In Switz\u00ader\u00adland, moun\u00adta\u00adins are omni\u00adpre\u00adsent. They are all around us. But even in our own lives the\u00adre are pro\u00adver\u00adbi\u00adal moun\u00adta\u00adins whe\u00adre we are stuck and don\u2019t know what to do. We also encoun\u00adter moun\u00adta\u00adins in the Bible, and God often comes into cont\u00adact with peo\u00adp\u00adle on moun\u00adta\u00adins. On the moun\u00adta\u00adins, hea\u00adven and earth touch. Jesus Christ hims\u00adelf often went up moun\u00adta\u00adins and met God the\u00adre. Whe\u00adre\u00adas in the past the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes had to go on pil\u00adgrimage to Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem to Mount Zion to meet God, this is no lon\u00adger neces\u00adsa\u00adry today. We can get in touch with God everywhere.<\/p>\n
My wife and I have been living in Seen\u00adgen for just under a year now and now for just under three weeks with our son Hosea. We have sett\u00adled in well in the See\u00adtal and also find the natu\u00adre very beau\u00adtiful. When the wea\u00adther is nice, you can even see a few moun\u00adta\u00adins in cen\u00adtral Switz\u00ader\u00adland. Nevert\u00adhel\u00adess, the pan\u00adora\u00adma from here is quite dif\u00adfe\u00adrent from what I\u2019m used to at home. I grew up in the Aare val\u00adley bet\u00adween Bern and Thun. From the dining table and the kit\u00adchen at my par\u00adents\u00bb house, you have an unrest\u00adric\u00adted view of the Eiger, M\u00f6nch and Jung\u00adfrau. Last Satur\u00adday we were at a wed\u00adding in Thun and I rea\u00adli\u00adsed again how clo\u00adse the moun\u00adta\u00adins are the\u00adre com\u00adpared to here. I used to see the moun\u00adta\u00adins prac\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly every day. For the last three weeks I have also seen moun\u00adta\u00adins every day \u2013 moun\u00adta\u00adins full of nap\u00adpies. In the Bible we also come across some lines and sto\u00adries that take place around and in the moun\u00adta\u00adins. Today we want to look at moun\u00adta\u00adins in dif\u00adfe\u00adrent ways. \tWhat do you feel when you think of moun\u00adta\u00adins? Does your heart open up or does it sca\u00adre you? In Switz\u00ader\u00adland, moun\u00adta\u00adins are omni\u00adpre\u00adsent. They are all around us. But even in our own lives the\u00adre are pro\u00adver\u00adbi\u00adal moun\u00adta\u00adins whe\u00adre we are stuck and don\u2019t know what to do. We also encoun\u00adter moun\u00adta\u00adins in the Bible, and God often comes into cont\u00adact with peo\u00adp\u00adle on moun\u00adta\u00adins. On the moun\u00adta\u00adins, the sky tou\u00adch\u00ades and\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":7050,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[79],"wpfc_sermon_series":[81],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-cedric-bruegger","wpfc_sermon_series-creatio","wpfc-sermon-single","post-6810","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nMoun\u00adta\u00adins in your life
\nWhat comes to your mind when you think of moun\u00adta\u00adins? Are you like me? How do you rela\u00adte to the moun\u00adta\u00adins? Alt\u00adhough I grew up clo\u00adse to the moun\u00adta\u00adins, I am still very com\u00adfor\u00adta\u00adble in the low\u00adlands. I find the moun\u00adta\u00adins fasci\u00adna\u00adting. For a while I used to go jog\u00adging along the Aare from Wicht\u00adrach to M\u00fcn\u00adsin\u00adgen. The Aare is sur\u00adroun\u00added by a forest on the left and right the\u00adre. At the M\u00fcn\u00adsin\u00adgen swim\u00adming pool the\u00adre is a bridge