God's Glory

Jann Martin February 18, 2007

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Luke 9:28-36

Gospel Lesson

Transfiguration

²⁸ About eight days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a mountain to pray. ²⁹ And as he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothing became dazzling white. ³⁰ Then two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. ³¹ They were glorious to see. And they were speaking of how he was about to fulfill God's plan by dying in Jerusalem.

³² Peter and the others were very drowsy and had fallen asleep. Now they woke up and saw Jesus' glory and the two men standing with him. ³³ As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, "Master, this is wonderful! We will make three shrines - one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." ³⁴ But even as he was saying this, a cloud came over them; and terror gripped them as it covered them.

³⁵ Then a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him."
³⁶ When the voice died away, Jesus was there alone. They didn't tell anyone what they had seen until long after this happened.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

This morning we find Jesus taking Peter, James and John up a mountain to pray. They literally went up a mountain to pray. We can climb a mountain or in our mind go to a quiet serene place to pray. Jesus often went to a quiet place away from the crowds to talk with His Father. It's important for us to also find some quiet time each day to talk to our heavenly Father. By doing this Jesus and we will obtain the knowledge of what God would like us to do and the peace to follow that guidance through. In our time away for prayer we can come away feeling rested and renewed.

Peter, James, John and Jesus went up the mountaintop to pray, but they may have also gone up a mountain to get away from the demands of the crowds. We take time to go on retreats and vacations to get away from the daily stress we have. I think Jesus uses stories like this to remind us that it is important to take time away to pray and to physically rest. It is in this time that we can come closer to God and go back to our daily life refreshed and ready to work again.

When I have gone on retreats, such as the Women's Zacchaeus Weekend, I have often come away feeling like I have been to the mountaintop. This can give me a variety of emotions. Throughout a weekend I can feel rested and rejuvenated or tired and emotionally drained. It all depends on what God is working on in me at that time during the weekend. By the end of the weekend I definitely feel the presence of God in my life and that He has worked to show me the way He would like me to proceed; unfortunately I don't always get the directions clearly and need to return to Him for more direction. If I am emotionally drained it isn't a bad thing. It means I am finally really working through a time that has been tough and I'm facing what needs to be done. Once I have done this God will take me back to that mountaintop with Him.

On this mountaintop at this time of prayer Moses and Elijah join Jesus. Moses represents the law and Elijah represents the prophets and they are there to speak to Jesus about what is coming when He goes to Jerusalem. Peter and the others were very sleepy but when Moses and Elijah came down from heaven to speak to Jesus, this brought them fully awake. They not only saw two great men that were dead talking to Jesus up in the sky, but they also saw Jesus' appearance change. His face had a changed look about it and His clothes were as bright as lightening. Wouldn't it be great if we could have a vision such as this when we prayed?

For the disciples this wasn't a time of prayer where they closed their eyes and just spoke to God. This time they had their eyes wide open and saw the wonder of God. They saw a transfigured and glowing Jesus talking to two men that they had admired from the past. This time they knew for sure that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

I have a figurine of the Transfiguration that our kids gave to me the Sunday that I was commissioned as an Associate in Ministry. It's beautiful and when I look at it I not only think of them, I think of all of the wonder that God has done in my life. Many times He has carried me from the valley to the top of the mountain with Him. We all have those times when we are in the valley and are not sure what to do, but we only need to reach for His hand and He will guide us safely through our problem and help us to climb up once again.

When Moses and Elijah were leaving Peter spoke up and wanted to build three shrines. One each for Moses, Elijah and Jesus; he was probably thinking about the Feast of Tabernacles, where the Exodus is commemorated. He could also have been thinking of the three cornerstones in our faith, representing the law, prophets and Jesus. Jesus however isn't ready to stay on the mountaintop; He is still on His journey. He needs to finish what He came for and go to Jerusalem. He stands in glory on this mountain, but needs to go to the humiliation of the valley before His journey is complete.

We are about to enter Lent. This is a time for us to review Jesus ministry on earth and see how He also walks with us on our journey, every step of the way. Are you ready to walk with Jesus as He goes through His trials and tribulations? Are you ready to take your trials and tribulations to Him so He can make your burden lighter? Are you ready to really face what Jesus would like you to do for Him? Take some time this lent and look at where you are in your faith and ask Jesus to help you walk through your valley to the mountaintop.

The following is from and email I received showing how God can use us, sometimes differently than we expect.

Three Trees

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Some day I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Some day I will be a mighty ship. I will take Kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter, "and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree the woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree. I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll take this one," and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces, and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, God will give you great gifts.

Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

At the end of this morning's lesson we read "Then a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.'" Can you imagine being there and hearing God proclaim Jesus was His promised Son? This wasn't the first time God said this it was the second time He had proclaimed this; He earlier said this at Jesus baptism at the river. Seeing Jesus glowing in the sky and then hearing God proclaim that He is His son, the disciples were witnesses to God's Glory first hand.

Amen.

©Jann Martin 2007