On Sunday we celebrate Transfiguration Sunday, the peak of the church season we call Epiphany, which we have been celebrating since Christmas.
Epiphany begins with the wises ones following the light of a star to the city of Bethlehem where they meet the infant Jesus. Epiphany is a season of revealing, a season where we’re invited to see hints of the presence of God with us. Or, put another way, throughout the season of Epiphany, we see glimpses of the light came into the darkness – a star, a dove, a baptizer’s voice.
And now, on Transfiguration Sunday, we emerge into full sunlight. We see the full glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ. It’s as if God pulled back the veil and for just a moment we get to see the complete and indescribable majesty of Jesus Christ.
For Jesus’ disciples it’s a moment that recalls the experience of their ancestors after they left Egypt. The consuming fire of the presence of God that the Israelites first saw at Mount Sinai. Moses’ shining face as he came down Mount Sinai after speaking with God.
The Transfiguration is the ultimate mountaintop experience, not just for Peter, James, and John who were with Jesus on the mountain, but in the church year too. Because for this moment, we glimpse Jesus in all his glory, seeing what it means that Jesus is both fully God and fully human. Reminding us that God came to be with us in the person of Jesus Christ. And so, it makes sense that Peter, and perhaps us too, would want to stay there on the mountain forever.
And yet, in just a few days, on Ash Wednesday, as season of Lent begins, we enter the wilderness, the opposite of the mountaintop. In that way Transfiguration Sunday becomes something of bridge that moves us from the season of revealing to a season of wandering.
But perhaps it is also a promise of what is to come. Because at times the journey through Lent will feel long, and maybe bleak; it might even feel hopeless. And yet, Jesus’ transfiguration gives us a glimpse of his glory that is still to come. It won’t look anything like we expect, but in a few short weeks Jesus will be raised up, first on a cross, then from the dead, and eventually as he ascends into heaven to take his rightful place before God.
Grace and peace,
Kimmy
P.S. The season of Lent begins on Wednesday, March 5 with Ash Wednesday, which will include both the 24-Hour Prayer Vigil and Worship (with the imposition of ashes). I hope you’ll make plans to join us not just for Ash Wednesday, but for the whole season of Lent. On the back you’ll find more information about everything that is happening this Lent!
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