that cros\u00adses the Aare. I always took a break the\u00adre and stret\u00adched a litt\u00adle. I did this for a reason, becau\u00adse from the\u00adre you have the best view of the moun\u00adta\u00adins. Or rather, of a moun\u00adtain. Bl\u00fcem\u00adli\u00adsalp emer\u00adges like a cut-out abo\u00adve the water. The Bl\u00fcem\u00adli\u00adsalp is a very wide moun\u00adtain and even in sum\u00admer it is still full of snow. This sight was unbe\u00adlie\u00adva\u00adble to me every time, and so Bl\u00fcem\u00adli\u00adsalp is my favou\u00adri\u00adte moun\u00adtain to this day. But moun\u00adta\u00adins are not only beau\u00adtiful to look at, they also form a natu\u00adral bar\u00adri\u00ader. Be it with regard to the wea\u00adther, but also an obs\u00adta\u00adcle that can\u00adnot be over\u00adco\u00adme so easi\u00adly. Moun\u00adta\u00adins can thus offer a natu\u00adral pro\u00adtec\u00adtion. On the other hand, alt\u00adhough moun\u00adta\u00adins are actual\u00adly dead mat\u00adter, they are very frigh\u00adtening. The\u00adre are count\u00adless dan\u00adgers such as ava\u00adlan\u00adches, bould\u00aders and fal\u00adling stones. Espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly in com\u00adbi\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon with a thun\u00adder\u00adstorm, it can quick\u00adly beco\u00adme a dan\u00adge\u00adrous and even dead\u00adly combination.
\nIn Switz\u00ader\u00adland, more than 100 peo\u00adp\u00adle have lost their lives in the moun\u00adta\u00adins every year sin\u00adce 1984. This does not include peo\u00adp\u00adle who have an acci\u00addent while doing extre\u00adme sports. Alt\u00adhough moun\u00adta\u00adins are not wit\u00adhout dan\u00adger, they exert a tre\u00admen\u00addous fasci\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon on us. Alt\u00adhough moun\u00adtain clim\u00adbing for lei\u00adsu\u00adre has only increased sin\u00adce the 18th cen\u00adtu\u00adry, moun\u00adta\u00adins were clim\u00adbed much ear\u00adlier. \u00d6tzi, for exam\u00adp\u00adle, died in the moun\u00adta\u00adins about 5300 years ago; he was pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly fle\u00ade\u00ading and sought refu\u00adge the\u00adre. This fasci\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon and at the same time respect for the moun\u00adta\u00adins can also be found in the Bible. \u00abI look up to the moun\u00adta\u00adins \u2013 from whe\u00adre will my help come?\u00bb (Psalm 121:1 NLB<\/span>).
\nI like to go to the moun\u00adta\u00adins from time to time, but I always feel very good when I make it back to the flat\u00adlands. But the\u00adre are not only phy\u00adsi\u00adcal moun\u00adta\u00adins, but also sym\u00adbo\u00adlic moun\u00adta\u00adins that can be encoun\u00adte\u00adred. For exam\u00adp\u00adle, the\u00adre is the col\u00adlo\u00adquial expres\u00adsi\u00adon \u00aba moun\u00adtain full\u00bb. As I said, the\u00adre is a moun\u00adtain full of nap\u00adpies at our house at the moment and if our son was\u00adn\u2019t so small, the\u00adre would also be a moun\u00adtain full of laun\u00addry. Dif\u00adfe\u00adrent things in our lives can be per\u00adcei\u00adved as moun\u00adta\u00adins. As things that are an insur\u00admoun\u00adta\u00adble obs\u00adta\u00adcle. The\u00adse are per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly very chal\u00adlen\u00adging. The\u00adre are dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties that come again and again and that can be very absor\u00adbing. What moun\u00adtain are you curr\u00adent\u00adly facing in your life? How big and immo\u00adv\u00ada\u00adb\u00adly hea\u00advy does it seem?
