Luke 9: 18-20, 28-36; 2 Corinthians 3: 17-18
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
March 3, 2019
Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’ They answered, ‘John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered, ‘The Messiah of God.’
Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said.
While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen. - Luke 9: 18-20, 28-36
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. - 2 Corinthians 3: 17-18
Last fall I took a week of study leave to go to Montreat, North Carolina for a conference. Montreat is located near Black Mountain and it’s not that far from Asheville. And no trip to Montreat is complete without a hike in those beautiful Appalachia mountains.
The day of the conference, I drove up early so I could get a hike in to center myself and kick off my study leave. I hiked Look Out Mountain, which is about a 1 ½ mile hike overall. It is a gradual uphill climb to the top, but it is so worth it. With every step I found myself in the ongoing rhythm of a breath prayer: Nothing’s – Impossible – With God.
Every time I hike that mountain, the clearing takes my breath away. The peak overlooks Montreat Conference Center, Black Mountain, and the gorgeous Appalachian mountain range.
On that particular day, I sat on a boulder for a good thirty minutes taking in the beauty of creation. The trees were just beginning to don their fall foliage. It looked like a crushed velvet shawl was covering the shoulders of the mountains. And a low dense cloud was hovering over the landscape. That day Look Out Mountain was more of a misty mountain.
A light rain was settling in and yet rain or shine, I had come to behold the glory of God. My heart’s desire was to encounter God on that mountain top.
I desperately wanted to hear some word from God or see some sure certain sign of God’s mysterious presence just for me. I had a particular verse of Scripture on my phone that I was waiting to hear God’s Spirit speak into. But in that span of time I heard nothing, just silence.
I would be lying if I didn’t say that I was a bit disappointed. But as I began my descent, I was left trusting that as my heart was pumping and my soul was still, God was there whether I had that “hair standing up on the back of my neck” moment or not. Be still and know I am God (Psalm 46:10).
Peter, James, and John took a hike up the mountain too. Jesus led them up a mountain to pray. Like Montreat, mountains in Scripture are thin places where humanity encountered God. A thin place is where it seems like the distance between heaven and earth collapses and God is right there.
It was on the top of Mount Sinai that Moses was in the cloud of God’s presence and received God’s Law – the Ten Commandments – to teach God’s people how to love God and love neighbor (Exodus 19:9, 20; 20: 1-18).
It was on the same mountain that the prophet Elijah hiked for 40 days and 40 nights to get away from the challenges of ministry; and then he experienced God pass by. The Lord was not in the great wind, or the earthquake, or the fire, but in sheer silence (1 Kings 19: 8, 11-12).
For Peter, James, and John they too experienced a thin space on the mountain with Jesus. As Jesus was praying, God’s presence was manifested as Jesus’ very appearance changed. Moses and Elijah were suddenly standing next to Jesus. I have a feeling it was way more than a moment where the hair stands up on the back of your neck. The disciples’ minds were blown!
In that moment of prayer, the glory of God came alive to proclaim a word of truth of Jesus’ identity. My commentary says, “Jesus had demonstrated his mastery over the sea and fed the multitudes in the wilderness like Moses; he had multiplied loaves, cleansed lepers, and raised the dead like the Elijah” [1]
The Lord’s Spirit manifested the glory of God in Jesus Christ as a sure and certain sign that yes, Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God’s Law and the Prophets.
While God gave Moses the covenant of the Ten Commandments, Jesus Christ is the new covenant of God’s grace that brings true freedom.
While God worked through Elijah to heal the sick and raise the dead, God would work through Jesus Christ so that we might share in Jesus’ saving death and resurrection to die to sin and be raised to new life.
And then God gave the disciples a word of wisdom, “Listen…This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him” (Luke 9:35). Listen and look for the unexpected and surprising ways that the glory of God shows up in the ordinary rhythm of life, for seeing the glory is a gift.
