Through Stained Glass: Advent Word a Day--Mountains

 Mountains

It isn't uncommon for me to overthink these writing prompts. For instance, I just wrote a 600+ word piece about the significance of mountains in Scripture. Mainly about the mountains referenced in today's Isaiah reading.

While I'm not a social media influencer, I know enough that our attention span is short. We don't want novels but snippets – so I scratched what I had and am attempting to write a molehill worth of content instead of a mountain's worth.

To write about mountains in Illinois while not making a molehill into one is challenging.

Insert a joke here about Illinois and beans and corn and flat fields.

I could go take a photo of Elkhart Hill. Or take a selfie in front of a "Mount Pulaski" sign. But it's windy out, and my schedule prevents me from leaving Lincoln today.

Instead, I'll tell you this: of all the landscapes, mountains are my favorite. Something about their rugged presence draws primal, wild energy from me. I love how peaks cause my eyes to look upward! I love how moody they can be. I love how majestic and mysterious they are! Mountains are both intimidating and inspiring! I love how some produce their own weather systems and their wild ecological environments.

I love that our ancestors from across the religious spectrum established temples and other worship sites atop them to be closer to the Divine. I love the stories about Moses and Mount Sanai and the story of Jesus' transfiguration on Mount Tabor. And how Elijah met the Holy One in a cave on the side of Mount Horeb. I love how our Eastern Orthodox siblings incorporate mountains in icons, inviting viewers into the reality of their transfigured humanity. I love how mountains represent God's transcendence and Her immanence. I love those Rocky Mountains out west and those ancient, rolling ones in the Highlands of Scotland.

In today's Isaiah text, which is the same as this last Sunday's, I love that the journey up the mountain of The Living God is to receive instructions in divine ways. I love that the mountain in this scene represents not only a place of worship but also a place for education! And I love that from those instructions they receive on that mountain comes a hopeful vision of God's longing for the world – peace among the nations.

I love what Mircea Eliade said about mountains:

The symbolic and religious significance of mountains is endless.

Finally, I love that I read this poem today. I've read poems from this book every day for the last 41 days. How cool is it that I read this poem on the day with the word 'mountain'? It is safe to say that I love art inspired by mountains.