We’re going through this month looking at this phrase: “Everything but the kitchen sink.” And we know this idiom brings to mind the use of anything/everything imaginable and so we will be using a vast array of avenues and build on from which we began. Last week we learned that the most important thing for us is to pursue a relationship with God. All else is secondary and consequential!!!
The whole of scripture is often lost on us due to the ancient context of when it was written, the vast time span of start to finish, and the wild nature of much of its content. But I want to paint a picture of the narrative in one brush stroke as it pertains to us.
There are two questions you can always ask as you read scripture. One, what does this say about God? And, two, what does this say about me (or mankind) or God’s desire for us? When we don’t understand what we are reading, these questions can help us find answers or gain clarity.
In Hebrews 12 we read about a comparison to two mountains, one of fear (Mt Sinai) and one of joy (Mt Zion).
Here, the writer compares these two places and in a short paragraph speaks to the entire Bible and furthermore, the nature of our life.
The mountain of fear is where the Law of Moses (the 10 commandments) were given and a place that if someone touched (except Moses and Aaron) death would follow. Sinai means ‘thorny’ and we all know that thorns are a real pain, and not desirable, however, we must remember they are an inseparable part of the beauty of the rose! And so is this part of life and faith.
This is what Richard Rohr describes as the first half of life. We spend our time struggling and wrestling to establish identity, poking ourselves, stumbling and getting hurt all for the sake of beauty and life. Following and breaking rules are just a part of this process. We connect with God, but faith is an external experience – of our parents/grandparents most of the time.
The second mountain is Zion, a sunny place. It can refer to a ‘parched place’ and it is the new biblical name of the place where God dwells, the heavenly dwelling place where people live next to God. So, in our state of desperation (thirst) and need for God, for life, for freedom, we find that God has made life with him accessible by showing up right where we are and providing a way out, a better way through.
So, if we take week one and remember the priority for a relationship with God, then we see here in the comparison of the two mountains that God is present all along our lives, but it is in the second half of life that we begin to live into that relationship. This is where we lean into the life that Jesus came to show us and give us. That life is one of deep peace and elevated perspectives. No longer are we trapped by the continuous struggle of simply right vs wrong, but we are empowered to live free as our identity is realized in God and no longer conflicted within the thorns!
Perhaps, this is why Jesus wore a crown of thorns – to show us that he is taking on that first half of life struggle and overcoming it to level up and give access to a heavenly crown of glory. This is the whole of scripture as it pertains to us and our journey.
Identify the mountain on which you are living and what God is saying to you about life on the mountain!
#LifeOnTheMountain
#theKitchenSink
#RestoringWholenessOfLife
Brett
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