Dying on the Mountain

Dying on such and such a hill is a saying that we have.

In Israel there are many mountains which afforded many life experiences and illustrations.

Mt. of Cursing and Blessing

Mt. Sinai

Mt. Carmel

Mt. Morira

Mt. Gethsemani

Mt. Calvary

Gethsemane is a place of prayer and consecration but Jesus still had to go to the Cross, literally. He invaded time and space and did it the hard way because there was no other way to do it. This means substitution, satisfaction and redemption. However, we too are to follow him to the Cross if we are truly his followers. Many stop at Gethsemane. True they wrestle in prayer to a large degree and even sweat great drops of blood. They make a great show as it were of consecration and perhaps even in their own mind they settle the issue. However, they still after all that escape the cross. When it comes to ministry many people are made “willing” in the Garden and perhaps set up a shrine to that but after that they still go on to do nothing. They like that part of the story of Abraham where God is testing Abraham by offering up his son but at the last minute he doesn’t.

If we are not careful we can be only curators of our past heros of Methodism and create fan clubs of church days gone by.