Go, tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born
My 11-year-old daughter is a competitive gymnast, and, as is common with athletes in this sport, she spends a considerable amount of time at the gym training, conditioning, and rehearsing routines. It’s grueling work and often leaves her with aching joints and muscles, but for some reason she absolutely loves it.
Don’t get me wrong, there are many days that end in tears. A harsh word from the coaches, frustration when a particular skill just doesn’t come easy, or simply from pain when, yet another bump, bruise, or sprain transpires.
But you know how I know that even on those days she still loves what she does? She just can’t keep quiet about it. The stuck landing on vault, the big wobble but no fall on beam, or the cast to handstand on bars that got just a little higher today than the day before. All these, to her, are glimmers of hope mingled in with the tears. And she can’t wait to share them. She bounds to the car, and sometimes with a tear-streaked face, tells me every little detail. Her excitement shows. It draws me in. Its contagious.
But all too often, we view it as just another “command” to follow, so our excitement wanes.
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Mark 16:15
Come and see Him in the pages of Scripture; pages that speak of His mighty power, His sovereignty, wisdom and faithfulness, His holiness and His perfect, unending love. To come and see Him in the stories that tell of people whose lives and hearts were changed upon seeing their God. To come and see Him in the life and person of His only Son, Jesus Christ, who was sent to earth to make Him known. And when we come and see, truly see, that God is who He says He is and has done all He says He’s done, we can’t help but go and tell.
We have spent the last nine weeks studying the Gospel of John and the invitation to Come & See. And it’s so fitting that as we embark on this next step, this going and telling, that it’s happening at the beginning of the advent season. A season where countless people across countries, nations and nationalities will sing of God’s light, His life, and His love while never knowing a single one. They will sing of going and telling yet never actually hear the true message behind those words. They will sing of the joy that follows the coming of our Lord yet never experience it. And they will sing of gifts and presents waiting for them yet never recognize the only real and lasting Gift, freely offered to them.
Friends, this should break our hearts and fill us with longing. A longing that the Word of God would be seen, heard, and known. So this Christmas season, in the hustle and bustle that is so prevalent this time of year, let’s remember to be still. To seek Him first. And to recognize the beauty and the wonder of the Gift He’s given us. For when we see Him as He reveals Himself to be and experience His goodness and grace, we can’t help but respond in heart-felt shouts of praise, sharing the Gospel message for all to hear. And just maybe, lives and hearts will be changed, because through you, through me, through the Spirit-filled power that is in us through Him, someone will see, someone will hear, and someone will believe that Jesus Christ is a Gift worth receiving.
