Tag Archives: transfiguration

Transfiguration and Disfiguration

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At our housegroup this week we were reflecting on the Transfiguration.

The first words of the meditation were “picture yourself with Jesus and his followers Peter, James and John as you walk up the steep path that is the spectacular Mount Tabor”.  One of those simple statements that pulls you up short. Well I know Mount Tabor is spectacular, and steep!  I went there many years ago.

tabor-galilea

Mount of Transfiguration 001
Mount Tabor – The Mount of Transfiguration

And yes, we took the transport up it.  But now I am being asked to walk it and that is beyond me – even with Jesus.  My illness and disabilities make that beyond me.  How I would love to be able to walk up a mountain, or even a hill or a small mound.

And one thought led to another.  If I can’t make it up the mountain, am I going to miss out on the mountain top experience?  If I can’t ever make it up the mountain, to the away day, to the social event, to anything that requires more than an hour of me sitting on a chair, to sit in a room where the lights are too bright, to be in an environment where there is sensory overload, too much noise, to do anything that requires more energy than I have (not a lot), (insert your own difficulty)… am I always going to be missing out on the special encounter with God?

The beauty of the TakeTime meditations is that Jesus takes you aside and asks you to share with him what is on your mind and in your heart. And God listens and speaks.

To me – God is the God of the Mountain Tops, but he is also the God of the Valley Bottoms.  I am with you wherever you are.  You can meet with me right here, as far as you can, or can’t, get. I am here and you are special.

But yet still it feels there is so much to miss out on, so much I can’t be a part of.  Not because of anyone’s fault, but my circumstance.

Is there anything that can be done to help me?  (My church is brilliant at helping me access community and God in ways that I can that fit outside the box – our housegroup is one example of that – but that is not everyone’s experience)

How can I help others meet God?  Perhaps sitting at the bottom of the mountain is the place I need to be to meet others who also have to sit there.

I have no neat answers, just some questions.

 

Mark 9:2-13 Good News Translation (GNT)

The Transfiguration

2 Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain, where they were alone. As they looked on, a change came over Jesus, 3 and his clothes became shining white—whiter than anyone in the world could wash them. 4 Then the three disciples saw Elijah and Moses talking with Jesus. 5 Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, “Teacher, how good it is that we are here! We will make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He and the others were so frightened that he did not know what to say.

7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them with its shadow, and a voice came from the cloud, “This is my own dear Son—listen to him!” 8 They took a quick look around but did not see anyone else; only Jesus was with them.

9 As they came down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has risen from death.”

10 They obeyed his order, but among themselves they started discussing the matter, “What does this ‘rising from death’ mean?” 11 And they asked Jesus, “Why do the teachers of the Law say that Elijah has to come first?”

12 His answer was, “Elijah is indeed coming first in order to get everything ready. Yet why do the Scriptures say that the Son of Man will suffer much and be rejected? 13 I tell you, however, that Elijah has already come and that people treated him just as they pleased, as the Scriptures say about him.”

Good News Translation (GNT)Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society 

 

***Do take a look at the Take Time meditations.  They are a brilliant resource for personal or group use.  We use them at our house group set up specifically for those with chronic illness or caring for those who have as a short and non-demanding group.  No great concentration or sitting for a long time required.  Just support, understanding of one anothers issues, meeting with each other and God.

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

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.