2nd Sunday of Lent – C
When I go to the movies, I always enjoy the previews of upcoming movies, you know the “trailers.” When we see them, we usually see just enough to pique our interest but never enough to understand completely what the movie or show has to offer. That requires a bigger commitment of time and money.
Our readings today are like a preview. Abraham gets enough assurance to continue doing what God asks him to do, but he is far from comprehending God’s entire plan. Peter, James, and John get a glimpse of Jesus’ total mission, and glory! They are all too excited! They are so excited they want to build tents and stay there. But they do not fully understand Jesus’ mission, and they will not until Jesus has risen from the dead. The Transfiguration of Jesus eventually helps them to understand what it means to be one of his followers – beloved by God but not spared from the effects of human fear and suffering.
Peter, James, and John were excited to be with Jesus when he was transfigured in their presence, along with Moses and Elijah. Peter asks to prolong the moment rather than to try and understand its meaning. Peter’s heart is in the right place, but Jesus asks for a bigger commitment of Peter’s time and energies.
It was not until they heard God’s voice say: “This is my beloved Son, listen to him” that they began to process what this preview was all about. It was not until that moment that Peter, James, and John thought about the commitment to following Jesus.
God is just as present to us today as he was to Peter, James, and John on Mt Tabor. But like the three apostles we too can miss the clues.
God is present to us through the Scriptures, through the Sacraments, through other people, even when they challenge us and stretch us. Because God wants us to recognize our glory as people made in God’s image and likeness. Unfortunately, we often settle for a glory based only on possessions, social status, and personal achievements.
The transfiguration of Jesus should excite us as much as it excited Peter, James, and John. This preview of the glory of Christ that we will all inherit should compel us to bring that excitement into our daily lives with our families, our workplace, our daily tasks, and our experiences of worship here in this parish.
Yes, following Jesus will require our best energies and sometimes be challenging. It will require an honest willingness to accept whatever flows from being one of Jesus’ disciples, however difficult that may be. But when it is all said and done, how will we respond to the command of God’s voice on Mt. Tabor when he said: “This is my beloved Son, listen to him!”
We are still in the early days of Lent, are we listening?