I have lived on the Plains for all my life, glimpsing mountains in Colorado and far west Texas a few times during travel…and what I consider “mountains” in Tennessee, but natives to that state would argue what I saw were only foot hills. Once traveling on the interstate on the way to a conference, seeing those hills, I found myself singing in that perfect-pitch mental voice a 1970s contemporary Christian song, “Mountain Top.” It extolled the sanctuary offered in worship experiences and reminded the listener that there was work to be done at the foot of Mount Tabor.

Mountains interrupt the view ahead. They grow out of the plains of daily life and present a vista of majesty and awe, and perhaps wonder and fear. They remind us at once of the heights of heaven and the reality of valleys at their feet. They disrupt us, changing our framework and the way of seeing the world. Mountains transform. Luke’s version of the Transfiguration shifts to the healing ministry of Jesus as compared to Matthew’s and Mark’s discussion of theology. I treasure the mountain tops I have experienced but there is work to be done at the foot of the mountain.