The Transfiguration

The Readings

Old Testament

Exodus 24:12-18

The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. To the elders he had said, “Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.”

Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

The Gospel

Matthew 17:1-9

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

The Sermon

The Transfiguration

Peter, James and John follow Jesus up a high mountain to pray and they have this incredible experience. Jesus' face shines like the sun and his clothes become dazzling white. But that isn't all. Moses and Elijah suddenly appear and the three of them begin to talk. In Matthew it does not say what they talked about but in Luke it says they talked about his departure when he arrived in Jerusalem.

There is much symbolism in this event. The presence of Moses and Elijah represent the law and the prophets. When the voice of the Father speaks and says, “this is my Son, my beloved, within whom I am well pleased, listen to him.” To me it says that the law and the prophets must give way to Jesus' teaching.

Clearly the disciples, Peter, John and James had a much sharper image of who Jesus was after this event. They had one more sign that Jesus was the anointed one. He was the messiah.

In our bible study the author asks us if we have had any mountain top experience. Since we are all flatlanders we had to put it into our own perspective. Sometimes our mountain is a quiet place that has fewer distractions and we are able to experience the peace of God's creation. It may be Pin Oak Marsh. It could be a garden. Or, maybe just the silence of an early morning as you wait for the sun to rise. God is everywhere and in many ways God transforms us in those quiet moments of our lives.

In our first reading from Exodus, Moses goes up on the mountain as well. He was on the mountain experiencing the presence of God for forty days. It must have seemed like a very long wait for the people of Israelis. Waiting is something the Jewish people needed to learn. They had to wait for Moses to come down from the mountain for all those days and then they were forced to wander the desert for forty years.

Learning to wait can be a difficult lesson. I remember the first time I meditated. It was with a group of about twenty college students and we were asked to sit on the floor of a big room, close our eyes, and meditate. After about three minutes I thought I was going to lose it. The session lasted for what was probably the longest twenty minutes of my life. However, I learned and I got better at it and that experience made a difference in my ability to be patient.

We are about to enter the season of lent. It is a time for reflection. We reflect on how our lives are going and a time to make changes that will bring us closer to God. It is a time to show patience with ourselves and with others.