Words of Welcome

Luke 9:28-36 This morning we join Peter, James, and John, as they hike up a mountain with Jesus, so he can take time to pray. We get to see what happens on the mountain through the eyes of these three disciples. What we see is truly amazing. We watch as Jesus’ face suddenly radiates light and his clothing became as white as new-fallen snow. If that wasn’t enough to catch our attention, two men appear and begin talking with Jesus. We soon learn that these two men are none other than the prophet Elijah and Moses the lawgiver. If you were there on the mountain top with Peter, James, and John, what would you make of this?  The three disciples had been with Jesus long enough by this point in the story to have seen some amazing things. They had to know there was something special about him. They’d seen him heal people and feed the five thousand. They’d heard him preach. In fact, just a few days earlier, Peter made the good confession that Jesus is the Messiah ( Lk 9:17-20 ). Neverthe...

Mt McLoughlin Luke 9:28-36 As the season of Epiphany comes to a close, we find ourselves standing on the Mount of Transfiguration, listening as God reaffirms the commission given to Jesus at his baptism. We go up the mountain to pray with Jesus and three of his disciples. With Peter, John, and James, we watch as Jesus prays. As he prays his face begins to radiate light, and his clothing becomes a dazzling white. In that moment the glory of God that is present within him is revealed. It is a blessing to be in this place at this moment, so that we can witness this revealing of God’s presence. Then, as we stand there in awe of what is happening, two figures from the past appear – Moses and Elijah. This is a moment to behold. It is the moment of Jesus’ transfiguration. 

Matthew 17:1-9 For the past several weeks we’ve been with Jesus on a mountain being instructed in the ways of God’s realm. This morning we’re taking a brief detour to another mountain, where Jesus’ identity is more fully revealed to us. In this scene from Matthew’s gospel we watch as Jesus is transfigured and transformed, so that we might see more fully the presence of God in him. As we attend to this story, it becomes clear that understanding the gospels requires a bit of an imagination. Without imagination you might end up doing what Jefferson did and start cutting out the parts of the gospel that don’t seem to make sense to the rational mind. Now, I’m a rather analytical, rationalist type, and so this takes some doing on my part. Since I’m not much into poetry (though I do love music) and I don’t read a lot of novels (though I do like movies), I struggle with poet W.H. Auden’s suggestion that Christians need to be poets. Although I struggle with this word of wisdom, I believe he’s...

Matthew 17:1-9 All of us have had experiences that have helped define our identity. It might not be a Damascus Road kind of thing, but something has happened that has changed the way we look at ourselves. These experiences change who we are as a person. And when we look back on them, even years later, we can remember the day vividly, because we were enraptured by it. Some events are historical and public – Pearl Harbor, the assassination of Martin Luther King, and 9-11 define eras and people. Even if we weren't directly affected by the event, the event still affects who and what we are. Then there are the more personal events – a marriage, a birth, a divorce, a death, that catch us up in the moment and transform us in some way. If we’re willing to listen, we may hear God’s voice in the moment. Four events stand out as having marked my life with God's transforming grace. The first date is July 9, 1983. On that day Cheryl walked down the aisle in her white lace wedding dress and...

Exodus 34:29-35; Luke 9:28-36 I'm not a big mountain climber, but in my youth I climbed a few. Once I climbed Diamond Peak in Oregon. Standing more than 9000 feet above sea level, it wasn’t Everest, but it still wasn’t an easy hike for a thirteen-year-old Boy Scout. When I got to the top, I found a view that was breathtaking. I could see for miles in every direction, from the high plains of central Oregon in the east to the fertile Willamette Valley to the West. Looking north and south I could see the whole spine of the Cascade range punctuated by high peaks. Far below was Crescent Lake, the site of our Scout camp and off in the other direction was Odell Lake, both crystal clear and blue. There’s something truly awe inspiring about great mountains; they remind us of our own smallness and the grandeur of creation. When we stand on a mountain top, we also might find ourselves drawn into the presence of God. GOING TO THE MOUNTAIN From the earliest times we’ve gone to the mountains lo...