Transfigured

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He said to them, “Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him.” Mark 9:2-13

In our day-to-day life, we often keep our heads down. We miss a great deal when we are so focused on our screens, our tasks and the never-ending list of chores. Sometimes, we have to go to the mountain top to get insight and clearer understanding. The disciples Peter, James and John were witnesses to the true nature of Jesus. They saw, for a moment, the eternal connection and intertwined relationships. The disciples wanted to make monuments to a moment they would always remember, as if they might forget this astounding vision. We are called to see ourselves and one another, connected and related to all of creation, all of the ancestors, and know God's love and care for each and every one.

Loving Creator, we are made in your image

fashioned for love and for service

connected through the generations

to those who had mountaintop visions.

We are often bent and weary with tasks

but you still invite us to the mountain

you call us to go beyond the everyday

and see the beloved everywhere we are.

Help us Lord to live to serve others

as you have bound us together as one

woven into the long line of faithful

who stand with us as we serve in you here. Amen.