Sermon Notes - high high low low

The past 10 days I have been on a study trip in Israel. 

There is an English phrase 

What goes up must come down 

In Israel the saying changes:

What goes down must always go up! 

I was actually impressed by how the people got about seemingly so easily. We found it hard work! Maybe it's the Dutch beautiful flat landscape that gave us the extra challenge. 

One highlight for me was 

Sermon on the mount 

On the mount looking over the Sea of Galilee and the hills. 

This was a beautiful moment reading the words of Jesus looking at the places he could see. Then realizing a rabbi teaches from the world around. This was a high. 

High high

Traveling home however was a different story. When I arrived home I was to be confronted with the loss of a dear friend. Same age, same kids age, same married age. I cannot put into words how this affected me. It was such a low. 

Low lows 

God is with us through it all. Just when I was beginning to be overwhelmed God took me back to the mountain. He took me back to sitting on the side listening to his words being read. 

The words from the sermon on the mount came back to me. 

“God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Matthew 5:4 NLT

“"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Matthew 5:4 ESV

Never before had those words had so much power. Today I draw close to him.