One of the principal aims of Earth Ministry is to encourage a radical reassessment of the attitudes we so often adopt towards the world around us, towards our environment. For several centuries now, we in Western society have looked upon the world with exploitative eyes, seeing in it merely material for our consumption, use, or domination. Rapid advances in technology have made the implementation of this exploitative attitude extremely dangerous. To take a simple example: felling a substantial tree in the medieval period took several men a considerable time. Now it takes modern chainsaws a matter of minutes. Deforestation of an area can be completed with distressing rapidity. That is why we need a profound change in our attitude to our environment so that we can control at the psychological source the possibilities for destruction that we now possess. We need to see in nature a precious gift from God that we should cherish and respect, rather than something to subdue and exploit. God's creation has value in itself, not just because it is useful to humans.
This desirable change in attitude must extend to all aspects of nature, not just to those areas which we find beautiful, congenial or pleasant. Jungles and wild beasts must be respected along with gardens and domestic pets. Sharks, snakes and funnel-webs have their place along with kangaroos, koalas and dogs. Ecologists have been teaching us for some time that we must think of our world in terms of a web of life rather than in terms of a hierarchy of creation. All things have their God-given place, which should be accepted and respected.
Wilderness
Our changing attitudes to the wilderness areas of our world provide a good case study of what I am suggesting. Is there a Christian attitude to wilderness? With me you will have noticed over recent years that there has been a change in our society's attitude to wilderness, as wilderness progressively comes under threat from what we term “development”. We are coming to have greater respect for something that in the past we often regarded with fear, distaste or even revulsion. These differences of attitude to wilderness are also reflected in the Bible. The attitudes we find adopted towards wilderness in the Bible are at times characterised by suspicion and ambivalence, some aspects of which are also to be found in our society. But we also notice in the Bible a deep, underlying respect for the wilderness and its possibilities, especially through the lives of some notable biblical characters. Moses, Elijah, and John the Baptist are highlighted as important personalities closely associated with the wilderness. They teach us that the preservation of wilderness areas, including those that we may find unpleasant, is important in itself. Preservation of wilderness is also important for the expression of our human identity and for our spiritual health.
Today I would like to consider with you a somewhat related subject: mountains. In the Hebrew mind mountains were closely related to wilderness. Indeed, it is significant that the Hebrew word for “Horeb”, which is an alternative word for Mt Sinai, has the same root as that for “desolation” or “lay waste”, words related in the Hebrew mind with “wilderness”. I suspect that you have never heard a sermon preached on the subject of mountains. Mountains are, however, a significant part of God's creation and as such are entitled to our consideration and admiration.
Mountains in the Old Testament
Psalm 104 proclaims that at Creation “the mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place which [God] appointed for them”. The more we consider the grandeur and beauty of mountains the more we will respect them as part of God's created world. We shall also discover that they make a considerable contribution to our welfare. We should be thankful for this aspect of God's creation.
One of the best known psalms, 121, begins with a reference to the hills: “I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Have you ever wondered why, in this context of a search for God's help, the psalmist specifically and consciously gazes at the hills or mountains before him as he ponders God's help? It seems clear that in the psalmist's mind there is some association between: these elevated regions that he is considering; his God; and the help that he seeks. This association is echoed in Psalm 3, where God's response to a human cry for help comes from above: “I cry aloud to the Lord and he answers me from his holy hill.”
The association between God and hills or mountains is not surprising when one considers the important role that mountains play in the Bible. Palestine and the surrounding area are quite hilly and mountainous. Mt Sinai to the south, sometimes given the name Horeb, has a place of central importance in the wandering of the Israelites. It is here, prior to the exodus, that Moses encounters God through the burning bush and receives his commission to liberate his people. It is on Mt Sinai that he receives the Ten Commandments along with the instructions that are to be followed in the establishment of the Israelite nation. No wonder that Sinai receives the title of “ mountain of God ”. The prophet Elijah flees from the anger of Queen Jezebel to Mount Sinai , where he receives encouragement from God to return to continue his work. There is a series of other mountains in the Bible that take on sacred value. Jerusalem 's Mt Zion came to rival Sinai in spiritual importance following David's choice of this city as his capital. Perhaps the clearest concise example of the importance that mountains assumed in Jewish spirituality is provided in the vision of Isaiah 2:2: “It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it.”
Mountains in the New Testament
In the New Testament also mountains are invested with considerable spiritual significance. The famous sermon of Matthew chapters 5 to 7 is preached on a mountain: hence the name The Sermon on the Mount. The Transfiguration of Jesus takes place on a mountain, believed by many to be Mt Hermon in Northern Palestine. Jesus' crucifixion is traditionally seen as taking place on a hill outside the walls of Jerusalem. Moreover, the Ascension of Jesus and his Great Commission to go into the whole world occur on the Mount of Olives, close to Jerusalem, just above the Garden of Gethsemane.
