Holy Encounters

by Pastor Kathy Barlow-Westmoreland

This week's focus scripture is Luke 9:28-36.

I’ve been thinking a lot about mountaintop experiences this week. First are the two scripture texts for today, Moses with his shining face and his experience on the mountain, and Jesus with Peter, James and John, who himself is transfigured into the very glorified holiness of God. Second I have been anticipating the mountaintop experience of the Vancouver Olympics-some of it literally in the mountains- where there is the glory of being among the best of the best, the honor of representing your people, the thrill of being a part of history. It is, from what I can gather, a mountaintop experience just to participate.

Mountaintop experiences are generally those moments in our lives when we wish we could stop time and just be in that moment for as long as possible- wedding days, the birth of a child, graduations, special gatherings of people we love- these are moments when our hearts are full to overflowing and we are so aware of the goodness and fullness of life. In the life of faith, that can come in a particularly moving service of worship, where the presence of the holy seems almost tangible, like you could reach out and take the hand of God. It also comes in moments of deep quietness, when it seems you know the indwelling of God within you.

We are at the end of the season of Epiphany. Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, and we will move from the wanderings of Jesus to turn our faces with his toward Jerusalem. But first there is one more trip to the mountain. The mountain in scripture is always a cue that we are about to be included in a holy encounter. Thus, as Jesus with Peter, James and John make their way up, we know something divine is about to happen.

And we are not disappointed. Jesus as he is praying is transfigured into a glorious, heavenly being. He is joined by Moses and Elijah- the Law Giver and the Prophet join the Messiah- talk about the Mount Rushmore of Heaven! Moses, a reminder of the Law, but also the Leader of the Exodus, bringing the people to freedom. Elijah, the one who would bring the Messiah. Only in Luke are we given any hint about what they talked about among themselves- Moses and Elijah came to talk with Jesus about his departure, how he would fulfill God’s purpose in Jerusalem. Actually, the word departure in the Greek is the word for exodus- this exodus would set all people free from the death grip of sin. Perhaps they came to encourage and guide Jesus for these next steps, transfiguring him, a reminder of who he was and why he had become human.

The disciples, in their sleepy state didn’t know what to make of this- we seldom can find adequate words for these kind of holy ground moments. But Peter suggests what we all want- find a way to hold onto the moment, to just stand in it. It is interesting that this moment, the fullest expression of the divine nature of Jesus was not a public event, but instead a very private one. Perhaps that is why Peter wanted to hold on to it, so that others could also experience this glorious moments. While Peter is still stuttering out his excitement a cloud rolls in and puts them all in the shadows- a voice speaks; This is my Son whom I have chosen- listen to him!

The thing about listening is that you have to stop talking. This voice silenced even Peter. And then it was over- Moses and Elijah were gone, Jesus looked just like he did when they set out on this trek. The disciples kept it to themselves.

Several days from now, there will be closing ceremonies in Vancouver. The athletes that marched in will march out. Some will have medals, some will not. All will hopefully seen this time as a glorious one, a time when honor and skill came together. But they will travel home- some to places of great poverty and need, some to places where war rages, but all to places they call home, where there will be demands placed upon them responsibilities to be fulfilled. Hopefully this time has given them some of what they will need for the days to come.

The thing about mountaintop experiences, holy encounters of every kind, is that they do end. The service comes to a close, the wedding day ends, the time of quiet closeness is over. But revelation of this sort is a gift, but not a possession. Faithfulness is not achieved by freezing a moment. Faithfulness comes from following on after our encounter in confidence that God is leading us and what lies ahead is even greater that what we just experienced.

These moments when God is revealed to us in new and wondrous ways are equipping moments. It is what we do with them that truly makes them holy. From these experiences we are given gifts and lessons so that God can use us in the world. The mountaintop is the strengthening experience for the life in the world. Moses came down from the mountain, changed, but still with God’s purpose to fulfill. Jesus and the disciples came down Jesus is surrounded by the crowds and the cries of a father reach his ears- his son needs to be healed of the demons that held him captive. Already the pain and brokenness, the ugliness and the fear of the world were there. That mountain had to seem a lifetime away- and yet, it is what equipped them for the crowds, for the world.

It can be hard to hold onto the power of transforming experiences upon reentry to the real world. Suddenly revealing lessons, the deeper understandings seem a lifetime away, almost like a different life. I am still integrating all the experiences from my sabbatical- the travel, the reading, the time apart for meditation and prayer, the time with family. How I use that holy ground time, when I hit the ground back into the life of ministry and the real world continues to be the legacy of that sabbatical. I reread my journal from that time, and continue to journal reflecting on those experiences and life now. It isn’t always easy, but it is possible to bring the mountain to the valley in a meaningful way. It also helps to talk about it with others- while Peter, James and John did not talk to others about what they saw and heard, I have to believe they talked among themselves long into the future as they integrated the gift of that time into their life as disciples.

These holy encounters- wherever and however you have them is our reminder that God is present with us- even in those moments of suffering and sadness, of confusion and loneliness. How many times the memory of a wedding day strengthens a couple to do the hard work of holding a relationship together when times get tough? How many times do the moments of grace and love spent with a parent enable you to find patience in the difficult moments of caregiving? I know for many I have sat with, that moments of prayer are reminders of other times they turned to God and God was faithful, and it gave them confidence and hope. It is a matter of holding those moments- as Mary the mother of Jesus did- and pondering them in our hearts, that enables us to continue finding what we need in them.

It could be argued that the most profound revelation we have of God is not on the mountain, but on the cross. For the cross reminds us that even in the lowest times, the times of being utterly alone and without hope, God is profoundly and deeply and really present to us. You see, it is not just on the mountaintop where God’s power and glory are given- it is in the moments deep in the valley of shadows. Those are moments when God can be the most real for us, those can be holy ground moments as well. It is one thing to know love when you are on top of the world- it is a much more powerful one to know that love when you feel like the bottom is dropping out of your life, or the life of someone you love. That is the destiny Jesus is to fulfill in Jerusalem for us. Our exodus to freedom from the time of fearfulness our journey to hope from the land of despair.

The time has come to leave the mountain and make the journey to where God’s love is most deeply shown and where hope is made real for us all. It is time to turn to Jerusalem. Amen.

St. John's Westminster Union Church
1085 Neeb Rd. Cincinnati, Ohio 45233
(513) 347-4613