For Sunday
Last Sunday after the Epiphany B
Collect
O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Reading
Reflection
What these three disciples witness on the mountaintop is beyond most of our comprehension, I suspect. And much like the disciples themselves, our focus is obscured, and perhaps misdirected.
There is a spectacular character to it—the dazzling light, the appearance of prophetic elders long gone. And importantly, the confusion about how to respond we witness from the disciples. These elements produce a grandiosity long before we hear the holy pronouncement about Jesus which mirrors the baptism.
In short, we are dumbfounded by the spectacle. Just like Peter, James, and John. But their response is not so much awe and joy—but terror and confusion. And in hearing Peter try to figure out how he is supposed to respond, I could imagine any one of us doing the same.
What is the right thing to do? What should I say? How can I impress Jesus?
We can see how natural that confusion is: we live it, too.
I suspect that Jesus doesn’t expect his followers to be without confusion. Or even fear. At least, not completely. After all, his reminder is so often to let go of the fear because they already are afraid.
It is their fear—so commonly of doing things wrong—that prevents them from doing the work Jesus calls them to. It is this same fear that prevents the others from healing a boy at the foot of the mountain.
What God offers in Jesus is clarity in the midst of confusion. This means that the work itself is the point—not how confused we are about our present moment.