The Transfiguration of Jesus - 2/17/08

Went up the mountain

            Disciples - Jesus knew He was heading for His death; needed time apart to pray,

prepare, be certain of God’s will, wanted some support

            Us – we need time alone with God, close Christian friends, to pray, to seek God’s

will for our lives and be strengthened for whatever is ahead of us in our lives

Experienced a new vision of Jesus

            Disciples – saw Jesus’ deity revealed, religious experience.  Glory would not

come without suffering

            Us – when we take time alone with Jesus we may have a new insight, an

experience

Desire to stay there

            Disciples – wanted to hold on to the experience, stay on the mountain

            Us – we may try to hold on to or recreate an experience

Received direction – listen to Jesus

            Disciples – directed away from Moses and Elijah and the experience to Jesus’

Word alone, reminded who Jesus is

            Us – we need to stay focused on what Jesus would teach us

Returned to ‘the world’

            Disciples – had to come back down the mountain, that’s where the work was

            Us – we can’t stay apart from the world, Jesus sends us into the world

            As we open ourselves to Jesus we will be transformed:

2 Corinthians 3: 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.