"Go
tell it on the mountain"
By the Right Reverend Thomas Clark Ely, Bishop of Vermont
Mountain Echo, January 2002
Go tell it on the mountain, over
the hills and everywhere;
go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.
(Hymn 99)
These words from one of my favorite Christmas hymns encourage us to tell others
about the Good News of the Incarnation, the Good News of Christ’s coming
into the world for our life and salvation. I hope you sang it sometime during
the Christmas season. I hope you sang it with joy and conviction and with hands
clapping!
Good News is meant to be shared. Think about how quickly you rush to tell others
when something really wonderful happens in your life. Is there really anything
more wonderful then God’s love for us? Part of our ministry is to let others
know of God’s great love for them, for us and for the world. One question
from the Baptismal Covenant asks; "Will you proclaim by Word and example
the Good News of God in Christ?" I like to think that by that question
we are, among other things, invited to join the angels in announcing what God
is up to in this world: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace,
good will to all." If someone were to ask you the question "What is
God up to in the World," how would you answer?
The season of Epiphany, the season in which Bible reading after Bible reading
announces something about God’s self revelation in Christ Jesus, is a wonderful
time for paying attention to how we might answer that question by the example
of our own life. It is an opportune time for considering how we share the Good
News of God’s love with others in concrete ways, how we make God’s
love manifest in our lives.
There are many ways to share the Good News of God’s love with others: Invite
someone to worship with you. Offer the gift of your time in helping others in
some community ministry of outreach or in some other gesture of generosity to
those in need. Visit the homebound. Volunteer at a hospital or some other care
facility. Assist someone with transportation, shopping, or some other chore.
Spend time with a child. Be a tutor. Join with others in working for a cleaner,
safer, more just world. Forgive someone. Mend a broken relationship. Opportunities
abound. The possibilities are endless.
The image of light is a frequent Epiphany theme. Light helps us see things more
clearly. It helps us find our way. Light is a sign of hope, as when the light
of dawn brings the hope of a new day. It is a sign of direction, as when the
beacon from a lighthouse helps one navigate in the fog. Light helps to dispel
fear, as when the faint light of a night-light helps a child get to sleep. We
know well the effect of a single match lit in a dark place. Sharing the Good
News of Jesus Christ is about being light. It begins by kindling and re-kindling
the generous heart and spirit that God has given each of us. The joy, the life,
the salvation we have been given by God in Christ is not ours to hoard, but
ours to live, ours to proclaim.
Being called into the light of God’s incarnate Word is the invitation of
Christmas. Being called to bear the light of God’s incarnate Love is the
invitation of Epiphany. In baptism we are called to be the light of the world.
Walk then as children of the light and let that light shine through you.
Walking in the light with you,
+ Thomas
Copyright ® 2002, The Episcopal Diocese of
Vermont. All rights Reserved.