Mark 9:2-13
God just needed another angel in the heavenly choir.
Don’t worry, everything works out best for those who love God.
When God closes a window, he opens a door.
Sometimes we just say things.
We just say things because we think we’re supposed to. And we end up turning the divine into a cliche. Or worse.
Sometimes we’re just not great at letting the moment be the moment.
Peter, caught up in the moment on the mount of transfiguration, added to the list of such silly statements: Let’s build some shrines. And frankly, Christians have been building shrines ever since. Sometimes with words, sometimes with stone.
There are actual statues. They can be unnecessary shrines. Cathedrals, memorials, tombstones, framed pictures - we can overdo it quite easily when it comes to trying to memorialize something great that has happened or someone who has had special meaning.
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the moment. But sometimes our human efforts to make it last are quite pitiful in comparison to the divine thing that might be going on.
God doesn’t really ask for memorials. Think about it.
Mark 9:2-13
Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and brought them to the top of a very high mountain where they were alone. He was transformed in front of them, and his clothes were amazingly bright, brighter than if they had been bleached white. Elijah and Moses appeared and were talking with Jesus. Peter reacted to all of this by saying to Jesus, “Rabbi, it’s good that we’re here. Let’s make three shrines—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He said this because he didn’t know how to respond, for the three of them were terrified.
Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice spoke from the cloud, “This is my Son, whom I dearly love. Listen to him!” Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Human One had risen from the dead. So they kept it to themselves, wondering, “What’s this ‘rising from the dead’?” They asked Jesus, “Why do the legal experts say that Elijah must come first?”
He answered, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. Why was it written that the Human One would suffer many things and be rejected? In fact, I tell you that Elijah has come, but they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it was written about him.”
Prayer
God,
In moments of significant revelation, when Your presence overwhelms us, grant us the wisdom to embrace the sacredness of the moment without seeking to confine it within human constructs. Sometimes we just want to stick you in a box to save you for later. Can you blame us? You can do some powerful, meaningful things for us.
Help us to recognize the limitations of our efforts. Instead, open our hearts to mystery and wonder that transcends our understanding.
Guide us to cherish each moment of connection with you, whether it’s the intricacy of a tree or storm of whether its the power of a word, prayer, or moment of praise. Most of all, help us to know the phenomenon that is your love. And may we memorialize it in the recesses of our hearts and the actions of our lives.
By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.