A Glimpse of God's Glory

 Mark 9:2-9 

Every year at this time – in it's lectionary, the churchgoes mountain climbing. In today’s Gospel we find ourselves up a mountain with Jesus, Peter James and John on a journey which has a very unexpected turn.

Mountains have always fascinated me.  I have scaled quite a lot of mountains myself in my time. Many of which have been in the Lake District. We keep a record and we have so far reached the summit of 76 Lakeland mountains and have around another exhausting 138 to go!

There are some mountains however that are well beyond my physical capabilities and where that is the case I tend to be a bit of an arm chair mountaineer. I enjoy reading about other people’s feats of physical endurance and I have read many books about ascents of Everest and other mountains in the Himlalayas and the Alps.

The Himalayas is probably the most spectacular mountain range of them all. It is home to world’s highest peaks and the range is vast – over 1500 miles long.

Being mountain addicts my husband and I had the great fortune to visit Nepal a few years ago. Being post monsoon season we were not able to walk to the base camp of Everest so we decided to do the next best thing and fly over the top of Everest. It was quite an expensive trip and there was a huge risk that we might not see anything due to the cloud.  I confess I am not the worlds best in a plane, especially small planes with only a few seats. However I decided to be brave and off we went, up into the clouds.  The pilot circled the summit several times but the cloud just hung above it like a thick blanket.  Almost defeated he said he would circle one more time and then we would have to return to Katmandu airport. Just as he turned the plane, the summit came into sight and the veil of cloud moved away. Beneath was a most spectacular sight. A mountain which is over 29000 feet talk and it was truly breathtaking and my words today cannot adequately describe the awesome sight I had before me. I had seen many pictures of Everest previously but nothing compared to this. From this vantage point I saw things I could only have dreamed of. Being above the summit gave me a whole new perspective.   Everest is a very special mountain in the eyes of the Nepalise. It is known by them as Chomolungma meaning “Holy Mother”. In the Buddist and Hindu religions they believe the Himalayas to be the abode of the Gods. They recognise that mountains are special spiritual places where man finds God.

I can very much appreciate this myself as often I feel I encounter God when I traverse a mountain. Walking up to the top of a mountain can be exhausting but also exhilirating. On a clear day with no fog, no trees, no obstructions, on reaching the summit you can things from there which you would never see from ground level. The effort is often rewarded with an amazing view.  As you look out from the summit you see a  new persepctive on the world, you see things you have never seen or noticed before, you see the vastness of landscape and the wonder of God’s  creation. 

So today we have accompanied Jesus, Peter, James and John up a mountain. The steep journey was probably quite tiring in the heat. We are not sure which mountain it was. Some believe that the Transfiguration took place on Mount Tabor, others say it was more likely to be Mount Hermon just north of Caesarea Philippi. Peter, James and John must have been pretty terrified at what they saw before them. On their journey so far with Jesus, the disciples were slowly realizing just who Jesus was. Now on the side of the mountain they can see Jesus from a new perspective. They see for the first time the reality of God’s kingdom. Jesus is seen in another dimension. As they stare at Jesus, who became dazzling white, they can look just for a moment, into a different reality. Jesus is bathed in a wonderful light which transforms his whole being. The disciples see that Jesus isn’t just talking about God’s kingdom as if it is a figment of his imagination but that God’s kingdom is a reality. We see too, Moses and Elijah. They stand as witnesses to Jesus true identity. Moses was the supreme law giver of Israel and Elijah was the first and greatest of the prophets. Peter’s comment underlines his lack of understanding. He is honoring Jesus by putting him on a par with Moses and Elijah. But as the Gospel unfolds, we hear of the uniqueness of Jesus “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”  As Moses and Elijah met with Jesus they saw in Jesus all they had dreamed of in the past. They saw in him all that history had longed and hoped for. At this moment on the mountain the disciple’s  glimpse God’s glory which  would change them forever.  Jesus saw in stark clarity the inevitable journey to suffering and cross. At this point Jesus knew his death would only be weeks away but he was assured that he would rise from the dead in the glory of the Father.

Some of you may have read the book by CS Lewis or seen the film called The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. The story tells of children who go into a wardrobe and enter a strange land called Narnia.  The wardrobe stands in their bedroom, a familiar place yet behind a few coats and other items of clothing there is a whole new world.  A world where people and strange creatures live. A world where there is a fight between good and evil.  If you have seen the film, you may remember the scene where the evil witch can only be defeated by the sacrifice of the strong and powerful lion Aslan. Aslan saves the life of the child Edmund by giving his own life in the boy's place. In so doing he acts in accordance with the rules laid down by the Emperor.

The Lion, the Watch and the Wardrobe has many powerful messages which assist with our understanding of today’s Gospel. It points us to think beyond what we can see and that the other world is actually just a short distance away. In the story of the transfiguration, Jesus shows just how close that world is. The transfiguration is a window onto that world where those who have gone before abide in the love of God. On this mountain as we stand with Jesus and his disciples we receive a foretaste of those eternal joys to come.

At times we may be like Peter. We may be scared and get things wrong. The transformation of Jesus on the mountain side also served to transform his disciples. Witnessing this event must have changed them forever.  It must have strengthened them and gave them hope, it assured them that all would be well.

But now as we descend the mountain we return to our current reality to get on with our every day lives. Just like the disciples our daily lives may be fraught with challenges and difficulties. There may be times when we doubt our faith or are tempted to give up. But we, like the disciples can look back and remember the time we climbed the mountain and shared the vision with Peter, James and John.  A vision which was to give us the strength to face our fears and difficulties, a vision which enables us to respond to God and live a life beyond ourselves until we too can share in Christ’s glory forever. So we thank God for the opportunity to accompany Jesus on that journey up the mountain and how standing on that mountain we too as well as Peter, James and John have  gained a new perspective.