The Mountain and the Cross
(Free Version)- The Last Sunday After the Epiphany- Exodus 24:12-18; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9
Icon: “Transfiguration,” by Ivanka Demchuk
This week’s readings can be found here. For more reflections and illustrations on the readings, see our Deep Dive.
We are about to embark on the season of Lent, a time of walking to the cross. This is a season of repentance, of humility, of preparation.
This is a time to trust in God’s faithfulness. We give thanks to God for the ways in which we have seen him in glory. We give thanks for the story which has been passed down to us in the scriptures and through the church. We must remember these moments and our story for the next stage of our journey.
And we must remember that God does not call his people to be experience-chasers, but those formed in His ways. Our Old Testament reading (Exodus 24:12-18) recalls a powerful and mystical moment where God’s glory settled on a mountain and God speaks to Moses. All of Israel can see what looks like—a consuming fire. Moses enters the cloud and stays in the presence of the Lord for forty days and forty nights. What is a purpose of such an encounter? The grace that is given through the law. God calls his people into his presence that they might be transformed, be something in the world.
In our epistle reading (2 Peter 1:16-21), Peter reminds the church that the stories he and the other disciples tell them are not made up fables. They really saw Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. They really heard the voice of the Father declaring Jesus’ identity. The scriptures have always been pointing to Jesus. They are the light which shines and Jesus is the morning star. Hold on to both of them as we await his second coming and rising in our hearts. The scriptures do not come from human beings alone, but from God. And they shouldn’t be interpreted alone. The scriptures have been received, carried by the Holy Spirit.
Our gospel reading tells the story which Peter is referencing (Matthew 17:-9), the transfiguration of our Lord. In the story, Jesus fulfills the calling of humanity, to shine like stars (Matt.13:43; Daniel 12:3). As we spend time in Christ’s presence, we are transformed, changed. Moses and Elijah appear, revealing Jesus’ continuity with and fulfillment of the story of Israel. The other disciples are struck by the significance of the moment, Peter trying to come up with the words to say, wants to memorialize it in some way, by building tents. God fulfills his request by “tenting” them with his presence. The Father declares Jesus’ identity as his son and, therefore, the one with authority. The disciples are rightly afraid as they do not understand what is happening. In his compassion, Jesus tells them “Don’t be afraid.”
The disciples do not understand what they have experienced, and they will not understand what lays ahead: the journey to the cross. Yet, Christ is with them in both realities. In this season, we remember that the road of discipleship is a journey to the cross. This is a time to listen for God in the silence. God, what are you doing even in the times when I cannot feel or experience you? What are you doing in the times where we struggle with clarity and even to see God’s faithfulness?
May we have grace to celebrate the profound heaven-meets-earth experiences. And grace to remember that God is at work even when we cannot see.