Roundtop Hill. Perhaps it sounds merely ordinary, but this hill in Northfield, Massachusetts held many powerful moments of Dwight L. Moody’s ministry. It is a sacred space full of history.
When Moody returned to Northfield, he bought up the land surrounding his birth place, and Roundtop Hill became a place of retreat and meditation for him. A story is told that he was resting on the hill one day and said that this place is where he wanted to meet the Lord. Most fitting, Roundtop is the gravesite where D.L. Moody and his wife, Emma, are buried.
The History of Roundtop
In The Life and Work of Dwight Lyman Moody, Wilbur Chapman writes, “Roundtop has ever been a place of blessing to the Northfield visitors. There each evening, when the conferences are in session, as the day is dying out of the sky, Bible students gather to talk of the things concerning the Kingdom. At this point many of the young men and women of the various students’ gatherings, which have been so intimately associated with Northfield, have decided their life work, and forth from this point they have gone to the ends of the earth to preach the Gospel. […]
“If the trees which stand there could speak, they would tell as thrilling a story of scenes witnessed there as has ever been pressed into human language, and now from this time on, pilgrims will journey to Northfield and to this the new heart of the old town, because in this grave lies the body of a man who yielded himself absolutely to God, who had only one supreme desire, and that was that he might glorify Him.”
[themify_quote]Roundtop has ever been a place of blessing to the Northfield visitors.[/themify_quote]
What is your heart’s longing?
The spiritual heritage and history of D.L. Moody shines from this place. Not only have countless people been sent out with vision and inspiration, but Roundtop is a continual reminder to live with a heart that longs for the Lord’s return. Moody lived a life that was ready in an instant to be with the Lord, and he worked with great intensity to ensure that others would be able to meet their Lord.
Does your heart long to meet the Lord? What is the Roundtop in your life?
If you are interested in a retreat or tour of this sacred space, contact us for more information here.