Transfiguration, March 2,2014
Matthew Year A Last Epiphany

Mountains have always played an important role in the human experience told in scripture, whether it is the story of the Hebrew people and their quest for faith and freedom, and a covenant, or the story of Jesus, as he seeks solitude to pray and prepare himself for his world changing ministry and mission.

So as we celebrate this Sunday of Transfiguration, we acknowledge the power of the mountain top experience. The images of clouds, seemingly within reach.

As humans we have always sought to reach the heights of mountain tops by climbing. There we can see more clearly the bounty of God’s creation, the vastness of the land and seas.

When I travelled to India and Nepal a couple of decades ago as a journalist I was fortunate enough to spend some time in what is often referred to as the top of the world, the Himalaya mountains. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, but it is also the home of the world’s highest peaks.

It is hard not to be awestruck by the almost supernatural beauty of these majestic mountains.


It was a mountain that Moses ascended, as told in our reading Exodus, to have an encounter with God.

The parallels with the later Transfiguration story with Jesus and his disciples on the mountain are inescapable.

And then we have Peter writing in his second letter about that amazing experience, an unforgettable revelation of God, that he had been privileged to be part of.

So what is it about this Transfiguration story which demands our attention today.

If we look at the overall telling of the story of Jesus ministry this is a pivotal moment.

We began this season of Epiphany with a star, which led the magi, astrologers from the east, to the child Jesus. Epiphany is the sharing of the light of Christ to the world. Part of our celebration is the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, which begins his public ministry. A voice from heaven says “this is my son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Now we move on to the Transfiguration. Jesus has begun his ministry with healing and teaching, and he has fed the 5,000. He has also begun to prepare his disciples for the journey to Jerusalem and its end on the hill at Calvary.

Who do you say I am, he asked his disciples. And brash Peter answers that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

So the transfiguration or transformation of Jesus, in the eyes of the disciples, has already begun.

This mountain top experience is rich in symbolism. Jesus takes only Peter, James and John, his most trusted disciples with him. They are terrified when they see visions of Moses, of Elijah, but then they start to appreciate the amazing revelation they are part of.

Peter blurts out that maybe they can stay, and build houses for Jesus, Moses and Elijah.

It is then we hear the voice of God repeating the words from the Baptism of Jesus, this is my son in whom I am well pleased.

But there’s a twist….this time God adds a command for Peter , James and John—listen to him!

That isn’t all. Jesus appears in a different light, transfigured, shining, bright…almost blinding.

This is the scene that Peter would recall many years later as he preached the gospel and wrote letters to the early Christian communities he ministered to.

The powerful mountain top image of Jesus transformed.

But we can’t stay there! And that is perhaps the greatest learning, not only for Peter, James and John, but for all of us as we follow Jesus.

We all hope to have mountain top experiences, where we have visions of peace, justice, harmony and love. We long for the clarity of the view from the mountain top, the exhilaration of being on top of the world.

Think of our wonderful Olympic athletes as they achieved tremendous performances on the world stage. Our men’s and womaen’s curling and hockey teams all winning gold….a matter of pride, and celebration of excellence and teamwork.

But our Olympians couldn’t stay and build houses on the podium at Sochi. They returned to their jobs and their regular teams and competitions.

And so in our world as Christians we long for those elevating experiences, an inspirational service, wonderful music, a shared meal like our Pancake supper. We celebrate our festivals, sacred and secular.

There is a time for celebration, for ecstasy, but also for the more mundane, but necessary tasks of life.

We reminded of that in the upcoming season of Lent, a time of self-examination, of preparation for our annual observance of the death and resurrection of Jesus. After the pancakes, comes the ashes—Ash Wednesday, and 40 days of penitence.

You can give something up for Lent, as self-denial. Or you can take something on—a Lenten study, more Bible reading or devotional books.

The idea of transformation, which we have seen in the Transfiguration story, is to prepare the disciples for something harder than they can ever imagine, spreading the gospel of Christ when he is no longer with them, at least in human form.

So we leave the season of Epiphany, spreading Christ’s light in the world, to follow a Holy Lent when we look inside ourselves, and prepared ourselves to remember the passion of Christ---the story of death and new life. Let us be transformed by the love of God, Father Son and Holy Spirit as we continue on this journey of faith and life in Christ.