After my trip to ISRAEL I’ve been “bulking up” on bacon!  I had 9 days without it on the trip, and suffered from withdrawal, I’m afraid.  One of the best things about bacon (and my other addiction, popcorn) is that I crave “salty and crunchy” things.  You can keep your sugar…even chocolate does not have the same appeal as bacon, popcorn, taco chips, mixed nuts…and anything else like that.

I like salt.  And although I’m trying to be very careful about exactly how much salt I ingest, since I’m of “that age”, I still like it.  And when I was researching about the properties of salt, etc found this very interesting fact:  Salt, though it, technically, has it’s own “flavor”, it is known more for “jump-starting” our taste buds, opening them up to accept MORE flavor, causing us to want MORE food.

Now I’ve been enlightened even more about Jesus’ words, “You are the SALT of the earth.”  Not only is salt a preservative and flavoring but it actually causes those tasting it to want MORE.  When we are truly the SALT OF THE EARTH we cause those around us to want more of what we have: life, light, peace, love.  And, as Jesus also says, when “salt has lost its flavor” (by sitting around being unused) then it is good for nothing but to make roads with.  Old salt kills, so if it is spread on grass or growth it will kill it, a great way to make paths and roads, back in the day.

It’s not used so much today, but SALT used to be one of the main preservatives of foods that otherwise wouldn’t last too long.  The fish from the Galilee used to be salted and shipped to Rome, where it was used as soldiers’ food while they conquered the world.

Another obvious lesson from this “physical metaphor” of this “spiritual truth” is that TOO MUCH salt doesn’t make the food taste better.  That’s a lesson in discretion, kindness, and benevolence.  How many times has the “good news” of Jesus been ruined because it’s been forced down someone’s throat, as opposed to “sprinkled with care” in JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNTS to make life flavorful?

SALT – the flavor-enhancer/attractor and preservative.

And so…if your “salt” is being poured out of the shaker each time you have any connection with those around you, they are getting a “taste” of the full life that you have from God.  It’s available to them as well.  However, if you keep it to yourself it not only becomes useless it actually becomes poison.  To not share the life and light of God is actually bad for YOU and those around you.

When Jesus said to His disciples, and the thousands of others sitting on the mountain, listening to Him teach, “All of you are the salt of the earth” He was speaking precisely of these attributes…it is a created attribute: we have the ability to make people hungry for Jesus, we have the ability to preserve TRUE life as first given to us by Him. 

All this reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures, a rare picture of the love of God compared to flavor:

PSALM 34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

Mountaintop experiences, we all have them, we all experience them, and usually we all enjoy them.  However, we don’t LIVE on the mountain, and sooner or later we have to come back down to the valley.

Last week I had a true “mountaintop experience” in Israel, with some fine people.  I would have never thought I’d come back saying that it was “difficult”, but it was.  “Difficult” doesn’t always mean “bad”, however.  It was also profound, thrilling, overpowering, spiritually-invigorating, and relaxing, all at once.

The term “mountaintop experience” comes from the scripture.  It is on the mountain that God met with Moses & Elijah.  It was on the “mountain” that Jesus was transfigured and where the Disciples were “clued in” to who their Rabbi really was.  The Law and Grace both came “from the mountain”.  And those who were “on the mountain” were also asked to go, to leave, to return to the valley.

We spend much of our lives, as followers of Christ, searching for a “mountaintop experience” that will last.  I know many followers who seek God through emotion.  They “feel” an experience and believe it to be real, and it may be, but when they don’t “feel” it, then they don’t believe they “have” it.  “It” being a closeness to God.  This is somewhat contrary to what Jesus taught us about Him and His Father.  He said that where “two or three are gathered in His name, He is there.”…period (whether you “feel” it or not).  He said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (whether you “feel” it or not). 

How many beautiful, good and true worship has been derided by those of another worship-style persuasion because it either had too much or too little emotional passion…and the accusers didn’t “feel” God there (despite His promise)?  How many good people with hearts that would love God “feel” that they have no connection to God because everyone else seems to “feel” Him so close and they “feel” nothing? (despite His promise)?  How many poor decisions are made in God’s name because the decider “felt” God sealing their purpose…even though the scripture, the Spirit and good old God-Given-Common-Sense would dictate otherwise?

A “mountaintop experience” is a wonderful, emotionally-charged banquet of delight, and if it is a God-hosted event, not one to be taken lightly.  But each “mountaintop experience” has a purpose: it is to bulk us up for descending to the valley where the work is to be done and where we may not “feel” the presence of God as much as we did on the mountain. So we must trust His words and remember what it felt like on the mountain.  He is no less “present” in the valley…but there are so many more distractions for us, and so many more things that seem less like God.

