Issue #1,129 – Miner’s Path – April 13, 2023
I sat in the Tim Hortons in the Crowsnest Pass, sipping my coffee and listening to the locals. A local old timer named Henry(?) spoke with a Polish (?) accent and was regaling his table with tales of the coal mines and the old days.
He started speaking of the Miner’s Path, and my ears perked up. I have walked that trail several times, enjoying the creek and Rainbow Falls.
According to the Crowsnest Heritage Society,” The Miners Path was the historic route Coleman miners took to work at the McGillivray Mine between 1909 and 1957. Up to 200 miners on each shift would walk the trail at all times of the year. Remnants of an electric lighting system installed in the 1940s for the night shift are still visible along the trail.”
Walking the trail, you can easily imagine the miner’s going to and from work at the coal mine. I imagine them trudging homeward, exhausted after a day of hard labour and covered in coal dust. I can almost hear the talking, and the griping, as the hard-working miners trudged back and forth.
Henry told about his father working in the mine and following in his father’s footsteps until the mine closed. I was surprised to hear him say that the miners often sang on their way home. He told his friends, “I guess we were glad to be out of the hole and alive, so we sang. Sometimes, we sang on the way up (to the mine), just to work up the courage to go down in the mine one more time.”
There are many songs about mines and mining, but I had never heard miners singing while travelling to and from work. I don’t think I had even read of such a thing before. I was curious about what they sang, but the topic of conversation changed, and I never saw the old-timer again. Perhaps Henry was merely spinning a yarn for his friends, but he seemed sincere.
Music is universal. Every culture has its songs of celebration and mourning.
The Bible’s songbook, the Psalms, has its own set of songs designed to be sung going up to Jerusalem to worship. They are known as the songs of ascent (Psalm 120-134).
Each Psalm of Ascent calls on the Lord and praises Him as the traveller walks uphill to the city to worship. The singer calls on the Lord to cleanse them and prepare their hearts.
Those Psalms are a microcosm of life, singing of trials and triumphs and a love for and need of the Lord.
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 121
I listened to some of the ascent Psalms in Hebrew online this morning, including Psalm 121. I didn’t understand the Hebrew words, but I had my English Bible, so I understood their singing. The songs were quite moving.
I can envision the ancient scene. Families of devout Jews go up the hill to the temple on God’s holy mountain. Each is dressed in their traditional garb and singing the Psalms. What a glorious sound that must have been.
Each day we move closer to being with The lord. Each day is a step up toward the holy mountain. Perhaps it would benefit us to periodically read, recite or sing the ascent psalms to keep us focused on our journey.
May you be blessed on the journey.
Be Blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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