Friday, June 22, 2012
ONE HILL HOLDS LIFE
The Cascade Mountains stretching across British Columbia and Washington State are beautiful in the spring sunshine! But there‘s something scary about those mountain peaks. Over thirty years ago Mount St. Helens blew its top. That's fifty miles from downtown Portland. Downtown Seattle is fifty miles from spectacular Mount Rainier. These hills are part of the "Ring of Fire" which contains a reported 516 fairly active volcanoes.
These hills are reminders of the fury of God over human sin. God is not furious by nature. But back before the Flood His fury was aroused by the evil and selfishness of mankind. We cannot fully grasp all that happened during the Flood, but the turmoil and upheaval, as well as the rain, was more than awesome.
The real point is that it shall happen again, on an even larger scale. The whole universe will be involved. That's almost enough to put us off the idea of living or visiting here or anywhere else in creation for any length of time.
Almost enough--except for the fury that was directed somewhere else. As we travel each year through Lent and Easter, we see how the wrath and judgment of God fell on Jesus Christ. God took the catastrophe of sin upon Himself. Every mound and mountain now become reminders of that "green hill far away" where "our dear Lord was crucified, who died to save us all."
In 1997 Hollywood came out with the movie "Volcano" with LA as its setting. The movie's cast of heroes stem the disaster. Funny how people think they can avoid or evade or check the fury of God. Sometimes it seems to work. But the Day is coming when only one thing will work.
That's why we cling to the Gospel now, go to hear it and receive it in the Sacrament as often as we can. For we do not want to lose the protection God gives against that Day.
And therein is real beauty.
-- Abridged from the "Lutheran Spokesman," June 2000
