Sermon on the Mount

 

I do not want to have a bad attitude about church, really I don’t.

Although I may not know exactly what it is that I am hoping to find within the four walls of a church; I do know what I am not looking to find.  

Since our move to Alaska two short months ago, the lens with which I view my own little world in regard to church and church people has changed.

Each week our family enters the doors of different churches in an attempt to feel whatever it is you are supposed to feel when you know that you belong somewhere; each week we leave without receiving as little as a “hello.”

In between Sunday’s, I have made it my ambition to hike a mountain at least twice each week.  What started out as simply a venue with my sister to be outdoors and achieve an incredible workout has turned out to be so much more.

My experiences on our challenging hikes continues to make me wonder if perhaps church is happening in an unexpected place such as a mountain.  It’s confusing for a lifetime church-going girl such as me to understand that the sermons I am receiving on the Mount are happening in spite of the fact that I do not look like a church-going girl ought to look.

How can it be that when I am at my most vulnerable, bent over with my hands on my legs whilst gasping for breath, a complete stranger is willing to speak to me?  There is no small talk, no pretense, and no concern for whether the other person may or may not like me.

I am muddy, sweaty, and loaded down with water bottles, protein bars, and bear spray.  

The conversations we have carried with different hikers met along the narrow trail of the mountain have varied from joking, to serious conversations, to warnings about what we have encountered along the trail that would be most beneficial to share with one another.  We don’t know each other, yet we care.  Chances are we will never see these individuals again during our hikes; yet our encounters remain rich and energizing.

Yesterday my sister commented that she is at peace on the mountain.  She didn’t need to explain what she meant, (not that she could have since we were both doubled over panting for oxygen), I fully understood.

There is no room for ego or false identity when standing as a tiny dot on a majestic mountain.  Respect for God and for His creation is not a necessary discussion but rather a given.   

Wanting to feel noticed or important is a silly notion from somewhere in the past.  God’s majesty and splendor are ever-present; each step is holy ground.  As you rise above the clouds to view life from a higher elevation, troubles lie somewhere at the bottom of the mountain, small and forgotten.

Each time we exit the mountain, we are refreshed and at peace regardless our personal circumstances. 

Matthew chapter five through chapter seven is Jesus’ longest sermon and it happens to be given up on a mountainside; the ever-famous “Sermon on the Mount.”  He speaks of us, His children, being salt and light.  He shares the beatitudes, speaks about murder, adultery, divorce, revenge, loving our enemies, giving to the needy.  He also teaches us how to pray, how to fast, how to not worry, how to not judge, and so much more.

Everything we need to know to live as Christ-followers is given to us on the Sermon on the Mount.  Maybe we need to learn how to take the sermon from the mountain and into the four walls of the church.  Just a thought.

I will remain ever hopeful that our family will find a church that fits who we are and what we represent.  

However,  in the meantime I will continue to grow and learn and love and be at peace somewhere on the trails on a mountain in Alaska.. 

Stay the Course...

Sheila Cote

Joppa

I have been zigzagging through the Bible today in an attempt to find a scripture that best describes what I am feeling.  It’s one of those times that I know my search will not leave me disappointed.

As it turns out, what I am searching for isn’t a scripture or a story—it is a place.

Today the gnawing I am feeling within resonates with a little town on the southwest coast of Palestine in the territory of Dan which became a primary port of Jerusalem during the reign of Solomon: Joppa.

As we study the history of a place, oftentimes the findings cause a place that we have never visited nor laid eyes upon to feel as “known” to us as the landscapes of our own little towns.

It was from the port of Joppa that Jonah “took ship to flee from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:3).

Ironically, it was also in Joppa at the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea-side, Peter resided many days.  It was there, on the house-top, where he prayed and God spoke to him in a vision. (Acts 9:36-43)

Interesting that one man is running from God and another man is running to God in the same port of Joppa. 

If you and I are as alike as I think we are; we must agree that we are both of these men.  One day we are running from God and the next we are on our knees longing to be as close to Him as possible.  

This constant game of tug-o-war ensues within our own Joppa, which by definition means “beautiful.”

It was in Joppa where Peter got down on his knees and prayed for a woman named Tabitha who had died.  Tabitha was raised from the dead.  Because of this miracle many people in Joppa believed in the Lord.  Beautiful indeed, this place called Joppa.

God captured the people of Joppa’s attention by breathing life into what was dead.  

As if raising a woman from the dead wasn’t enough, the vision God revealed to Peter when he was in a trance praying on the rooftop was a game changer.  God showed Peter that He does not show favoritism.  Up until this moment Peter had thought the message of God was for Jews, not Gentiles.  However, “while Peter was still speaking the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message…the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles” (Acts 10:44-45)

Turns out Joppa is a place where all live, Jew or Gentile, saved or unsaved.  

In Joppa, we can choose to run from God or we can choose to fall on our knees and pray to God.  We can speak life into what is dead and believe for miracles; and we can speak up when God says speak.  We can embrace each other, even when we don’t look alike.  We can acknowledge that God created us all in His image and granted each one of us repentance unto life. 

If we choose the path of the defeated, we can also look at our lives in Joppa as messy and hopeless.

My prayer today is that we choose the path of Peter and drop to our knees as we trust our Maker in our own “beautiful” place called Joppa.   

Stay the Course...

Sheila Cote'

Mountains

On the mountaintop I hear Him; His voice echoes in the winds

He gently breezes past me, dancing over rocks and bends.

In the valley He is near me whispering with each weary step;

“Do not be anxious; do not worry, for I know all that lies ahead.

As you labor on this mountain don’t forget to look around,

There is beauty in the journey; there is much joy to be found.

As you stumble over tree roots on the narrow winding trail

Out of breath and out of hope may My joy help you travail.

Dip your hand into the brook where icy mountain waters flow

Drink from the pureness of My beauty and your countenance will glow.

It is My desire to keep you, to refresh and to renew

You can accept Me or reject Me; the choice is up to you.

I will not force Myself upon you; you may walk near or far away

Though my heart longs to embrace you, the choice is yours to stay.

No judgment do I harbor, though your heart is hard as stone

I will tarry on this mountain, you will never be alone.

As you climb above the tree line, your foot unsteady on the shale

Ever pressing through the weather, through the rain, the sleet and hail

I will keep your foothold steady, I will cover and protect

Nothing shall touch My Beloved though you resist, though you deflect.

When at last you reach My mountaintop; My beauty to behold,

I will reveal to you new things, priceless treasures to unfold.

Close your eyes, find My rest, allow My winds to dance upon your face

Learn to trust Me fully, cling tightly to My grace.

The world whispers in your ear, you are forced to make a choice

To listen to the god of lies or to tune your ear to hear My voice.

Draw near to Me, I will draw near to you; seek Me with all your heart and soul.

I shall be found by you when you seek Me; may My love be your greatest goal.

Whether on the mountain top or in the valley low

Both places hold my favor--when you are rooted in Me 

You will flourish and grow.

Take My hand; I’ll guide your steps

For indeed the path is rugged,

I am God, I am Creator—

You are My Beloved.” 

Stay the Course...

Sheila Cote'