Day 2: Mount Zion

So here I am, day two from the mountain top, even though I am not actually there.  I guess you could say that instead of me going to the mountains, I am having the mountains come to me.

Today's mountain scripture is from Psalm 48 -

¹ Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise,
    in the city of our God, his holy mountain.

² Beautiful in its loftiness,
    the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon  is Mount Zion,
    the city of the Great King.
³ God is in her citadels;
    he has shown himself to be her fortress. 

The first verse I knew the moment I saw it because I have sang that line in anthems, praising God.  The whole psalm, which is 14 verses long reflects on Mount Zion being the seat of God, and how God has protected it.  Even though Mount Zion is not geographically the highest  in the region, it is the "highest" because God had chosen it.  It's funny how the different gods of the time had their own mountains.  Mount Zaphon was home to El - chief of the gods of the Phoenicians and of course, Mount Olympus, home to Zeus and the Greek gods.  


The psalm is a celebration of the joy in the security of Mount Zion, the psalmist suggest that the city was secure from all forms of attack with its towers, ramparts and citadels.  But it was God who did the protecting, not the walls surrounding Mount Zion.  Beautiful in its loftiness, that sounds so wonderful, you can almost picture it.  


This psalm and these scriptures tell me to praise God, because He is worthy of praise, He is our protector and our fortress in the toughest of times.  If we seek our refuge in God we cannot be destroyed spiritually because simply, God cannot be destroyed, he is truly our tower, rampart and citadel.  He is truly worthy of our praise, faith and trust.


This psalm ends very powerfully, with this verse.  14 - For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end.


Amen to that. 

40 days on the Mountain Top

Day 1
After Book Club the other night, I was thinking.  We are doing a book on prayer and I said, after I pray I am at total peace, totally loving the world, everything is beautiful and then get out of bed and it's downhill thereafter.  So I was thinking about that while I was driving to work Friday and I was in good mood praying to keep calm once I got to work and then someone steps in front of my car while I am driving and they don't look at you, because if they don't look you, you won't  hit them I guess and of course I lost my cool and then I thought, God why can't I go to the mountain top for 40 days, maybe it would make be a better person.  So here I am 40 days on the mountain top.

Now I know what your thinking;  you are thinking that I am not on a mountain top and that is very true.  What I decided to do was 40 days of studies using the word mountain as my guide.  So I am literally studying the mountain tops and evoking on a spiritual journey to see what I can learn from them  You are free to join me if you wish, just don't walk out in front of my car while I am driving. 

The first reading comes from Exodus 3 - Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ³ So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
⁴ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
⁵ “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶ Then he said, “I am the God of your father,  the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God 

 So many thoughts struck me here when I read this.   Out of respect, honor, and devotion, Moses takes off his shoes. Taking off his shoes made him aware of his sin, his unclean heart, his unholiness, as he approach the very holy presence of God.  Do we today respect God with such reverence today.  Do we respect his Church with such reverence.   Since I am always in church I feel like it is home.  Maybe it has lost some of the mystery or that holiness for me.  Removing one's shoes is still practiced today by Muslims before entering a Mosque.  However, if I went to church barefoot tomorrow, that would probably look the opposite, that I was disrespecting God and His Church. 

So what has this reading taught me in my journey. One thing is to listen for God, I doubt I will see any burning bushes, I lie, I have already seen a burning bush at work, but I don't think God spoke from it.  I believe that one was started by a lit cigarette.  I do need to listen and respect God more and respect His Church and the people that go there.  Respect is something I feel that we are loosing in today's society.   I could say it's just the kids, but I am also negligent sometimes in my respect of others and there feelings.

I will also look at the church more as Holy Ground and bring my heart and mind to Church on Sundays, not just the body.   

Good night and good thoughts.