Loving God, you give us all that is needed for ministry – even glimpses of your glory when we need them.  Keep us focused on your love and salvation, even as we navigate the challenges of this world, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Today’s gospel is full of contrasts, kind of like our lives on this earth.  It begins with Jesus’ divinity “peeking through” on the mountain top and ends with an ominous prediction of betrayal.  The disciples are sleepy, but stay awake.  Jesus is discussing “his departure” with Moses and Elijah, but Peter wants them all to just stay put.  Plus, the glory of the mountain top is right there beside the messiness of illness and demons and the disciples who constantly seem to just muddle through.

         Luke is actually the only gospel that tells us what Jesus was discussing with Moses and Elijah on the mountain top.  They were talking about doing hard things for God, for Jesus’ coming departure, or exodus, will take place on the cross at Golgotha.  Undoubtedly, Jesus needed to be able to talk about it.  For, whenever he brings up the subject with his disciples, they either don’t understand or say things like, “God forbid it, Lord!” (Mt. 16:22).  And so, Jesus gets to discuss it with Moses and Elijah, who have also done hard things for God.

         In many respects today’s gospel is central in Luke’s unfolding story of the good news of Jesus Christ.  It points us back in time to the announcement of Jesus’ birth, when Mary is told that “the power of the Most High” will overshadow her (Lk. 1:35).  In the same way, a cloud overshadows them on the mountain top, as they are enveloped by the presence of God (Lk. 9:34).  It also points us back in time to Jesus’ baptism, when a voice from heaven first declares that Jesus is God’s Beloved Son (Lk. 3:22).  This time, however, the voice also speaks to the disciples and adds the command to “listen to him” (Lk. 9:35)!

         At the same time, as we have already heard, today’s gospel points ahead in time to Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion and death.  It is the glimpse of glory that all of them would need in order to carry them through the really dark days ahead.  Perhaps this is why the transfiguration of Jesus is always remembered just before the beginning of Lent.  For, as of Ash Wednesday, Jesus will be on his way to Jerusalem, and ultimately, to the cross.

         We noted earlier how Jesus probably really needed this time on the mountain top, with the glory of God on full display, his identity as God’s Beloved Son confirmed, and an opportunity to talk about what lay ahead for him.  It is also likely that he, like the disciples, would have preferred to stay a while on the mountain top.  However, his mission was not yet complete, and he needed to continue to fulfill his purpose here on this earth.

         While our mission and purpose might not be quite as big as what was given to Jesus and to Moses and to Elijah, we, too, are sometimes asked to do hard things for God.  In fact, we are all set apart for ministry the moment that we are baptized.  We are identified as precious children of God, are given the Holy Spirit, and are called to be partners in God’s mission to love and to bless the world.

         Some people do this through their work, or their vocation.  Some do this through using whatever they have in order to share God’s love with others.  Some work at feeding the hungry and clothing the naked and giving shelter to those who are homeless.  Some give of their time and talents in order to serve God’s people – both close to home and far away.  However it is that we enter into God’s mission, God always seems to provide – especially when something really difficult is on the horizon.

         For Elijah, this happened on a mountain top when God showed up in “a sound of sheer silence” (1 Ki. 19:12).  At the time, he was burnt out, but after his renewal, God still had some more work for him to do.  Moses, too, encountered God on a mountain top when he needed assurance that God really was present with him as he led God’s people through the wilderness (Ex. 33:12-23).

         I have also had experiences where God’s presence and power seemed far more obvious than at other times – and some of you have had similar experiences.  For me, this has often happened right before I have had something difficult to deal with.  While it would be nice to have one of those mountain top experiences and stay there, there is still work for us to do here on this earth.  There are so many who simply do not know that God loves them, and many who have never actually encountered Jesus Christ.

         Whatever the specific ways might be in which we share God’s love with others, God never asks us to do hard things without equipping us for ministry.  May we also carry within us the knowledge that we are God’s beloved children, and the awareness of God’s glory that only the Spirit can bring, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Amen.

Transfiguration (NL 3)                                 Luke 9:28-45

February 14, 2021

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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