Completely Changed

When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.Matthew 17:6-8

Last evening my mother helped me cut up a bunch of apples for apple sauce. We had picked these apples several weeks ago and they needed to be used before they went bad. Fresh, homemade apple sauce is a wonderful thing. We cut up all the apples and I poured a little bit of apple cider over the apples and put them on the stave to cook. OR so I thought. I had turned on the back burner and not the front burner where the apples were. Near, but not on, were some bananas my mother had brought with her. I sat in the living room with my family but became curious as I smelled a peculiar odor. I went into the kitchen and discovered my mistake. The bananas that were close to the very hot back burned had changed. The tops of the fruit were black - fire roasted - while the undersides were a normal bright yellow color. They looked like they had been painted and were part of some post modern or avant-garde exhibition. We all got a good laugh but the visual change was incredibly powerful. Powerful enough to appear in our dreams later that night.

The gospel for today is the story of the Transfiguration. A brief moment where the disciples glimpse the true nature of Jesus, in all his glory and eternal relationships. The image is burned into their brains and into the memories, so that years later they would tell of how they had a glimpse of the eternal glory of Christ. The image would stay with them, the moment when Jesus was completely changed for them - if but for a fleeting moment.And they would tell people how impressed and scared they were. What we see day by day is not always the complete picture of God's love and activity in our lives. Sometimes, God give us a glimpse of the true glory and beauty that is in us and around us. Some days the limited are limitless and the broken are made whole.

Today, I want to give thanks for the moments of beauty and completeness that I experience in the people around me. May those images been burned into my memory, so that when challenges come, I will remember the possibilities and the constancy of God in the midst of these changing times.