Articles
Monument Valley
R E F L E C T I O N S
Thoughts on nature and the Christian faith
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"In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
- Isa. 40:3
Monument Valley lies on the border between Utah and Arizona. My wife Jo and I went through this area on our motorcycle as the sun was setting. The light was amazing and the scenery magical which, with the sense of isolation we felt, simply took our breath away. Numerous western movies have been shot here as well as a scene from the film Forrest Gump. I thought of all these things when we stopped long enough to capture this image. I was also struck by how perfectly straight this highway was. It brought to my mind a scripture which told of the ministry and purpose of John the Baptist. His assignment was to prepare the people for the coming of their long awaited Messiah, and he did that by calling the people to repentance. That path that John laid out was a highway which connected those broken by an awareness of their sinfulness to the One who would heal all who would put their trust in him. John prepared the ground on which Jesus walked. He made a straight path that connected sinners with their Savior. Things have not changed today. The road that connects sinful men and women to Jesus is still the road of repentance. And who is charged with making and keeping that road straight? That is the calling of the church. We have no ability to heal those that need healing, but we can make sure that the highway that connects the sick and dying to the Great Physician is made straight. Repentance is something we can proclaim as well as model and, if we do, the road we all must walk will remain straight. - John
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