Transfiguration (A) + Mountain + 2.26.17

(pexels.com)

Melissa Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(Exodus 24:12–18; Ps. 2; 2 Peter 1:16–21; Matthew 17:1–9)

Today we hear a lot about mountain moments. Decisive moments, full of spiritual revelation. Today is the last Sunday of the season of Epiphany and it is fitting that here we have yet another revelation of God’s self. In the beginning of this season, Jesus was revealed as God’s son at his baptism in the waters of the River Jordan. Now, he ascends a mountain with some disciples and is transformed in what we call the Transfiguration, and in this moment, just after he has spoken of his upcoming suffering and death, we see God declare Jesus once again as his son.

In the first reading of today from Exodus, we see Moses on the mountain, and in today’s Psalm we hear about Mount Zion. It is clear that this mountain is symbolic of a lot of things- the location of the encounter between human beings and God. It signifies the place where God reveals God’s self to us and God’s truth to us. And the mountain is a place for which to prepare, and a place to be prepared. Just this week, those of us following the daily office readings from the Revised Common Lectionary track were reminded that all the Israelites needed to prepare for this trip up the mountain (Exodus 19:9b-25), even the priests. A good reminder for this priest on the eve of the Lenten season! J

A mountain moment is a special time. Perhaps some of you have experienced just such a moment. I do not necessarily refer to moments on physical mountains such as those recorded by many marvelous authors including in the memoir Wild by Cheryl Strayed. It does not necessarily always come when we are hiking, or camping in the mountains, although it can. But I also refer to an intensely spiritual and transformational religious moment in someone’s life. For many of us, this is experienced at weekend retreats such as Cursillo or other such experiences. This is truly “time on the mountain.”

I had an especially special “mountain moment” when I lived in Santiago, Chile. I was attending a multicultural and inter-denominational protestant blend church in that city when we had an opportunity to attend a spiritual retreat called “Encuentro Juvenil con Cristo” or “Youth Encounter with Christ,” for young adults. It was an especially vulnerable time in my life, as a young adult living in a different country far from family. And at this retreat, something marvelous happened, almost miraculous to me. In the middle of an already wonderful spiritual experience, I learned that the organizers had somehow connected with my parents, who had purchased a special cross as a gift for me to receive while on retreat. Somehow, receiving this cross really made me feel so loved and cared for, so embraced in God’s love, and so pleasantly surprised that I understood feeling connected to God in a whole new way. It was not just a gift, but a sense of connection to God’s love via my family and via all my brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world. That’s how it felt. And I was in a mountain moment. And I did not want to come down.

After the retreat, I had a talk with a young woman a couple of years my senior who was already attending seminary. And she said,” this is a mountain moment, but you have to come down off the mountain and continue in the faith.” In that moment, I realized she was absolutely right. I wanted to stay in that moment, but God had work for me to do in the world. And in that moment I realized two important things: the importance of mountain moments, and also how important it is to come down from the mountain and bring our connection with God into the world.

Looking at today’s gospel reading, we see the disciples on the mountain with Jesus, and they are enjoying being there! Peter sees Jesus with Moses and Elijah, talking away, and he says,  “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 (Matthew 17:4).” This is a very natural reaction. Peter is simply living out ancient practices of hospitality and his response also brings to mind the Jewish festival of Sukkot or Booths, wherein the Jewish people spend time in a tent-like-structure outdoors for period of time.

But they cannot stay there. After mentioning the difficult fact of his death, Jesus goes up a mountain and is transformed. We have a revelation. God places Jesus on a mountain and shows us God’s love in and through Jesus. And they cannot stay there. They must return to the work of bringing the good news to the world. They have to go back down the mountain. And this is not without risk. Jesus knows that he will be condemned to death; in fact, he is preparing his disciples for that fact. God lifts Jesus up before us on the mountain and we know that all too soon we will lift Jesus up on another mountain. Mount  Calvary. His teachings remain hard to accept for many in this world, and Jesus will suffer and die as a result.

We can see all too clearly in the world around us this same difficulty in accepting God’s good news in Jesus in so many ways. In the perverse ability of some human beings to treat other human beings as if they are somehow incomplete human beings due to their socio-economic, cultural or religious background, or their sexual identity or gender identification. I see this any moment I fall prey to the human tendency to judge someone just because he or she thinks differently than I do. There is so much work to do when we come down from the mountain of our Sunday worship, because I hope it restores you as a mini mountain moment. And God depends on us to do it.

We are getting ready for Lent, and we know that cast across the forty days we begin to observe on Wednesday (after appropriate feasting on pancakes on Tuesday) looms the shadow of the cross. There is the reality that Jesus went up the mountain, was transformed, and later was pushed to his death up another mountain. But there is also hope. Because many who look at this same passage see in the Transfiguration a tiny glimpse of the resurrected Christ. Just a glimpse of the amazing transformation that happened after Jesus returned to life. And so in the shadow of the cross there is always also the glow of the light of Christ, if we but perceive it.

As Peter says, “You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (2 Peter 1:19b).” There is a light shining, a hope, even in this dark world.

But to see this, we must listen well to God. In our devotional books from the Living Compass program for this Lenten season, we are asked to take on a practice of listening well to God in this holy season. This means taking more time in prayer and meditation daily, in whatever form suits you best.

May we listen well, so that we can perceive in our hearts and minds the kindling of this light, the burning of this lamp, a lamp that will bring us light as we descend the mountain and walk faithfully in our daily lives, this season and always.