Transfiguration Sunday

So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord.

And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as

we are changed into his glorious image.  2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT

January was grey and gloomy. Our region received 17 hours of sunlight in the entire month, less than one hour a day on average. We experienced a cold spell and then February brought unseasonably warm temperatures and sunshine. I pumped up my bike tires and enjoyed several rides around the neighbourhood in the past week. There were several puddles in the local park from melting snow and I went through them slowly as my bike does not have fenders. As I inched through the water, I admired the reflection of the sun and the beautiful afternoon sky in the muddy puddles.

Today is Transfiguration Sunday. The mountain where Jesus stood in his glory with Moses and Elijah was a place of sacred power where the veil between the physical and spiritual world was thin. Any place where we perceive the sacred can be a thin place, even a muddy puddle. I went through the same puddles today, a cloudy and dull day, and the water was dark and dirty. 

I am reading Skye Jethani's devotional book, What if Jesus was Serious? A Visual Guide to the Teachings of Jesus We Love to Ignore, which explores the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. The illustration on the left is from the book and features a quote by Valcan Havel. I love watching British crime dramas and am going through recent seasons of Midsomer Murders and Father Brown. The very ordinary people in the stories act on impulses rooted in anger, revenge, envy, and greed, the same impulses that we all harbour within. While we like to label people as good or bad, the line between good and bad is with us. 

The Sermon on the Mount challenges me to live a life transformed from the inside out, not as someone who just follows external rules. I am quick to belittle others in my thoughts and insult them with words and looks. I am not naturally patient and peace-loving. The only way to be transformed and reflect the character and glory of God is to walk in His light. 

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, 

and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.   1 John 1:6-7