Every year on Transfiguration Sunday, we hear one of the Gospel stories
of how Jesus took Peter, James and John and went up on a mountain; how Jesus’
own face and appearance changed. The Gospels tell us that the group encountered
two men, whom Scripture says were Moses and Elijah and heard God speak, and then
they describe how the disciples responded to this experience of the holy.
Luke’s account emphasizes that Jesus and the disciples went up the
mountain to pray, and that the transfiguration – the transformation of Jesus’
face and clothing – happened while he was praying.
In Luke, prayer often “sets the stage for major events, decisions and
ministry moments.”[i] Jesus
was praying after his baptism when the heavens opened, and he heard God’s voice
speaking. (3:21) And he spent all night praying on a mountain before he gathered
the disciples to him and called the twelve apostles. (6:12) Jesus will be
praying when the disciples come to him to ask him to teach them to pray. (11:1)
and again on the Mount of Olives before his arrest. (22:39-46)
On this last Sunday before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, with its own distinctive
call to fasting, prayer and charity, the Gospel draws our attention to the
central role that prayer plays in our lives with Jesus.
In his Small Catechism, in addition to his explanation of the Lord’s
Prayer, Martin Luther provides morning and evening blessings, encouraging us to
spend time with God and pray before going “to work joyfully” and going “to
sleep quickly and cheerfully.”
Jesus often goes away from the crowds and the people clamoring for his
attention and ministry to spend time with God, to find silence and to seek
wisdom. He prays after changes in circumstances, before big decisions and in
the face of challenges.
And sometimes he takes his disciples - his friends – with him.
Like Jesus and his disciples, we are a faith community, a
community practicing faith together, in prayer, in worship, in fellowship.
I hear how the disciples responded to Jesus’ transformation, and I
wonder what their story teaches us
as we too are journeying with Jesus, listening to his teaching, and
learning from His Word.
One of my questions is what Luke means when he tells
us that the two men appeared in glory, and when he writes that Peter and his
companions saw [Jesus] in his glory.
The last time Luke talked about the glory of God was when “an angel of
the Lord” appeared to the shepherds on the night Jesus was born and “the glory
of the Lord shone all around them”. (2:9)
Was this scene like that one?
Luke’s reference to Moses reminds us that Moses’ own face was shining
after he came down from Sinai with the second set of tablets from God. (Exodus
34:29) His face was illuminated because he had encountered the Holy.
When I imagine seeing the brightness with which Jesus’ face and clothes
shone, I think of the way morning sunlight catches me at just the right angle,
blinding me to whatever else is ahead of me. It’s disorienting, and I must slow
down and wait. I can’t just charge ahead on my own.
But the image of brightness also brings to mind people I have known who
beautifully and humbly reflect God’s love and who are beacons of light in hard
times.
So, I wonder, when have you glimpsed “the glory of the Lord”?
(pause)
Was it in the face of another person?
Or perhaps, it was in a physical place
or a particular experience?
When I hear the story of what the disciples saw and heard, and witness Peter’s
eagerness to stay there on the mountaintop with Jesus and the others, I imagine
Peter’s experience of the glory isn’t just what he has seen with his eyes, but
the fullness of being there with Jesus, of knowing God’s presence with him, and
of wanting to hold on to that majesty and awe for as long as possible.
We call them mountaintop experiences because we have heard the stories
of our ancestors in faith before us. Peter’s wasn’t the first, or the last. Maybe
you have one to share, too.
Meanwhile, Luke teaches us that following Jesus means being called back
down the mountain, to return to the everyday work, ministry and rhythms of our
lives.
We carry the witness of God’s transformative power with us.
We proceed with confidence that God is not only accompanying us, but
actively present and engaged in our lives.
And we continue to pray, spending time with God, finding silence and seeking
wisdom.
Let us pray…
Holy God,
Thank you for your abundant mercy and grace,
known in Your Son Jesus.
Help us glimpse Your glory every day
as we practice our faith in community and relationship.
Draw us to You in prayer
so that we seek Your presence and guidance in all things.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
[i] Troy
Troftgruben. “Commentary on Luke 9:28-36. Luther Seminary.workingpreacher.org
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