The transfiguration- what?
Mark 9:2-13. What the heck is a transfiguration? Jesus starts glowing and then some people from the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible pop up. What are we to make of this? I have to be honest- I have preached about this many times over the years, in the beginning of ministry at Saint James I preached it once a year because there is a whole Sunday set aside for it. Having preached and taught about it over the years doesn’t leave me with any easy answers. The story has the feel of an after resurrection story with Jesus appearing to the disciples but that is not what the story is about. Is it a foretaste of the resurrection? Why are only Peter, James, and John there instead of the whole Jesus crew? Why did Moses and Elijah pop up instead of some other characters? What is this story meant to teach us about Jesus, about faith, about living everyday? Is there ever a time when Peter doesn’t do the “say-whatever-comes-to-mind” thing? Seems I still have more questions than answers. I’ll keep working on it…
In discussing this passage of Mark, James talked about Peter’s reaction to the transfiguration….of wanting to build tents on the mountaintop. For him, Peter’s words were an expression of Peter’s desire to hold on to that moment in time…to stay on the mountain top.
There have been times in my faith journey when I want to “live in the moment,”…when things are going so well, when I feel so close to God, and when I feel like I’m really fulfilling Jesus’ calling for us to love each other unconditionally and to show that love to others.
There are other times, however, when despite my best efforts, either because I’ve been focused on other concerns in my life for too long…family concerns…concerns about things that are work related…or during trying times with my friends…and I feel unable to love myself or anyone else….and I know that it shows.
I’ve been trying to think of some sort of trigger that can remind me of a time when I’ve felt particularly close to God…to help me recapture that moment in time and restore the feeling of closeness to God. I’m going to try using loud noises a trigger to bring me back to those moments…a siren, a jackhammer, someone honking in traffic. Hopefully that will help. Would love to hear if others have suggestions.