Mountains in Christian Tradition
This biblical approach to mountains has been continued in much of Christian tradition. The Paradise of Dante's Divine Comedy is situated at the peak of the mountain in which Purgatory is found. The Spanish mystic, St Teresa, describes her spiritual journey as the Ascent of Carmel . And the Celestial City of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress stands “on a mighty hill”.
What are we to make of all these references in the Bible to mountains and their divine associations? We can, of course, dismiss them as relics of a bygone era. After all, have we humans not climbed—and hence “conquered”, as we pretentiously like to claim—all the highest mountains on earth? Have we not got rid of all possible spirituality from this aspect of God's creation? Perhaps mountains had some mystery and even life before we reached their summits. But are they not now mere inert masses that have lost any trace of spiritual inspiration?
At the present stage of our civilisation's development we have greater knowledge of the geography of the planet on which we live than was possible in biblical times. One result has been that we have difficulty in specifically associating mountains with God. The Greeks believed that their gods dwelt on Mount Olympus , but such belief is not possible any longer for people of our time. And, at least in a literal sense, God no longer speaks from the upper slopes of Mt Sinai.
Despite this demystification of nature, I believe that mountains are still able to speak to us spiritually in a profound way. We only need to have our minds, ears and eyes sufficiently open to receive the message.
Mountains as God's Good Creation
First, we need to understand the simple truth that mountains are part of God's good creation and hence have value in themselves. They are often of extreme beauty and readily excite our admiration. Mountains transform the landscape, bringing richness and diversity not only to the terrain but also to the fauna and flora that are found on their slopes and in their valleys. We are all well aware of this either from our visits to magnificent mountains overseas or from our experience of the beauty of The Great Dividing Range in Eastern Australia.
In 18th century Europe the beauty that we can admire today was rarely appreciated and mountains were generally considered as merely unfortunate impediments to human communication. Recreational mountain climbing and mountain sports scarcely existed. Modern transportation, however, has permitted us to reach the tops of many of the world's mountains and enjoy the breathtaking views that mountain heights command. It is then up to us whether we see before us a mere chance geographical phenomenon or part of the beautiful world that God has created. The beauty of the mountains provides us with an opportunity to praise and thank God but it depends on us whether we grasp this opportunity or allow it to pass.
All the gospel writers tell us that Jesus frequently went up into the hills to pray. In Luke 6 we read: “Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles”. It is clear that he found here an appropriate place to commune with his Father and to consider prayerfully the important decisions that he had to make. We have here a pattern to follow that is still possible for us today. In our day the gods of former times may have disappeared from the mountain tops, but mountains retain the possibility of enhanced spirituality as we contemplate the wonders of God's earth.
Mountains and Human Welfare
In the second place, there is at least one other reason why we should be grateful to God for the existence of mountains: we have in them an example of God's provision in this world for the welfare of humanity. Have you ever thought that the very existence of civilisation in most parts of the world depends on the presence of mountains? There are, of course, some equatorial regions of the globe that rely on tropical monsoons for their water. But for other regions the regular supply of water necessary to support communal life and establish cities comes from rivers. Rivers, of course, are fed from the mountains where they have their source. Were it not for high mountains with the snow and ice that they attract and the multitude of springs that flow from the mountain slopes, life-giving water would not have been available to many of the civilisations that have flourished throughout history. Without the mountains of East Central Africa that source the Nile, Egyptian civilisation would not have been possible. Without the mountains of south-east Turkey where the Tigris and Euphrates have their source, the civilisations of the Middle East would not have developed. Similarly today, what would North America be without the Rockies and Europe without the Alps?
Gratitude for Mountains
If we follow this line of thinking, a little contemplation will reveal that, for someone who views the world with ecotheological eyes, mountains are more than just a chance geographical phenomenon. They add beauty to the world and provide space for us to enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of God's creation. Jesus' practice of prayer—during his temptation and later in his ministry—provides us with an example to follow. Mountains, moreover, provide us with the water that sustains our bodies and supports the civilisations that we have developed.
So, next time you are gazing at a mountain or enjoying its scenery, think of mountains as a gift from God, created also for our enjoyment and our sustenance. Then you will be able to say with the psalmist: “I lift up my eyes to the hills”, sharing in his confident assurance that God's help will be forthcoming: “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth”. With such an attitude we shall also be able to understand more clearly the plea in Psalm 148 for “mountains and all hills” to praise the name of the Lord.
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