Tag Archives: transfiguration

Good to be Here

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There are some things that you get to see when you know that you are experiencing a very special event, and you feel the privilege.  Occasions when the words of John Lennon and Paul McCartney ring out,

It’s wonderful to be here,It’s certainly a thrill

As I child, I remember standing outside Sheffield Town Hall waiting for The Queen to arrive.  The crowds were several deep, it was deemed to be a special event, something worth seeing.  Other events may be considered less meaningful, but are special to those involved; sometimes you just had to be there to appreciate the importance and feel the atmosphere.

Matthew 17:1-9 (CEV)

The True Glory of Jesus

17 Six days later Jesus took Peter and the brothers James and John with him. They went up on a very high mountain where they could be alone. 2 There in front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed. His face was shining like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

3 All at once Moses and Elijah were there talking with Jesus. 4 So Peter said to him, “Lord, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

5 While Peter was still speaking, the shadow of a bright cloud passed over them. From the cloud a voice said, “This is my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him. Listen to what he says!” 6 When the disciples heard the voice, they were so afraid that they fell flat on the ground. 7 But Jesus came over and touched them. He said, “Get up and don’t be afraid!” 8 When they opened their eyes, they saw only Jesus.

9 On their way down from the mountain, Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Son of Man had been raised from death.

Jesus takes Peter, James and John up the mountain with him.  Are you already hearing echoes, clues that something important is going to happen?  God and mountains often means something profound, a special event.

Something happened to Jesus right in front of them.  He changed.  Jesus shines as bright as light.  The glory of the Lord is here for those who wish to see it.  But more than that, God speaks.  He echoes the words of Jesus baptism, with the added instruction to listen to him.

What a privilege for the disciples to be there, to hear the voice of God so clearly.

Do you long for that?  To hear the voice of God so clearly?  To know exactly what he is saying?  To see his presence so obviously?  I know I do.

Perhaps this points us again to the need to draw away with God, to follow Jesus, to take time to be with him – up a mountain if necessary! We need those special times with God.  Sometimes we need to make a concerted effort to listen, and that may mean removing other distractions for a time..

God invites us to join him?  Will we be glad to?  To be thrilled to be there with him?  To wait to hear what he has to show us and say to us?

Take me In

Lord,
let me come,
to long to take time
to be with you,
to enjoy your presence.

To stay,
hear your voice
and see clearly
what you are doing.

Speak Lord,
let me hear,
and I may respond

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This is Him

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How fantastic it is to be able to say, “This is my Son – and I’m proud of him.”  This young man is part of me, I’ve raised him, taught him how to live.  Here is the one I’ve told you about, now you can meet him for yourself and see, you can get to know him for yourself.

This is where I should insert a photo of one of my sons, but I won’t do that to them – proud that I am of the fine men they have become (sorry for the proud mummy moment!)

But that is what God says here:

The True Glory of Jesus

2Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him. They went up on a high mountain, where they could be alone. There in front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed. 3And his clothes became much whiter than any bleach on earth could make them. 4Then Moses and Elijah were there talking with Jesus.

5Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6But Peter and the others were terribly frightened, and he did not know what he was talking about.

7The shadow of a cloud passed over and covered them. From the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, and I love him. Listen to what he says!” 8At once the disciples looked around, but they saw only Jesus.

9As Jesus and his disciples were coming down the mountain, he told them not to say a word about what they had seen, until the Son of Man had been raised from death. 10So they kept it to themselves. But they wondered what he meant by the words “raised from death.”

11The disciples asked Jesus, “Don’t the teachers of the Law of Moses say that Elijah must come before the Messiah does?”

12Jesus answered:

Elijah certainly will come to get everything ready. But don’t the Scriptures also say that the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected? 13I can assure you that Elijah has already come. And people treated him just as they wanted to, as the Scriptures say they would.

Except God also adds that they should listen to his son.  What he has got to say is important and needs hearing.

God reminds them that this is “The One” – yes the new thing is here in and through him.

In  Jesus, God is here as a human being.  Tom Wright reminds us that it would take many years of prayerful thought to fully understand what that means (p 83), we can forgive Peter for saying something stupid, but at some point we need to make a start on getting our heads around it – and doing something about it…

We might have heard about God – in Jesus we meet him.  If we pay attention to him, we will learn more about God.

Have you encountered the awesome Jesus?  Have you been introduced to him as God’s Son?  Are you going to get to know him for yourself? Do you listen to him? What am I going to do having met him?

Thank you Lord,

that you introduce us to your son,

the one who is part of you,

and shows us you,

that in him we meet you.

Help us,

as we get to know him,

that we may listen to him,

learn from him,

and follow your ways.

This year, I am again following the Big Read using Tom Wright’s Lent for Everyone – Mark.  I’ll reflect here – if you’re following it too, or even if you’re not, please share with me.

Just in Case You Were Wondering

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I don’t know about you, but when I hear something, I need the information verifying.  I don’t want to get caught out by rumour or gossip, but want to know the truth.

The disciples were masters of getting hold of the wrong end of the stick, or missing the point – even in this passage, which is meant to be a clarification!

So God makes things very clear to them

This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him! (Mark 9:7b).

God speaks into Peter’s confusion, of not knowing what to do; he speaks to any questions and doubts they were having about the journey so far with Jesus; he speaks into their wonderings about where this was all going, what it was all about.

Yes, this is my son.  If you need confirmation to help you carry on with the journey, this is it.  And when others are asking after Jesus has died and has risen, you will be able to tell them about this moment, and point to everything being true.

Wow!  How amazing it would have been for us to be there.  For us to hear that word of assurance and confirmation with such clarity.

But, just in case you were wondering, it remains true today.