A volcanic mountain in Iceland is named “Eyjafjallajokull.” Since I can’t pronounce the name, I decided to write about the mountain in this column instead of mentioning it in a sermon. The name means “island mountain glacier.” The mountain is one of 130 such mountains in Iceland, which is located on the fault line between the Eurasian and North American Plates.
Eyjafjallajokull had not erupted since 1823. It was covered by a large glacier and wrapped in deep snow. It seemed totally devoid of fire and warmth. All of that changed on March 20 when a small fissure opened on its side. But the big event occurred on April 14. On this day, the volcano blew off its icy cap and began spouting tons of material into the air. The plume of volcanic ash was blown towards Europe and eventually shut down airports in more than 20 European cities. This created massive disruptions in global air traffic that backed up flights all over the world. It was a humbling reminder that in spite of our technological advancement we are still powerless before the big forces of nature.
I think it was William Barclay who told about a volcanic mountain like Eyjafjallajokull. For years the old mountain seemed cold, ashen, and dead. But then one night there was an eruption that changed that view completely. The old volcano stirred to life in a brilliant display of fire and lava. As Barclay put it, “The eruption displayed the fire that was burning in the heart of the mountain.”
It sometimes seems that God does not love or care about us. On November 10, 1975, a ship loaded with iron ore set sail across Lake Superior. It would never reach its destination. It was caught in a fierce storm and went to the bottom of the lake, carrying with it all 29 men on board.
The ship was immortalized in a song sung by Gordon Lightfoot entitled, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” There is one particular line in the song that has always intrigued me. The line goes, “Does anyone know where the love of God goes/ When the waves turn the minutes to hours?” Good question!
Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the years turn the dreams into nightmares? Does anyone know where the love of God goes when cancer turns life into death? Does anyone know where the love of God goes when time turns the joy of the honeymoon into the pain of divorce court?
Sometimes the love of God seems non-existent. It is hidden away like the fire in an old extinct volcano. But then things change. Sometimes it is in the pain of loss or the beauty of discovery. Sometimes it is in the darkness of grief or the sunlight of joy. Discovery comes in all kinds of situations. In such moments, the joy of discovery erupts like an old volcano to reveal the love that is burning in the heart of God. And when the discovery comes, we are never the same again.
