In Christian tradition mountaintops are often regarded as “thin-places” where the “veil” or “shroud” separating heaven and earth is porous. Moses’s face shone after he spoke with God in the “thin-place” of Mt. Sinai. This scared the people so Moses covered his face with a veil; he removed the veil when he spoke with God (Ex. 34:29ff). Jesus was transfigured on a mountaintop – for a moment the “veil” was removed and Peter, James and John saw His glory. On the mount of Calvary the “veil” was removed forever.
Our “journey to the mountain” has been a consistent theme in recent weeks but Sunday, All Saints day, we are taken to the mountaintop. We need to visit this high place because we live in the “valley of the shadow of death”. In the valley we suffer sickness, heartache, death and grief. Those we love die. We will die. The valley is flooded with our tears.
The LORD sees our tears. He comforts us in the valley with these promises:
On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces.
(Isaiah 25:7-8)
God himself will be with them and be their God.
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain
(Rev. 21:3b-4a)