Luke 6:12-19

          What were you thinking about?

          12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles; 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. 17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea  and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; 18 and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came forth from him and healed them all.

          When Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, he was a devout Jewish man. After praying all night long he came down from the mountain and picked 12 Apostles from among his disciples. It would seem that this was somewhat of a pivotal moment. He has been struggling terribly with the Scribes and Pharisees over the law, struggling over hollow worship and he found himself ministering not just to the Jews but to all sorts of "unclean" people, foreigners and gentiles. Having come down from the mountain with such purpose and intent, I can't help but think what message he received from the Father. What was Jesus thinking about as he prayed? and Jesus was a really good pray-er if there are grades given out on such things. What was he thinking?

          Whatever it was, it essentially set the groundwork for a new church, or a new sect of Judaism. It was a new beginning. It is beginning to feel like Autumn, a sort of dying and we will await a new beginning. Perhaps it will be similar to the new beginning that Jesus started when he came down from that mountain from a night a prayer.

            As we approach Autumn, Advent, winter and eventually spring and Easter, perhaps we can climb our own mountain for a fortnight of prayer. Not literally of course, but an extended period of time devoted to prayer, speaking with the Father as he yearns to hear from us. Who knows what we'll be thinking about, but I can rest assure that it will be the beginning of something great for each one of us.

            Go up to the mountains, joyful, prayerful.