February 10, 2013

Breaking Open the Scriptures Scriptures for February 10th: Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-43; Theme: Transfiguration Sunday: Song: Take Time to Be Holy - 2 Corinthians : All of the scriptures for today are related. Today is Transfiguration Sunday. That is the gospel story when Jesus goes on the mountain and prays. His disciples notice that he is transformed – he is glowing. Paul says that in the old testament days, when Moses glowed – the people felt that they needed to protect themselves from him. They wanted to hear the word afraid of Jesus – and his divine connection. As a matter of fact, it is a good things for us. The word of God gives us the strength to do our job and to teach others about God. The word makes us stronger Christians. Out of respect, whenever you read something about Moses, you wore a veil. The gospel lesson is transparent – there are no secrets, no hidden agenda’s, no invisible understandings. With Jesus, what you see if what you get – salvation. Luke: For Luke, the most important part of the gospel is the sayings of Jesus. Luke wants us to learn directly at the feet of Jesus. So Luke makes it very clear that the transfiguration occurred exactly 8 days after the sayings. This is also the story where God announces from a cloud that we should listen to the words of Jesus and take them as truth. When the disciples heard this voice, they wanted to make this a special time. A time to show honor to their ancestors, in the way that Paul speaks of in Corinthians. But Jesus wants them to know that this was a moment that their faith journey would be transformed forever. At the time, they did not understand what it all meant. They could look back at this event and realize that it was one more way that it was evident that their teacher had divine connections. Thus they did not have to wonder by what authority Jesus spoke. They could realize that even though it did not make sense at the time, everything that Jesus did had a greater purpose. When he comes from the mountain, he continues in his healing ministry, and in showing that what he does is for the glory of God. Questions: Do we sometimes get so caught up in tradition that we hide the glory of God that we should be showcasing? In what ways can we reveal to the world how God that we know through the life of Christ? How have mountaintop experiences changed your life and your faith? When you came down from the mountaintop – what challenges did you face?