When I read Psalm 43, verse 3, I think about the Ancients of Mesa Verde and the Spruce Tree House. The verse goes like this: “Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.” [English Standard Version]

In biblical literature, the name of God’s holy hill is Mount Zion; yet, here in Southwestern Colorado, Mesa Verde certainly qualifies as a holy hill, too. It rises majestically to a great height, visible for miles around. This holy hill looks out upon the wide valley where thousands of people lived, loved, and breathed their last. From its summit, what a fabulous view, not only of humanity, but, also, of the divine; heaven and earth converge — blue sky meets the desert.

And then, for our Psalmist, God’s dwelling equaled the Jerusalem Temple — a gathering place where believers worshiped and met to discuss important matters. Both common space and sacred space existing side by side, much like the Spruce Tree House community, with its homes and kivas standing side by side. I picture the Spruce Tree House as the Jerusalem Temple in miniature.

If one correlates the Spruce Tree House atop Mesa Verde to the Jerusalem Temple atop Mount Zion — that is, God’s holy dwelling on God’s holy hill — then we could imagine that our towns, villages, and cities surrounding Mesa Verde equate to communities surrounding Jerusalem, like Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jericho. Can Cortez, Dolores, and Mancos declare themselves to be the place of Jesus’ birth (like Bethlehem), or be the town where the people crowned David king (like Hebron), or be the city whose walls once fell (like Jericho)? Probably not. It’s rather difficult and humbling comparing our High Desert hometowns to those famous cities surrounding the renowned Jerusalem.

What would it take to make Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, Arriola, Lewis, Dove Creek and additional towns surrounding Mesa Verde comparable in stature to those legendary biblical cities of old?

It’s simply a matter of perspective.

The only difference between our accounts of our heritage of the Ancients in Southwestern Colorado and the Bible’s accounts of the heritage of the Ancients in Israel is a matter of perspective.

What’s the difference?

Our Psalmist writes: “Send out your light and your truth that they may lead us ...”

The Psalmist believed that people populated Mount Zion and attended the Jerusalem Temple as the result of being led by God. Living in Jerusalem upon Mount Zion occurred as the consequence of following the divine — at least, that’s how biblical authors perceived it. They saw God intervening in Jerusalem’s history, beginning from ancient times, involving the work of the divine and God leading the people. For biblical authors, there would be no holy hill and no holy dwelling unless God led the people there. It’s the biblical perspective, you see.

We could, if we chose to, perceive ways that the divine led not only the Ancients here, but, also, how the divine led each and every one of us here. Ever thought about that? Ever since I arrived in Cortez, people ask, “What in the world would have brought anyone to this desert? Was the fertile land the only attraction?”

Maybe, just maybe, one answer might involve us describing our heritage from a different perspective, prompting us to say, “The divine sent out light and truth, leading all of us here, from times long ago to this very day, to this holy hill and dwelling — Mesa Verde and the Spruce Tree House.” And then, our villages, towns, and cities surrounding our very own holy hill and dwelling in Southwestern Colorado might achieve new notoriety as aspects of God’s Divine Plan.

It’s purely a matter of perspective. Do we ask, “Did we bring ourselves here to live, or did God bring us here to live?” And if we say that we brought ourselves here to live, then we live lives relatively uninvolved with the divine — an idea that for many is just fine; and, we say, “Somehow we just showed up here in the High Desert for no particular reason, and we’ll make the best of it.”

On the other hand, if we say, “God or the divine brought us here to live,” then our time spent in the High Desert each and every day, in each and every hamlet and town surrounding Mesa Verde, becomes a remarkable mystery — an exciting exploration. Our perspective changes, and we begin seeing our lives as part of the Big Picture; and, when we look out over the summit of Mesa Verde, we sense how our life surprisingly and comfortingly belongs to the Greater Divine Plan.

So, what’s your perspective? Which way of looking at your time here appeals to you the most? I have to say that I prefer seeing my time here as a mysterious, exciting and poignant part of God’s Divine Plan. It’s a perspective that inspires me to eagerly look forward to each day I spend in close proximity to one of God’s holy hills and holy dwellings.



Pastor Tom recently came from Christ United Methodist Church in Salt Lake City, Utah to Cortez, where he pastors First United Methodist Church. He’s a graduate of Eden Theological Seminary and Johns Hopkins University.