What I experienced in Israel was truly, and sometimes literally, a “mountaintop experience”.  Now, inevitably, I am back “down to earth” and swamped with work.  That is how it should be.  The memory of what took place should be enough to carry in my heart and cherish.  Then I can open my eyes to the beauty of being home among those I love and care for.  I can relish the fact that life is full of many, many types of experiences.  Through it all there is one constant: I am a child of the Living God, I am light and eternal.  No matter what happens in THIS age and time, I will live forever in the age to come, with the One who knows me best and loves me most.  No mountain or valley can take that away. 

During these last few weeks, as I have pondered, planned, and packed for our trip to Israel, my dad’s voice sings in my mind. 

“I walked today where Jesus walked.” 

I used to accompany dad on the piano, as his big bass voice sang these words to that old classic by Geoffrey O’Hara.  At the time I was young enough to not appreciate the lyric or melody…they were, after-all, old-fashioned.  But now that dad is gone, and I’m headed to the “place where Jesus walked” I hear that song.

What is it going to be like, I wonder?  I’ve never been to Israel, and I am prone to be overwhelmed in the presence of things and places I’ve only seen in pictures or heard about.  I remember seeing the city of Florence for the first time and almost not being able to breath.  I can only imagine what will be racing through my mind as I look out over the Sea of Galilee, or stand in the streets of Capernaum or Jerusalem, knowing that Jesus Himself was there in the flesh.  Bethlehem, the Garden Tomb, the river Jordan…all these places so much a part of who I am, and yet I’ve never seen them.

“I walked today where Jesus walked.”

It’s easy for us humans, it seems, to get so overwhelmed by a place and event that we “enshrine” the place.  The scripture is filled with verses describing “God events” that were marked, literally, by an altar, or a stone…so that we remember.  And, supposedly, Israel is filled with places that may have been significant places in the lives of Jesus, or the disciples, or Paul…so many that one can visit several places that claim to be the birth or burial or miracle site of this or that.  Those places are often covered over by sanctuaries, altars, candles, incense…because beyond remembering, they have become sacred in themselves.

“I walked today where Jesus walked.” 

Are these places (where Jesus’ feet walked, or where He was born, or where He was buried) truly MORE sacred because Jesus, as a human, walked there?  

I have been to Christian worship times, and I’ve spoken about it on Sundays, that resemble more of a funeral than worship.  Oh, the music might be loud and energetic, the emotions might be high, the teaching might be sound…but everyone behaves as if Jesus “walked” on earth once-upon-a-time…and not that He is walking still. 

I truly want to visit the Garden Tomb (or, I should say, one of the many claiming to be that) if for no other reason than to remind myself that it is empty. 

If I am truly a Believer (that Jesus is who He says He is) and Follower (not just Believing, but walking beside Him) than I have to believe that the places I am going to see next week are sacred because of the place they hold in my own history of faith…but in reality, I walk every day where Jesus walks.  

He walks the back streets on the westside of Anderson, as well as the eastside. He sits with those who come to our Chapel door for a hot dog lunch every Friday.  He is here, in our Sanctuary, at every worship time, and there at the Hoosier Park Casino.  He works at Nestle and at Scampy’s.  He drives I-69.  And if I can’t see Him in those places, then the fault is mine…not His. 

Next week I will be in the place where Jesus was born, where He was baptized, where He taught and healed, where He was executed, where He cheated death, and where He said “I will see you later.” as He went to His Father…

…I will also be on the mountain where He said, “Remember I AM with you; totally and forever, even through the completion of this place and time.”

I WALKED TODAY WHERE JESUS WALKED (Geoffrey O’Hara) 

I walked today where Jesus walked,
In days of long ago.
I wandered down each path He knew,
With reverent step and slow.

Those little lanes, they have not changed,
A sweet peace fills the air.
I walked today where Jesus walked,
And felt Him close to me. 

My pathway led through Bethlehem,
A memory’s ever sweet.
The little hills of Galilee,
That knew His childish feet.
The Mount of Olives, hallowed scenes,
That Jesus knew before
I saw the mighty Jordan row,
As in the days of yore.

I knelt today where Jesus knelt,
Where all alone he prayed.
The Garden of Gethsemane,
My heart felt unafraid. 

I picked my heavy burden up,
And with Him at my side,
I climbed the Hill of Calvary,
I climbed the Hill of Calvary,
I climbed the Hill of Calvary,
Where on the Cross He died! 

I walked today where Jesus walked,
And felt Him close to me.

Miss LaClaire, Miss Just, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Van Dyke, Mrs. Goranson, Mrs. Stankman, Mr. McNamara.  When schools begin again in the fall, I go through these names and memories again.  I may not remember everything they ever taught but I remember every name and face of the teachers I had through Grade School (6th Grade).  And when I read the paper and see the names and faces of those Graduating (some of whom I Babysat!) I don’t necessarily put my trust in THEM for the future, but in their teachers.

