“…Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.  And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white” (NRSV, Luke 9:28,29)

The Transfiguration of Our Blessed Lord marked the beginning of that 120 mile journey that was to take him for the last time along the road which wound its way to the south to Jerusalem and to Calvary.

He was now in the far north of Palestine, and looking ahead to his journey’s end he took Peter, James and John – the inner three among the Apostles – up a high mountain apart by themselves.  There is a tradition that this was Mount Tabor near Nazareth, but it seems more likely to have been Mount Hermon away to the north.  Tabor was only 1800 feet high with a fortified town on its summit.  Hermon, however, was over 9000 feet high, a gigantic range stretching along for 20 miles whose snowfields melt only at the height of summer.

And there amid the solitude of those desolate wastes, Jesus was transfigured.  His clothing became as white as the mountain snows and his face shone like the sun; and the inner glory of his Godhead, until then hidden beneath the veil of flesh, was made visible and his Body took on the fashion of his Resurrection Body.

At the same time there appeared talking to him Moses and Elijah, the great representatives of the Law and the Prophets on which the Jewish religion was founded.  Peter, scarcely knowing what he was saying, suggested making three booths or tents, hoping in this way to prolong the supernatural and awesome experience on the mountain slopes.

But at that moment a cloud of Divine glory enveloped them and they heard a voice from the cloud saying, “This my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” (NRSV, Luke 9:35).  And then the cloud disappeared and they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.  

Once before that Divine voice had spoken – at his Baptism in Jordan – and then it had set the seal of the Father’s approval upon his Son’s hidden life at Nazareth: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (NRSV, Mark 1:11).  Now it did so upon his ministry up to that moment, and especially upon his recently declared willingness to offer himself upon the Cross for us and for our salvation.  And so later on, when he had made that perfect offering, the Resurrection set the seal of his Father’s approval upon his whole obedient life and death.

Shortly before the Transfiguration it had been revealed to St Peter that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and the apostle had declared that truth in the presence of the Twelve.  Now God’s own voice confirmed that he was indeed his Beloved Son to whom all Divine authority had been committed.  The Jewish religion had now fulfilled its purpose by preparing for the coming of Our Blessed Lord, and so Moses and Elijah, its great representatives departed, leaving Jesus only, God’s own revelation of himself.  The Law and the prophets gave place to the Gospel – it was now, “Listen to him”.

Immediately after Peter’s declaration that he was the Messiah, the Son of the living God, Jesus had given his Apostles their first warning of his Cross and Passion.  According to Jewish belief contained in the Book of Deuteronomy, everyone who was hanged or crucified was accursed by God.  It was therefore necessary that they should be prepared beforehand in a vivid and unforgettable way, for his Crucifixion and Resurrection, and might be assured beyond all doubt that Christ, though rejected by human beings, was approved and accepted by God, so that they could confidently face and overcome all opposition to the Gospel.

Just as at the Transfiguration Our Blessed Lord withdrew himself with his chosen few to a high mountain apart, so Sunday by Sunday at the Eucharist he calls us to step aside from the busy world to be alone together with him and with his Father in heaven.

Our church and its altar become our Mount Hermon.  Just as the noise and bustle of the world, though it surrounded Hermon yet could not invade its solitude, so God’s House standing in the midst of a troubled and restless world, has within its doors a tranquillity which is its own.  And here, where the bustle and cares of daily life, if not unheard and unfelt, are muffled and dulled, we company with Jesus and open our hearts in peace to him and to his Father.

Here in the Eucharist we join with our Crucified and Risen Saviour in offering to his Father that perfect Sacrifice of himself which he made upon the Cross and now eternally presents on our behalf to our Father in heaven.  For here the seen and the unseen, the earthly and the heavenly, become one.  Here the outward forms of bread and wine enshrine the glorified Body of the Risen Christ, and he is truly present in our midst upon the altar, and within the inmost being of each faithful communicant.

There are times when our awareness of his Presence grows faint or leaves us altogether, and our Communions bring us no joy.  Not that that is surprising, for when we come to Our Blessed Lord we must learn to do so for himself alone and not for our own consolation.

But there are also times when he allows us to catch a glimpse of the unseen splendour that is his: when our worship becomes transfigured, and the earthly is seen to be heavenly: when the inner glory shines through the outward forms, and the consciousness of his Presence in our midst and within ourselves is overwhelming, and we can truly echo the words of Jacob of old, “How awesome is this place!  This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (NRSV, Genesis 28:17, our emphasis).

And then the inward vision passes, yet it remains more than a memory: for when we are given a foretaste of the beauty of that heavenly country towards which we journey, it becomes a strength and stay as we continue our pilgrimage here on earth.

For we cannot always remain on Mount Hermon, we cannot always kneel before the altar in adoration.  Just as St Peter wished to prolong the wonder of the Transfiguration by making three tents, so at times we may wish to prolong that moment of Communion when we receive Our Blessed Lord at the altar rails.  But such a wish must give way to the uncompromising realities of life.  For soon another week must begin and we are back again in the world.

It was so with the three Apostles after the Transfiguration.  The next day when they came down from Mount Hermon they were met by a scene of discord and confusion.  The other Apostles had just attempted unsuccessfully to cure a boy with epilepsy and a crowd of sightseers was rapidly gathering.  The three Apostles were brought very sharply down to earth.  But what made all the difference was that they had not left Jesus behind them on Mount Hermon.  He had come down with them.

So when Our Blessed Lord has come to us in our Communion, we do not leave him behind; we bring him with us into the world outside, and there we are to live and act as being in his company, and to do as he would have us do – to make the world around us a sweeter and better place.

It was Abraham Lincoln who said, “…I want it said of me by those who know me best, that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower when I thought a flower would grow”. (1)  If our worship here in church has been sincere, that will also be true of us.

Reference

Abraham Lincoln quote.  Available from: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/17326-die-when-i-may-i-want-it-said-of-me  (Accessed 01 August 2016) (Internet).