. Likewise, the prophet Isaiah had an amazing spiritual experience when God called him (Isaiah 6), but he endured significant suffering as he did the work of a prophet. My guess is that you too, whether you’ve followed Jesus your whole life or just started recently, have had a similar experience – blessings followed by trials – the mountain followed by the valley.

As a church body, we are going through a period of mountains – from Homecoming to the Pumpkin Patch, to Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. But January is coming, followed by February and March, and early next year, we will move into Lent, which is a valley followed by the mountain of Easter (which will be April 5 next year). What’s important for us to do and remember is this: rejoice and be grateful for the mountaintop experiences, and remember them when we are in the valley, whether it is a personal valley or a common valley. Remember that you are loved, forgiven, and called to be God’s instruments of grace for the world. Remember that, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we do not fear any evil, for God’s rod and staff will comfort us, bringing us to the rich banquet of eternity!

A faith that persists is a faith that is worth having. And remember this too – even if we forget, others in the church body remember. May we help each other experience the whole of God’s mercy, forgiveness, and love!