Seeker

Today is the Christian Festival of 'The Transfiguration of our Lord'. As every Harry Potter fan knows, 'transfiguration' simply means a change of appearance or form. The transfiguration of Jesus we read about in the gospels is not magic, it is miracle - by which I mean something only God can do. This particular miracle is also revelation, an epiphany. Although we cannot see God, God is revealed in many ways - for Christians God's revelation is supremely in Jesus Christ. The story of the transfiguration of Jesus is recorded in  Matthew 17: 1 - 9 ,  Mark 9: 2 - 10  and  Luke 9: 28 - 36 . It is also recollected in 2 Peter 1: 16 - 18. The event of the Transfiguration is a glimpse of glory, a window into something so wonderful it can only leave us silent. After the event Peter, John and James "kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen". Luke 9: 36 NRSV They must have felt completely out of their depth when the appeara...

In Anglican churches tomorrow, the Sunday before Lent, the gospel reading is about the Transfiguration of Jesus. You can read Luke's version in Luke 9: 28-36 . The story describes a 'mountain-top experience', a high point of wonder and awe as God gives Jesus' closest friends a glimpse of who Jesus really is.  Then they have to go down the mountain and through the hard places, to the point where eventually all sense of glory completely disappears and they are plunged into the desolation of the cross. There is a reason why this story is read just before Lent. It is rich food for the journey - it takes a lot of chewing over in an attempt to digest what it means. I'd like to share with you a poem that has helped me in thinking about how the Transfiguration fits into the whole story of Jesus. 5 years ago, on her blog 'what the tide brings in' , Ann Fontaine published a poem on the Transfiguration. I love it so I quote it in full below or you can read it here...

morgueFile Free photo Early this morning I saw a spectacular sunrise that transformed the appearance of the frosty fields and hedges that not so long before had been in darkness. In a way this was an ordinary experience. Sunrise happens daily even when we don't notice or can't see it. Today I really noticed it - a glimpse of glory. If only I could be more attentive every day to seeing what's there.  The poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote this "Earth's crammed with heaven,    And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes. The rest sit round it, and pick blackberries." The gospel  reading for this Sunday, in the Common Worship Lectionary, is Mark's account of the Transfiguration of Jesus (Mark 9: 2-9) . This mysterious event opens a window on another dimension, a deeper reality, revealing Jesus of Nazareth bathed in God-light. His close friends  Peter, James and John were led by Jesus on a night-hike up a...

Have you experienced those moments that make you stop in wonder, when you see something in a new light? Clouds disappear and the sun comes out and you say, 'wow! And you sense the touch of something more than the view itself. Some might describe that as a glimpse of glory. One of our children, at about 5 years old, was awe-inspired and delighted to see the head louse I’d removed from his scalp, magnified many times under the microscope! He thought it was truly wonderful. I had a rather different feeling about it, but his joy was inspirational as I continued the family de-lousing campaign. Because of today's gospel reading, I'm still thinking about the Transfiguration . I wonder what Peter, James and John expected as Jesus led them up a high mountain? Rest after the arduous climb? A picnic? More discussion and teaching? They were almost certainly not expecting the awesome experience that overwhelmed them. For me, glimpses of glory come when I'm least expecting anyth...

This was my view as I stood last October part way up Mount Tabor looking up to the early morning sun. Mount Tabor in Galilee is a traditional site of the 'Transfiguration' of Jesus. It's on my mind today because tomorrow Matthew's account of this event in Jesus' life will be read in many churches. According to the writer of Matthew's gospel Jesus took the apostles Peter, James and John up a high mountain. There "he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white." He was seen speaking with Moses and Elijah. Peter tried to take control to preserve the amazing moment and crassly suggested building 3 dwellings for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. The next moment, with the others, he fell to the ground terrified when a voice from a bright cloud said "This is my son, the Beloved: with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" Last October I couldn't wait to escape from Mount Tabor. Not becau...