If I can remember each name of each teacher I had in those “formative” years AND the names of most, if not all my Middle School, High School and University teachers…they must have had SOME impact.  I thank God for those who teach…it is sometimes a thankless but glorious job to stand at the gate and train those who must pass through to the next leadership time.  At times I have an epiphany and think that my parents weren’t so crazy after all when they mourned about MY generation …and I think of this great quote:

“I’m trying very hard to understand this generation. They have adjusted the timetable for childbearing so that menopause and teaching a sixteen-year-old how to drive a car will occur in the same week.” Erma Bombeck (U.S. humorist, 1927-1996)

But as much as I remember (or don’t) about those that taught me to read, write, add and subtract…it’s these names that I remember more, and hold even closer to my heart…Pearl Moehler, Della Reiboldt, Della Nunez, June Clinebell, Violet Van Hoose, Jean Martin, Eloise Woods…These were my Sunday School teachers from the time I was in the Nursery through my High School years.  These women not only taught me the stories of Scripture (using everything from flannel graphs to play dough and puppets) but they LOVED me and when I was at Highland Church of God, I was as much home as I was with my parents.  To those remarkable people, all gone except for one now, I give thanks to God.

As the years run by and each new “class” walks through the pages of the Herald Bulletin and through the halls of Central Christian Church, let’s thank God for the people He has placed in our children’s path, to teach, train and lead.  Let us always pray for our children’s safety and wisdom for teachers.

As much as we may shake our heads at some of the things we see with each generation, it is good to know that some things haven’t changed in a millennium…and through those years, teachers were always held as precious:

What nobler employment, or more valuable to the state, than that of the man who instructs the rising generation?” Marcus Tullius Cicero (Ancient Roman Lawyer, Writer, Scholar, Orator and Statesman, 106 BC-43 BC)

“Thank you.”  To all at Central who teach Sunday classes and small groups, who have taught and are teaching in the public school system…God smiles on you. 

“Teach the youth about the way they should go; even when they are old they will not depart from it.” PROVERBS 22:6

It’s “Back To School” time again.  Of course, with every system on a seemingly different schedule, “back to school” could almost be ANY time…and for some of us who believe in “constant learning” maybe the phrase should be “still in school”.

I always loved the great new classes and teachers, even though, a day or two into a new school year brought the horror of how much homework is possible so early in the year AND how lost one can become in a new subject in just a couple of lessons!  Ah, the joys of learning.

One of my favorite quotes, and I collect many, is Michelangelo’s “ancora imparo” (“always/still learning”).  I’ve always enjoyed learning, knowing things and gathering information.  Yet I remember a time (not so long ago, really) when I asked my Mom and Dad when I’d be through “learning” (I think I was in First Grade)…I remember my Mom good-naturedly laughing and saying that she had just learned something new that day, and HER mother (a teacher) always said that learning was a life-long lesson.  I believe that, and I look forward to “learning” more every day.

A friend of mine in my Seattle Church, Russ, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer which eventually took his life.  He was young and his kids were only in College when he left us.  He was a great man and especially fond of new experiences; he had been a missionary in Cairo and he preached, sang and lived life in a big way.  His son told me that on his Dad’s last morning on earth he looked over at his son and said, “Well…this ought to be interesting.”  A few hours later he was gone…to another new and exciting experience.

Doctors say that people who have given up on learning, or accepting new things, actually “shut down” parts of the brain that keep the brain healthy…sometimes even warding off Alzheimer’s disease.

And think about how it feels inside when you learn something new, or something “dawns on you” as you have never seen it before…don’t you feel freer, livelier, more awake?  Of course, because the process of learning is also life in itself.

Learning about God, in church and in private study and observation, is really only helpful if it leads to the behavioral changes that lead to YOUR happiness as you connect more closely to your Creator.  But learning in and of itself is also a “rejuvenation process”, even when the answers can’t always be found.

The GOOD NEWS of today is that a part of the “full life” that Jesus offers is LEARNING.  In the Jewish society that Jesus grew into the “questioner” was always looked at as a “wise” person…questions were encouraged…teaching, by the Rabbis, always involved a question/question debate because it activates the brain of the student to think for him/her-self.  Jesus understands the importance of seeking out answers.  His teaching continuously looks us in the face and says, “what is the core of the law?…why is this important?…you yourself know the answer.”

The wonderful thing about our Heavenly Father and the GOOD NEWS of today is that we can never know Him in His fullness…but the facets of His personality are always there to be observed; in His children, in His created world.  We can always learn something more about Him, about each other and about ourselves…Learning is what we were made to do.  Learning is growth.  Learning is life.

So get those backpacks on and fill your LONE RANGER lunch box…because, in the Kingdom of God, every day is the first day of school.

Ancora Imparo “Still Learning.” Michelangelo