No Eye Dear!
And we have no idea..
Part of the privilege of living in this part of the world is that we have the Grampians or Gariwerd on our back doorstep. There are many different walks which suit all levels of enthusiasm and abilities. Venus baths at the Grampians is a stroll and cathartic. If you’re up for a stiff walk then the Picaninny is probably a good way to go. The Zumsteins walk takes you on a different scenic walk, or if you are naive and had a coffee over breakfast then Mt. Abrupt is sure to teach you a lesson or 6.
No matter where you finish up, how you get there, how long it takes you, or how many kilos you lose, the view never disappoints. It doesn’t matter what time of day or what season you go, its always the same, always different, always spectacular, always gobsmacking, always healing and refreshing.
There are times in the more vigorous walks where inwardly, silently and sometimes outwardly and noisily, I complain most passionately about the climb. One word comes bubbling swiftly to my lips. Why? Why am I doing this?
In the gospel reading we have Peter, James and John going up a high mountain…and I reckon they would have been just like me.
While on the way they most likely were complaining and wondering why they had to go up the mountain. When they got up that morning and had their fillet of fish for breakfast they would have had no idea what the day was going to bring. To all intents and purposes they were just following Jesus and having a good ol whinge.
They have no idea that the mountain is a symbol of an upward journey to Heaven. It takes focus and drive, commitment and resolve to go there. It's an elevated place, a place away from the ordinary occurrences of life.
Its a different scene, where different things happen. But they have no idea.
And yet for a few fleeting, tantalising, mind popping moments Jesus is revealed for who He is in all His glory. And then just as swiftly the moment is gone. Like an ethereal bubble popping, the vision disappears before their eyes and they are left like idiots on the ground mumbling something about putting up tents.
They have no idea.
Now as a lad I was always stumped by this miracle. I preferred the story of the water into wine and all those healings and exorcisms, raising Lazarus from the dead, feeding the thousands of people, catching all those red fin and mullet.This miracle had me bamboozled because it doesn’t seem to accomplish anything. Most of Jesus’ miracles end up with someone cured, or bellies fed, or a person raised from the dead, but what did the Transfiguration actually “do”?
After this you beaut moment of glory they just go back down the mountain again and life resumes as normal.
Or does it. It will not be until much later after the resurrection that the disciples will look back and see the whole thing context. They will understand that discipleship has both cross and blood and tears, as well as glory, transcendence and magnificence.
But at the time… They had no idea.
And surely part of the message is that it is in the drudgery, the exertion and the ‘Are we there yet?’ that we are most exquisite and dazzlingly gorgeous. We are fantastic just for sticking it out and getting on with and struggling on, even when and especially when, we seem a very long way from the top and the path is rocky, unforgiving and a brutal challenge. We are most triumphant when we are sorely tempted to give up, but choose to go on just a little bit further. And we can’t see the view around us or below and we, like the apostles, have no idea.
And this ties in rather nicely with the first lesson today.
As Moses came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the stone in his hand, he did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.
Moses is quite oblivious to how shiny his face was and how extraordinary he looked. He has no idea.
And if that be the case with Moses is it not possible that we have no idea how marvellous we look when we have come close to the God and spoken with Him and taken His commandments into our lives.
What if someone told you how shiny and radiant and polished you were… you are? What if some crazy, grey haired old priest guy got up one day and told you how striking and splendid you already are. Wouldn’t that be a moment of transfiguration? Might that not change us just a little bit?
That would have to transfigure all of us and we could never be quite the same.
On top of Mt. Abrupt and in our parish church, heaven and earth are indeed full of your glory. And we have no idea. We dance and sing with angels, we worship with cherubim and seraphim and most of the time…. we have no idea.