Day 11: A Morning at Hadrian’s Wall and on to Scotland

Last night when we were walking along the Hadrian’s Wall, we got the crazy idea to hike back up to the Wall to take in the sunrise this morning.  Our plans were almost thwarted by some showers overnight.  But the stalwart students awoke long before sunrise and made the trip up the hill.  Lovey and Josiah were glad to give their impressions on the morning.

Lovey’s report:

“Do I really want to wake up at 5:00am?” I thought this morning. I would rather sleep some more, but then I might not get this opportunity again. I pulled myself out of bed and I got ready to walk Hadrian’s Wall to see the sunrise.

The hills are steep and the path is long, but there is no turning back now. We are committed to getting to the point where we can see the sunrise. The sun is starting to become visible as we get closer. The clouds are breaking on the left side and there are dark clouds on the right. Just a few feet more and we will see the sun. The second that I saw the sunrise my first thought was, “How great is our God.”

We are all in awe of His creation. Just as James said that many artists try to capture it, but they never capture the full glory of it. The Lord is so gracious to us by giving us sunrises and sunsets every day. Mr. Sarr read Psalm 19 and Psalm 5 for us. The verse that really stood out to me was Psalm 19:14 which states, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock, and my Redeemer.” For me the sunrise was a great reminder of the power of God and how I need to continue growing in Him. Our God is a great God.

Josiah’s report:

The dream is distant. Maybe I was at the top of the world at Hadrian’s Wall yesterday, with the wind embracing my being. But maybe I wasn’t. Maybe that was only a dream. Both ideas offer themselves to my mind with forcefulness.

This morning we are going to climb. Eight of our group of eleven are going to climb to a high spot to see the sun rise. To see the sun rise! The same sun that has risen every morning, every day. The sun keeps rising and will rise because God has promised it. I wonder what it will look like, to get a glimpse from somewhere up high.

The hike is vigorous. Cold air is our food, for now anyway. Morning twilight and frigidity is our world. The hike is enrapturing, offering itself as a worthy paradigm. Yet we know that we haven’t been here forever. We started hiking twenty minutes ago. Keep telling yourself that. The creation is a channel. The hike is a worthy communicator, declaring the fact of something outside itself, outside of us. Christ is glorious. And there are things telling us that. Screaming to me to listen and behold. To behold something truly worthy.

The top is near. Exhilarated, several of us break into a run. I follow. Bounding up the hill, finding footing on the rocks, now slowing, now sprinting straight through a knoll. Then it happens. The vase breaks after hours of falling. The shattering takes an instant, though. It happened. The sun broke over the crest. The sun! The sun. It’s a messenger, too. Overcome, my vocal chords produce a sound. A yell. A shout!

A shout. Now I remember. The dream was real. Yesterday I was at the top of the world. Yesterday I shouted. Yesterday my paradigm was expanded, just as the horizon was as I climbed. Today I am above the top of the world. Today the sun is newly born and shouting with me. Today my paradigm is not only expanded, but focused.

The newborn sun is shouting with me. Christ has been the subject of his learning all his ancient life. The creation learns of Christ and passes on their knowledge to us. That is what we are to behold. The worthy paradigm is Christ. Keep beholding Him. Here we are, gazing on Christ. Keep gazing.

Yet there is another subject we learn that creation does not know. The sun and the hills tell us of Christ as Creator, yet they know nothing. Their subject is infinite. They speak of infinite glories. Yet it is insignificant compared to what we learn from the Book. What angels long to look into we are freely given.

When the shout went up, God was glorified for His majesty. The paradigm of Christ enraptured my heart. When the shout settled, God was glorified for His grace.

Grace. The shout is worship, for Christ is honored and recognized as worthy. As a worthy paradigm, as a worthy essence of existence. As a worthy Lord. The shout signifies the worship of Christ in the heart. Right here, higher than the top of the world, we are all brought low in humble worship of our God. The sun shouts. But we worship.

Keep worshipping.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork”  (Psalm 19:1).

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:7-10).

Several of the students on the bluffs by Hadrian’s Wall…before sunrise!

The risen sun casting long shadows on the Grace students who braved Hadrian’s Wall at 6:00AM.

Here we are at the England/Scotland border.