\nMoun\u00adta\u00adins \u2013 whe\u00adre hea\u00adven and earth touch
\nPeo\u00adp\u00adle have not only clim\u00adbed the moun\u00adta\u00adins sin\u00adce time imme\u00admo\u00adri\u00adal, but they have also often built shri\u00adnes on the moun\u00adta\u00adins. No mat\u00adter what reli\u00adgi\u00adon the shri\u00adnes belong to, the most beau\u00adtiful and often most important ones are loca\u00adted on hills or moun\u00adta\u00adins and are thus visi\u00adble from afar. Some of them are very dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to access, which in turn offers some pro\u00adtec\u00adtion, while others are very remo\u00adte and the sur\u00adroun\u00addings offer the neces\u00adsa\u00adry peace and quiet to get in touch with the saint. But one of the main reasons is cer\u00adtain\u00adly that hea\u00adven and earth meet on the moun\u00adta\u00adins. The space that peo\u00adp\u00adle inha\u00adbit, the earth tou\u00adch\u00ades the space whe\u00adre the sacred, the divi\u00adne dwells. This crea\u00adtes a mee\u00adting place on the moun\u00adta\u00adins. On the sum\u00admit of a moun\u00adtain, one is clo\u00adse to the unknown.
\nIn the Bible, too, God often meets peo\u00adp\u00adle on moun\u00adta\u00adins. I would like to high\u00adlight one sto\u00adry from the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment in par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar, which descri\u00adbes such an encoun\u00adter with God on a moun\u00adtain very cle\u00adar\u00adly. It con\u00adcerns the pro\u00adphet Eli\u00adjah. He was cal\u00adled by God to com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adte God\u2019s mes\u00adsa\u00adge to the kings in the nor\u00adt\u00adhern king\u00addom of Isra\u00adel. This was any\u00adthing but an easy and beau\u00adtiful task. He had to go through a lot and was pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly one of the most unpo\u00adpu\u00adlar con\u00adtem\u00adpo\u00adr\u00ada\u00adri\u00ades. Nevert\u00adhel\u00adess, he remain\u00aded faithful to his mis\u00adsi\u00adon, though he too had doubts. One day he came into the desert to the holy moun\u00adtain Horeb and the\u00adre he met God. As he hid in a cave, God began to speak to him. \u00abThen the Lord said to him, \u00abGo out and stand on the moun\u00adtain befo\u00adre the Lord, for the Lord is going to pass by.\u00bb At first a vio\u00adlent storm, which divi\u00added the moun\u00adta\u00adins and bro\u00adke the rocks, came befo\u00adre the Lord. But the Lord was not in the storm. After the storm the earth shook, but the Lord was not in the ear\u00adth\u00adqua\u00adke. And after the ear\u00adth\u00adqua\u00adke the\u00adre came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the\u00adre was a low whis\u00adpe\u00adring sound. When Eli\u00adjah heard it, he pul\u00adled his cloak over his face and went out\u00adside and stood in the ent\u00adrance of the cave. A voice said, \u00bbWhat are you doing here, Eli\u00adjah?\u00bb \u00bb (1 Kings 19:11\u201313 NLB<\/span>). I can only vague\u00adly ima\u00adgi\u00adne how this must have sound\u00aded on that moun\u00adtain. It was cer\u00adtain\u00adly outra\u00adge\u00adous and frigh\u00adtening. God cau\u00adsed the\u00adse natu\u00adral events, but he hims\u00adelf was not in them. Only at the very end, in the whis\u00adpe\u00adring of the wind, did God meet his pro\u00adphet Eli\u00adjah. For the Jews, Eli\u00adjah was and is the grea\u00adtest pro\u00adphet, along with Moses. Moses was also cal\u00adled by God and even on the same moun\u00adtain as Eli\u00adjah met God. Moses was the lea\u00adder of the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel. He went ahead of them and gave the peo\u00adp\u00adle the ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions and orders on how they should live as God\u2019s peo\u00adp\u00adle. This law is still valid for the Jews today. In con\u00adtrast, Eli\u00adjah was a pro\u00adphet at a time when the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel were divi\u00added into two king\u00addoms and when the peo\u00adp\u00adle no lon\u00adger lis\u00adten\u00aded to their God. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, Eli\u00adjah was sent to rebu\u00adke the peo\u00adp\u00adle and call them to turn back to God.
