You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.” No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.

Hebrews 12:18-24

Dear God, I was just having an email conversation with a friend about where we draw the line in what behavior we accept and what we reject as citizens of your kingdom. Where does your church draw the line on controversial issues such as abortion, gender identity, sexual orientation, gluttony, lust, drunkenness, etc.? Frankly, I don’t have a lot of good, definitive answers. I’m glad I am not a pastor and have to address these issues.

This passage reminds me that I am grateful for grace. I don’t have to be terrified to approach the mountain where you dwell. I am not approaching Mount Sinai. I’ve come to Mount Zion. Mount Zion is the place where you made it possible for me to worship you, learn more about you, and be accepted by you in spite of my foolish human selfishness and sin. You give me an opportunity to be refined and improved over time. My part is to humble myself, repent of the sins of which I’m aware, and move forward one step closer to you. And in the next moment, I do the same thing again. It’s a process. On a selfishness/self-indulgent scale of 1-10, last year I was probably an 8.5. Now I might be an 8.25. Still pretty bad, but at least I feel like I am moving in the right direction. I now at least have moment when I’m willing to do the right thing without worrying what I get out of it. That happened less before.

Father, thank you. Thank you that I can sit at my table right now and pray to you through the medium. Thank you that you hear my heart, thoughts, and words. That you that you see my motives, and are able to parse through the evil in my heart to see some raw material with which you might work to continue to refine me into someone you can use. Thank you for grace that allows me to walk away from my sins and not carry them around as shame. Thank you for providing Mount Zion and not staying on Mount Sinai, where I would never dare to tread.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen