High Mountains

Sermon: “High Mountains”
Mark 9:2-9
February 22, 2009 Dr. Dennis Ginoza

I have here a quarter.
A quarter is a quarter no matter how you
look at it. What matters is what you do
with it.
I have here a coffee mug.
A mug is a mug no matter how you look
at it. What matters is what you put in it.
I have here a watch that tells time.
Time is time is time no matter how you
look at it. What matters is what you do
with it.
I have here a Bible.
The Bible is a story. A story is a story
no matter how you look at. What matters
is how you live this story.
…And This is the Greatest Story
ever told.

Religion is a funny thing.
It is about truth, about the highest Truth
that can exist in this world. But it is also about the greatest
mixed blessing that someone can leave at our door.
Religion is a good thing. Religion is a bad thing. It
is like having good doctors and bad doctors; it is like
having good mechanics and bad mechanics; it is like
having a house on a rock versus a house on sand.
It depends on where you tie your rope.

Let me explain. One day a man was working on his roof.
The roof had a sharp peak so to be safe, he tied a rope
around his waist and he had to tie the other end of the rope
to something secure on the earth. He threw the other end
of the rope and told his son to tie it on a tree. The young son
thought, “The tree is a bit small so he tied on the big bumper
of the car.” Now mom was busy in the house doing her
chores. She discovered that she needed to run to the store
to make a purchase. She got into the car, put it in reverse
and her husband came oft the roof in fast order. Here is
the lesson for today: When it comes to religion, be sure
that you tie your rope on something solid. Like Truth.


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All of us here claim to be Christians, otherwise we would
not be here. It so happens that we all are here at the corner
of Winterhaven and Green Canyon which happens to be
a United Methodist Church. The basic question we
want to ask then is, “What is it that we believe and how
best can we live the Christian life?”

As Christians who worship in the United Methodist Church,
we have certain core beliefs.
We believe in Christ as Lord.
He is the Christ who fed 5,000 with five loaves and two
fish; who healed the blind; who raised Lazarus from the
dead. He is the Christ who suffered on the cross, died
and rose from the dead.
We believe in one God who made us all. God is the
God of Moses and Elijah, and Peter. No question.
We believe that the core of our faith is forgiveness,
love, and mercy.
We believe in two sacraments—baptism and the Lord’s
Supper because these two have been instituted by Christ.
You find that in the Bible.
We believe in salvation by faith. When you truly believe
in Christ as Lord, when you hold him in your heart, the
door to salvation is opened to you. But once saved doesn’t
mean always saved. John Wesley says, “Yes, you can fall
from grace.”
We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and
it has been given to us through different languages.
We believe in the fellowship of believers so we serve coffee,
cake and donuts; we hold potlucks, great potluck! We celebrate
birthdays and anniversaries. And we say, children, welcome.
We say to the youth, glad you’re here.
We believe in eternal life and that, in Christ, there is a final
Victory.

One day Jesus took Peter and James and John to the mountain top.
Jesus was in the presence of God and his face was
Transfigured, it was full of light. Even his clothes became
radiant and white. First Moses appeared then Elijah. William
Barclay says, that this was a double approval of Jesus and
his ministry. Moses was the giver of the law, Elijah was the
greatest prophet in Israel. The transfiguration of Jesus



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affirmed that Jesus was the Messiah and is the
Messiah. With Moses there and Elijah, Jesus was
the continuity of God in this world.

When Peter witnessed all this, he said to Jesus, “Let’s just stay
here. It’s nice up here.” Then he said, “Let’s build
three booths, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one
for Jesus.” Peter wanted to stay up there, but their
work was just beginning. The transfiguration
story is a preparation for what was to come. Jesus was going
to suffer, he would face death, but he will see the glory
of God. He would rise from death.

What Jesus teaches us today is there in this life, there will
be storms, there will be difficulty, and there will
be suffering. But God’s will is for us to withstand any
storm and we will reach the higher ground.

When I was serving in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, I was
assigned to work with a development association. One
day, the executive director, a home economist and two
4-H’ers and I were going to a meeting. It was a rainy day
and we got caught in a storm. We were traveling in a jeep
and as we we were crossing the river, water was rising
higher and higher. The water got to the floor board and
higher. The engine began to sputtered and it finally died.
We were stuck right in the middle of the river. The water
Now was up to our waist. The executive director, George,
and I, each carried a girl, pushed our way in the stormy water
and got to the other side. We made it! Thank God we made it!

I told George, stay here and I’ll go to town and get Omar Salazar.
He was the 4-H agent and he had a winch on his
Jeep. As I was heading to town, I saw a ten speed
bike leaning against a house. I said to the young man,
“Prestame su bicycleta.” Let me borrow you bike,
we’re stuck in the river and we need help. I’ll be
back. I didn’t wait for an answer, I just took the bike,
found Omar. We got the jeep out. There’s a little more to
this story, but this story had a good ending. What I learned
that day was, when you have an emergency, you have to
act fast. I also learned that God is with us wherever
we are. He gave us an incredible capacity to survive. And
it is true: “With God, all things are possible.”
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Also, this is true, when we climb a high mountain, God
is there.

Some years ago, a farmer owned a piece of land along
the Atlantic seacoast. The farmer was always looking
for hired hands, because most people didn’t want
work along the coast because of the terrible storms.
The farmer advertised, but he had trouble finding
anyone to work for him.

Finally one day, a short, thin man came to work. He was
well past middle age. The farmer asked him, “Are
you a good farm hand?” The man said, “Well, I
can sleep when wind blows.” The farmer was
puzzled by that answer, but he needed someone so
he hired the little man. The little man worked hard,
from dawn to dusk. The farmer was pleased.

Then one night, the wind began to howl from the seacoast.
It was a bad wind. The farmer jumped out of bed,
grabbed his lantern and rushed to awaken his
hired hand. The farmer shook the little man and
yelled, “Get up!” A storm is coming! Tie down
the things before they blow away!” The little man
turned over and said, “No, sir. I told you, I can
sleep when the wind blows.”

Enraged, the farmer tempted to fire him. Instead he ran
outside to prepare for the storm. He was amazed.
All the hay stacks were covered and tied down.
The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in
the coops, and all the doors were barred. Nothing
could blow away. The farmer understood now
when the little man said, “I can sleep when the
wind blows.”

There is a wind blowing. There is a storm coming. Are
you tied down well? Is your faith tied down to
something solid, something strong? Jesus said,
“I am the way, the truth and the life.”
Jesus said, “Peace I leave you; my peace I give
to you.” (John 14:27)