The Mountain of Hope
My dear brothers and sisters, today I come before you with a heavy heart but an unwavering spirit. Our text today comes from the Book of Isaiah, chapter 40, verse 31: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
In these troubled times, when darkness seems to press in from all sides, we must remember that God’s promise remains unbroken. Like those ancient Israelites wandering in the wilderness, we too may feel lost, may feel tired, may feel that our journey is too difficult to bear. But I tell you today, my friends, that God has not brought us this far to leave us.
I was walking in our beloved community yesterday, and I saw a young boy struggling to climb a steep hill. He would take two steps forward, then slide back one. His mother stood at the bottom, watching. Some might have rushed to carry him up that hill, to make his journey easier. But that wise mother knew something profound – she knew that her son needed to learn to climb his own mountains.
And that’s what we face today, my friends – a mountain. A mountain of division, a mountain of confusion, a mountain of hate. But like that young boy, we must keep climbing. We may slide back, we may stumble, but we must keep moving forward.
Some will tell you that the mountain is too high. Some will say we should be content to stay in the valley. But I say to you today that God did not create us for the valley! We were made for the mountaintop!
Remember Moses, who climbed Mount Sinai to receive God’s law. Remember Jesus, who went up the mountain to deliver his greatest sermon. The view from the valley may be comfortable, but it is from the mountaintop that we can see the Promised Land.
And yes, the climb is difficult. Yes, our feet may bleed, and our muscles may ache. But with every step we take, we’re not just climbing for ourselves. We’re climbing for that little boy who deserves to attend any school in this nation. We’re climbing for that elderly woman who shouldn’t have to give up her seat on the bus. We’re climbing for generations yet unborn who deserve to inherit a world where they are judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
My brothers and sisters, we cannot wait for someone else to carve steps into this mountain. We cannot wait for hatred to simply melt away like snow in the spring. We must climb! And as we climb, we must remember three things:
First, we must climb with love in our hearts, not hatred. Hatred is too heavy a burden to bear up this mountain.
Second, we must climb together. No one reaches the summit alone. We need each other – black and white, young and old, rich and poor.
Third, we must climb with faith. Faith in God, faith in justice, faith in the fundamental goodness that resides in every human heart.
And when our strength fails us – and it will fail us – we must remember Isaiah’s words. We must wait upon the Lord. Not with passive waiting, but with active waiting, with hopeful waiting, with faithful waiting. And He will renew our strength.
I tell you today, my beloved community, that though the mountain before us seems insurmountable, though the journey seems too long, though our bodies may be weary, our spirits must remain strong. For I have seen the other side of the mountain. I have glimpsed what lies beyond these troubled times. And I tell you, it is beautiful.
Let us pray together for the strength to climb. Let us pray for the courage to keep moving forward when others say we should turn back. Let us pray for the wisdom to know that every step, no matter how small, brings us closer to justice.
And most of all, let us pray for love to guide our feet as we make this climb together.
Amen.
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