\nThe enti\u00adre New Tes\u00adta\u00adment revol\u00adves around one per\u00adson \u2013 Jesus Christ. He was sent to earth by God in hea\u00adven so that peo\u00adp\u00adle might be recon\u00adci\u00adled to God. He was the Son of God, but lived as a human being on this earth. Alt\u00adhough he came from hea\u00adven, he lived on this earth. Many inci\u00addents of Jesus take place in and around moun\u00adta\u00adins. Again, I would like to high\u00adlight one in par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar. Jesus took three of his disci\u00adples up a high moun\u00adtain one day. \u00abSud\u00adden\u00adly his appearance chan\u00adged. His face sho\u00adne like the sun and his clo\u00adthes beca\u00adme bril\u00adli\u00adant white. All at once Moses and Eli\u00adjah appeared and began to speak to Jesus. Peter exclai\u00admed: \u00abLord, how won\u00adderful this is! If you want, I will build three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Eli\u00adjah.\u00bb But even as he said this, a bright cloud gli\u00added over them, from which a voice said to them, \u00abThis is my bel\u00adoved Son, in whom I delight. Lis\u00adten to him\u00bb \u00bb (Matthew 17:2\u20135 NLB<\/span>). This encoun\u00adter on this unna\u00admed moun\u00adtain pro\u00advi\u00addes the legi\u00adti\u00adma\u00adcy for Jesus. In Eli\u00adjah and Moses he encoun\u00adters the two most signi\u00adfi\u00adcant and out\u00adstan\u00adding peo\u00adp\u00adle of the old coven\u00adant. Jesus sees hims\u00adelf in line with the\u00adse two. Yet he dif\u00adfers from the\u00adse two. While they were gre\u00adat men of God, he is God\u2019s bel\u00adoved Son in whom he delights. Yes, in Jesus, what both of them had work\u00aded on is com\u00adple\u00adted. God\u2019s glo\u00adry beco\u00admes visi\u00adble on earth. Jesus is the com\u00adple\u00adti\u00adon of the pro\u00adphe\u00adts and the law and fol\u00adlows on from them. \u00abJesus ans\u00adwe\u00adred, \u00abYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind!\u00bb This is the first and most important com\u00admandment. Ano\u00adther is just as important: Love your neigh\u00adbour as yours\u00adelf. All the other com\u00admandments and all the demands of the pro\u00adphe\u00adts are based on the\u00adse two com\u00admandments\u00bb (Matthew 22:37\u201339 NLB<\/span>).
\nEncoun\u00adtering God today
\nBut how can we meet God today in the face of gre\u00adat insur\u00admoun\u00adta\u00adble moun\u00adta\u00adins in our lives? We no lon\u00adger have pro\u00adphe\u00adts like Eli\u00adjah or gre\u00adat lea\u00adders like Moses. Jesus Christ is also no lon\u00adger here to hold hea\u00adven and earth tog\u00ade\u00adther. To ans\u00adwer this ques\u00adti\u00adon, let us once again dive into the text from Psalm 121. \u00abI look up to the moun\u00adta\u00adins \u2013 from whe\u00adre will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made hea\u00adven and earth\u00bb (Psalm 121:1\u20132 NLB<\/span>). The\u00adre are two ans\u00adwers in the\u00adse ver\u00adses. First, it can be com\u00adfort\u00ading to pray to God and know that he is the crea\u00adtor of the who\u00adle world, inclu\u00adding the moun\u00adta\u00adins. So not\u00adhing is impos\u00adsi\u00adble for him and he can help me.
