Shadowlands

"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." Luke 19:40

Monday! Our first full day in Sedona, AZ. Surely, the first thing that strikes you is the majestic red rocks. While there are many “destination stops” in AZ, like Grand Canyon and Painted Desert, Sedona can hold its own with any of them, and, in my opinion at least, overshadows them.

Our goal this first day was to acclimate to the dry heat and get our legs under us for Wednesday’s trip down into Grand Canyon. To that end, we had a mandatory hike planned, and then free time around Sedona and the resort we were staying in. For the willing, we did have another hike planned for the afternoon.

As was planned for everyday, all 13 of us gathered early in the morning for our time of worship and devotions. We were reminded this morning of two of Great OutDoors’ guiding passages: Psalm 19:1-3, “the firmament shows His handiwork,” and Romans 1:20, “His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.” If they are that obvious, our goal was to go and seek them out.

Our first stop was to purchase our Red Rock pass (parking permit for trailheads in & around Sedona); our first hike that morning was Cathedral Rock. Cathedral Rock is a short hike, only 1.5 miles roundtrip, but it is steep. Steep is a 600 foot elevation gain in only ¾ mile. All of us started the hike, and all of us reached the top. The combination of altitude (400 feet above sea level for our home in VA to over 4500 feet in Sedona) and climate change (hot and humid to hot and dry) was a challenge for some of us, but we made it. Were we glad we did! What an awesome view!

As you stand at the top, on the final “saddle,” and also between the twin “spires,” you can see the village of Oak Creek in “front” and Red Rock Crossing “behind.” The views are so unbelievably crystal clear; you can see for miles. In fact, the entire valley is visible from the top; from one end to the other, there is nothing you can’t see. As we looked out over the beautiful surroundings, we were reminded that as awesome as it was, it is but a remnant, a faint shadow, of the original world God created. How much more incredible must the original have been!

Even the trail itself is beautiful. The contrast between the red rock outcroppings and the dry, dusty areas supporting tenacious life were amazing. To see life thriving in the midst of harsh conditions was one of the lessons learned from this day: if God can nurture & support life among the barren rocks, think of the barren times in our own lives where God has still continued to sustain us. Nice!

After a break for lunch, over half of us decided we would ascend Bell Rock.

Bell Rock, so named because it resembles, you guessed it – a bell – is a fairly easy climb, if you: 1. Go up from the well-marked south-side, or 2. if you can follow the trail on the north side. We began from the north side. On the north side, you lose the cairns about ½ way up. About ½ way up is also where you run into a sheer red rock wall of about 60 degrees (my conservative estimate). We lost the cairns at the base of the outcrop, so it seemed logical that the way up was up the rock face. So up we went. Thankfully, it was a relatively short climb, because it was steep! Most of us LOVED it, some were a bit – well, scared. The thought of having to descend that same wall was on all of our minds. While we were at the top, one of the locals hiked up, using the trail, and pointed us in the right direction back down. Much easier! To use the trail, even though it’s not marked, from the north, keep working your way left around Bell Rock. Eventually it makes its way to the top.

Back to the resort, and after a dip in the pool and dinner that night, we spent some time just reflecting on the day and what was “shown” and what was “clearly seen.”

For me and a few others, we were reminded of how really tiny and insignificant we really are. Standing beside those huge, towering rocks was a nice reminder that God is so enormously huge to have created all that He has, but also, that He is still in control of all that He has created! Also, as large and as impressive as these stones were, they were only stones. God is the true “immovable Rock!” For that, I am thankful, and there seems to be only one fitting response - praise. If we don’t, even these stones will!

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.” Psalm 95:6