Transfiguration Sunday Last Sunday after the Epiphany February 22, 2009
Scripture	Mark 9:2-9 2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead
Devotional	Jesus takes Peter, James and John to the top of the mountain. The mountain top is traditionally a place to meet God, so they could expect an experience with God. Peter misses the point. The first action Peter suggests is to build three dwellings, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Is this the usual response when we are challenged by Jesus, to put Jesus in a box where he will be more easily controlled? This spirituality Robert Wuthnow refers to as dwelling. “A spirituality of dwelling emphasizes habitation: God occupies a definite place in the universe and creates a sacred space in which humans too can dwell; to inhabit sacred space is to know its territory and to feel secure.” 1 We could make ourselves right at home with Peter. We feel secure when we know the territory, especially if we have possession of the key to the door. Jesus does not leave them in this situation of a dwelling spirituality, because he quickly prepares to leave the mountain top. What Jesus has in mind for them is a seeking spirituality. “A spirituality of seeking emphasizes negotiation: individuals search for sacred moments that reinforce their conviction that the divine exists, but these moments are fleeting; rather than knowing the territory, people explore new spiritual vistas, and they may have to negotiate among complex and confusing meanings of spirituality” 2 Jesus also leads us from the mountain top to a place where we experience a new territory, explore new spiritual vistas, and negotiate a new meaning in our spirituality. This may not be the comfortable place we would choose but if we follow Jesus, we will not remain on the mountain. About the time we become comfortable in a state of seeking spirituality, Jesus prepares us for the next step, a practicing spirituality. This moves us into a totally new area of experience of the Divine. “As we have seen, dwelling-oriented spirituality is generally rich with stories that legitimate corporate realities but not likely to generate deep introspection about one’s own identity. Seeker-oriented spirituality focuses attention on the specifics of the moment but is likely to be insufficient without an interpretive framework that provides coherence to individual biographies. In contrast, practice-oriented spirituality must include considered self-reflection, examination of conscience, and scrutiny of personal habits. These must be preformed with an appropriate balance of criticism and acceptance but with the goal of making sense of one’s life in relation to one’s understanding and experience of the sacred.” 3 We can follow the example of these disciples and remain in a fog. Stay and help Peter build the dwellings, still not getting it, while clinging to past experience. The mountain top was never intended to be a permanent dwelling place. 1 Robert Wuthnow, After Heaven: A Spirituality in America Since the 1950’s. Berkeley : University of California Press, 1998. p. 3 2 Ibid. p. 4 3 Ibid. p. 188