\nFor the other ans\u00adwer from the\u00adse ver\u00adses, I have to go a litt\u00adle fur\u00adther. At the time this text was writ\u00adten, the\u00adre was only one place in all of Isra\u00adel whe\u00adre God could be met. This was the temp\u00adle in Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem on Mount Zion. The Israe\u00adli\u00adtes had some com\u00admandments and in order to make some\u00adthing right with God, they had to come to Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem and offer a sacri\u00adfice the\u00adre. The\u00adre were media\u00adtors the\u00adre on the spot who hel\u00adped to make this right, the priests. This temp\u00adle was God\u2019s dwel\u00adling place on earth. It was the place whe\u00adre hea\u00adven and earth came tog\u00ade\u00adther. Here we often speak of the old coven\u00adant, which had the sanc\u00adtua\u00adry in Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem as its cent\u00adre. So anyo\u00adne who wan\u00adted to meet God made a pil\u00adgrimage to Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem. The city lies at 760 met\u00adres abo\u00adve sea level and the\u00adre are val\u00adleys all around. So if someone went up to Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem from the Dead Sea or from the Medi\u00adter\u00adra\u00adne\u00adan, they would have to cover quite a distance in alti\u00adtu\u00adde. So when the psal\u00admist wri\u00adtes, \u00abI look up to the moun\u00adta\u00adins,\u00bb this also means the temp\u00adle of God. The ques\u00adti\u00adon that fol\u00adlows is then mere\u00adly rhe\u00adto\u00adri\u00adcal. For the wri\u00adter knows exact\u00adly from whe\u00adre his help comes. Hence the ans\u00adwer in ver\u00adse two. But through Jesus Christ some\u00adthing new began. The new coven\u00adant is also spo\u00adken of here. This new coven\u00adant con\u00adsists in the fact that it is no lon\u00adger neces\u00adsa\u00adry to have a priest as media\u00adtor. It is also no lon\u00adger neces\u00adsa\u00adry to go on pil\u00adgrimage to an earth\u00adly fixed sanc\u00adtua\u00adry to meet God. Through Jesus Christ, God\u2019s bel\u00adoved Son, God is very clo\u00adse to every per\u00adson who seeks Him. Thus, God can be encoun\u00adte\u00adred whe\u00adre\u00adver one hap\u00adpens to be, even if cer\u00adtain places, such as moun\u00adta\u00adins, still have their spe\u00adcial charm.
\nIf you call yours\u00adelf a fol\u00adlower of Jesus Christ. Whe\u00adre do you meet God? What places touch you and you come into cont\u00adact with the Crea\u00adtor of hea\u00adven and earth? If you are rather distanced from the who\u00adle sto\u00adry with God, then I would like to ask you, whe\u00adre do you seek rela\u00adxa\u00adti\u00adon from your moun\u00adta\u00adins? What or who do you look for when moun\u00adta\u00adins seem to crush you? God pro\u00admi\u00adses us that he can be found if we seek him. \u00abFor I know well the plans I have laid for you, says the Lord. My plan is to give you sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon and not suf\u00adfe\u00adring. I give you a future and hope. Then when you call to me, I will ans\u00adwer you; when you pray to me, I will hear you. If you seek me, you will find me; yes, if you ear\u00adnest\u00adly desi\u00adre me with all your heart, I will let mys\u00adelf be found by you, says the Lord\u00bb (Jere\u00admi\u00adah 29:11\u201314a NLB<\/span>). When we fol\u00adlow Jesus Christ, God gives us his Holy Spi\u00adrit. This wants to help us deal with the moun\u00adta\u00adins in our lives. May\u00adbe he also helps us to gain a dif\u00adfe\u00adrent per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve and we rea\u00adli\u00adse that the\u00adse moun\u00adta\u00adins are no lon\u00adger so threatening.
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nBible text rea\u00adding: Psalm 121:1\u20132; Matthew 17:1\u201321<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat are moun\u00adta\u00adins in your life? Are the\u00adre any that you always put in front of you? Which ones seem insurmountable?
\n\tHave you alre\u00ada\u00addy expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced such a moun\u00adtain moment whe\u00adre hea\u00adven and earth met? How did it feel?
\n\tDo you under\u00adstand the role of Eli\u00adjah and Moses in rela\u00adti\u00adon to Jesus Christ?
\n\tWhe\u00adre do you encoun\u00adter God? Is the\u00adre any place you espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly love to meet God?
\n\tHow do you seek God? Has he allo\u00adwed hims\u00adelf to be found by you?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"