One of the most fascinating stories in the gospels is what is often known as the Transfiguration.  It can be found in Luke 9.  We are perhaps familiar with this story.  Jesus goes up a mountain (usually identified as Mt Hermon) with Peter, James, and John to pray.  While Jesus is praying, He is transformed…His face becomes altered and his clothes white and glistening.  All of a sudden, Jesus is in the company of Moses (representing the law) and Elijah (representing the prophets) and they have a conversation about what will be coming up for Jesus.  Luke uses the phrase ‘His decease’ which seems a little cold.  The voice of God the Father then comes and reminds Peter, James, and John that this is His Son and they need to listen to Him.  And then in a moment it is all gone.  Peter, James, and John don’t know what to make of this so they don’t even speak of it.

But I want to talk about what happened after.  They make their way down the mountain.  At the bottom there is the multitude that always seemed to be following Jesus.  Out of this crowd comes a man whose only child, a boy, is being tormented by a demon.  The disciples were trying their best to rid the boy of the demon but could not.  In one of the few times that Jesus showed frustration, He asked out loud how long He still needed to put up with the twelve.  And then in the span of a couple words, He heals the boy and gives him back to his father.  The language describing the demon’s presence in the boy’s life is dramatic and violent , but Jesus is able to dispatch the demon in no time.  In the other gospel versions of this story the disciples asked why they couldn’t do anything with the demon and Jesus tells them that particular one needed fasting and prayer also.

Reflective thought…what a tremendous event Peter, James, and John witnessed on the top of the mountain!  Jesus in His glory…Moses and Elijah!  The speaking voice of God the Father! Oh, to be a witness to that!  Even though the three disciples did not appreciate it as much at that time, this had a profound influence on them and Peter even wrote about it in his second letter.  But at some point you have to come back down from the mountain into the messiness of life.  No matter how much we want to stay on the mountain, we still have to descend down to the world of irritating neighbors, high gas prices, sinful thoughts, and wondering who ate the last piece of cheese?  Life intrudes on our faith.  We can’t keep them separate no matter how much we might desire to do so.  Like Jesus and the disciples going from the mountaintop to the unruly multitude, we can go from worship on Sunday morning right back into the world without seemingly to have a break at all.

Coming off the mountain is not easy.  It is very simple to just go back to the way of the world.  But that is not how we advance the kingdom, is it?  By keeping our faith apart from the messiness of the world?  We don’t have the mountain on one hand and the multitude in the other.

Paul said it right in Philippians 2:3-8.  “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2: 3-8)

Do you want to live the mountaintop in the valley?  Follow the example of Jesus.