This blog was originally published on August 17, 2016
Picture taken of the summit of Mt. Rainer as clouds clear.
How do you hide a mountain, a very BIG mountain with glaciers crowning the summit? Is such a thing even possible? At Mt. Rainer, National Park, I found out the answer.
Against a blue sky, Rainer was majestic in every sense of the word. Following along the highway on the way to the visitor's center, which was designed almost a century ago to offer summit views at every turn, we were awe struck. When we arrived at the parking lot, we quickly headed into the center as we were anxious to get in before it closed. Heading into the building I recall thinking - the mountain will be here when we come out.
Though new and modern, the facility was about what you'd expect from your standard National Park visitor center. It had the introduction movie with amazing photography showing the park in all seasons narrated in a clear and calm voice (hint: these movies are great for a twenty minute nap). There were a few exhibits and placards trying to explain complicated geological forces, an information desk staffed by Rangers, and a gift shop. An hour later we headed back out to spend some time with the mountain.
Trouble was, however, that the mountain was gone! Mt. Rainer went missing...
Back to my opening question: How do you hide a mountain?
Answer: You hide a mountain by obscuring vision. Dense clouds. Mount Rainer is so massive that it influences its own weather. Clouds obey the unspoken desires of the sleeping giant. Often the mountain wishes to remain unseen. Some visitors to Rainer are never able to see the summit. What is more, the clouds can hover around the mountain for days.
Looking into the thick cover - straining for a craggy glimpse - I was amazed again by this giant. To be so prominent and visible one moment and to vanish within an hour's time. I felt like I had just witnessed the work of a wizened sorcerer. I also began to think, if a mountain could be hidden within a short period, what else could be obscured from our sight? I began to drift into metaphorical space...
The ancient prophet Isaiah has a vision of a mountain scene where all the people of the world will come and gather for a feast that has no rival (Isaiah 25:6-9). God hosts the party and provides fine wine and rich foods. All are welcome. This vision that God has is rock solid and figures prominently in the life of Jesus. This mountain banquet is remembered by Jesus as he tells the parable of the King who hosts a mighty banquet and insists that even the poor are compelled to attend. Despite how large God's abundant, inclusive, and open feast figures in scripture, over the years it has been obscured by narrow-focused, exclusive Christianity. You might ask, how can this be the case?
God's beautiful mountain is obscured by the clouds of our fear, prejudice, and our lack of contact with those who are different from ourselves. Looking at the clouds, we can't conceive that a place would exist where all would be welcomed by the Creator of all life. Our judgment of others (their moral and character deficiencies), their cultural practices that we label "strange", threatening orientations and political ideologies...all these things are reflected back to us. We miss the mountain for the many clouds. Sadly, we name our clouds divine and defend our obscured view as 'the only way'. We will use scripture, of course, to sanction our traditions, biases, and practices on this side of the clouds. Nevertheless God's dream remains obscured from view.
Back to Mt. Rainer. Eventually, the clouds parted, an I was given a glimpse of the summit. Fortunately, on the subsequent days to follow I was gifted with seeing Rainer again in all of its glory. It is truly a wonder to see the glacier topped summit against a deep blue sky.
One of the ways that God's Spirit is active in this world is the parting and clearing of the clouds that hide God's dream from view. Glimpses of the God's dream are caught from time to time. In many and courageous ways, whenever people come together to feast and share in a diversity of perspectives, lifestyles, cultures, languages, and life the clouds are pushed to the side. It is something to celebrate for people of all different kinds of faith. These are good vistas and they give us hope as we continue to live on this side of the clouds. Make no mistake, though, there will be a day when we will see clearly - and the vista will be truly awesome. On that day we will rejoice in God's dream:
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain. Isaiah 25:6-9