Journey to the Cross – Lent
The Tansfiguration
The recourse for lent from andyluke.com
Mark 9: 1-13
With Peter Veysie
George Methodist Church
8am and 10am
1.Context – Jesus reveals to the disciples that he is going to die and I can imagine the conflict in their hearts at this point. He had three years with them to impart all that they needed to know. It must have been devastating for them.
Some will not taste death – possibly referring to the fact that Peter James and John would see the kingdom of God come with power in his transfiguration before they died.
They were frightened at the point of seeing this.
The transfiguration is the same word as the word transformation – metomorphising
The sixth day is very significant as we take the journey to the cross.You will see this coming up quite often as we unpack the next few weeks.
2. Peter James and John are taken up the mountain.
He chooses to take only the three disciples close to him up the montain and not the other nine. What is significant about this is that there is a special revelation that he is about to unveil. It might have been that the other disciples were not ready for this and that’s why only the three went with him. Sometimes we find that the Lord reveals more of himself to us as we journey with Him. I think that as you get closer to the Lord he will reveal more of Himself to you. Special revelation came to many through history – John and Charles Wesley, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa and many others.
You cannot sit at the bottom of the montain in the valley and expect that God will be able to fill you and speak to you!!! You have to go up the mountain.
3, Setting up camp on the mountain
Peter asks the Lord if it would be good for them to et up tents for Moses and Elijah and him as they were present at the time of the trasfiguration. It’s so easy to stay on top of the mountain and the work goes on in the valley.
My camping experience at Ebb and Flow. Putting up my tent was quite funny because I didn’t take the instructions!!!
I rested for a short time but I am tired and I went up the mountain so to speak to be on my own with the Lord. Don’t underestimate the importance of going up the mountain to be restored.
Andy Luke will share with us the possibility of the high mountain being mount Hermon as opposed to Mount Tabor (which is the traditional place where the church is) on a small mountain.It was also covered with snow. Global warming has caused the snow to melt.
Jesus takes them up the high mountain above the snow line and when they saw him he was whiter than snow – radiant.
4. Elijah and Moses
The transfiguration reveals that he is fully God and fully man. Two men come and join Jesus in conversation and they are Elijah who represents the Prophets and Moses who represents the law. These two humbled themselves and were in conversation with Jesus sitting with them and it shows to Peter, James and John that Elijah and Moses were submitted to Jesus. They realise possibly for the first time that all is fulfilled in their Rabbi.
5. You cannot do the work in the valley if you haven’t been up the mountain.
You need to make time to get up the mountain. It is critical that we find time to get away and get restored up the mountain. There is a lot going on in our world right now with war going on between the Ukraine and Russia, Xenophobia, challenges in our country,covid, etc…
It’s time to get special revelation and we need to be careful as to who we are listening to. We need to be discerning and when we spend time with the Lord we will be guided by his Spirit.
As Peter, James and John came back down the mountain they could never be the same and it put them on fire for the Lord. As Moses came down having met with the Lord his face was radiant. As you move from the mountain let your light shin in the valley.
6. The valley is where we must be.
We are called to be in the messiness of the valley so that the work of the Lord wants to do.As rough as it gets let’s be there let’s give time, let’s join together in the next 40 days starting on Wednesday 2nd march – Ash Wednsday – service at 6.30.
Take time friends to get up the mountain so that you can be ready for the valley below.
It’s going to be tough !! God has not given us a Spirit of fear but of power,love and a sound mind. 2 Tim 1:7
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