Seeing the glory of God is not something you and I can orchestrate or make happen or control or contain. It is a gift from the Lord, the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). Each time we receive such a gift we are changed by the vision of God’s faithful presence.
This past Tuesday the Sisters of the Heart Bible study met for the sole reason of prayer. There was no agenda, but an open space to share prayer concerns as God was placing people and situations on our hearts.
After updates and concerns were collected, one of the women said something that struck me. She said, “We pray every week around this table in our seats. Some days we have lots of things going through our minds. But today we are here for the sole purpose of praying together. So, I think we need to get out of our seats and get out of our routines. Let’s stand up together in a different place, holding each other’s hands, and pray aloud or silently as you are led.”
All the women stood together holding hands in a circle. One woman opened the prayer and I agreed to close it. And we lifted random prayers like popcorn, some of us speaking long words from the heart to bend God’s ear and some with prayers that were short and sweet. And some of us just prayed silently.
I find myself, more often than not, praying with my eyes open because I want to see God’s glory pass by. And with every prayer uttered whether it was spoken or silent I saw something amazing happen. I saw God’s mysterious presence in every woman in that circle.
The Spirit of the Lord was there in every word, in every squeeze of the hand, in every smile, and in every tear that rolled. We were suddenly standing together in a thin space and I was not the only one to experience God’s glory.
Seeing the glory is to catch a glimpse of the gift of God’s grace and divine reality. God’s glory changes us as we are shaped by God’s goodness and grace from one degree to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). The gift of faith then empowers you and me to reflect God’s glory like a mirror for others to see and be changed by it.
Today we remember that God’s glory shone brilliantly to mark Jesus Christ’s exodus; he would begin his journey to the cross and fulfill God’s redemptive plan of salvation. You and I will begin to focus our faith upon Jesus’ journey to cross this Wednesday night on Ash Wednesday; the day the season of Lent begins. Lent will be a time to examine our lives and consider how we might more fully live into Jesus’ costly grace and reflect God’s glory for others to see with authenticity.
This week I pray you and I would rekindle our desire to see the glory of God. Open your heart and mind to be surprised by the way God’s glory is revealed. If you are here today, I know you have a longing to experience God’s presence, to know that God is indeed with us and to be assured that God sees us.
If you are new to spending time with God, then practice keeping a gratitude journal for the six weeks of Lent. Ask God’s Spirit to surprise you each day by God’s faithfulness and to open your eyes to see it. Write down one thing you are grateful for every day of the week. And then give thanks to God. You will be surprised where you might see the glory of God between Monday and Saturday!
If you and God have been long time conversation partners, then listen for the Spirit whisper a new direction in which to follow God. Break up the routine.
Go play in the rain with your kids or grandkids.
Hike that mountain; hike that trail.
Sit in the sun with closed eyes and an open spirit.
Read a verse of Scripture in a place you never have before and wait for the Spirit to speak into it.
As you pray in the week, write a note to someone you are praying for and let them know you are lifting them into the light of God’s glory.
The truth is this: prayer always conveys the presence of God. It blesses us, comforts us, challenges us, and changes us.
God’s presence is always a promise kept and a gift given. We cannot control how God’s glorious presence is revealed to us. We can only be open to it by the power of Holy Spirit.
I leave you with words from one of my favorite poets, Mary Oliver:
The Gift
Be still, my soul and steadfast.
Earth and heaven both are still watching
Though time is draining from the clock
And your walk, that was confident and quick,
Has become slow.
So, be slow if you must, but let
The heart still play its true part.
Love still as once you loved, deeply
And without patience. Let God and the world
Know you are grateful.
That the gift has been given. [2]
In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.
Sources Referenced:
Photograph taken by Carson Overstreet on the top of Look Out Mountain
[1] The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Volume VIII: Luke, John (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), p. 170.
[2] Mary Oliver, “House of Light” (Boston: Beacon Press, 1990), p. 36.
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