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Mark 9:2-5
Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white … And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

To ponder
I remember what I tell my students, “If it is God you want, look for the light and not the diamond. There are so many facets, and yet the light is not in any of them. Their beauty lies in the ability to reflect what is beyond them.” - Barbara Brown Taylor, Holy Envy

Hinge moments
We often “go through our lives just going through our lives,” as a friend reflected, until we experience a “hinge moment” or turning point that sets us on a new path. Sometimes these moments are unexpected - a shocking diagnosis, a surprising job opportunity, a near-miss while driving, an accidental meeting, a pandemic. Other hinge moments take months or even years of preparation - a wedding, a birth, a graduation, a baptism. But we can’t wear a wedding dress or cap and gown forever. In these moments when we may be both awed and terrified, we get stuck with Peter wanting to build a hut and stay where we are. It would be much easier and more comfortable to stay up there on the mountain.

This moment in Jesus’ life is the hinge that pivots him from his baptism to his crucifixion. Jesus shines with the love of God that day on the mountain, but also in his teaching and preaching, healing and death. We are meant to shine too, but not just in during the high points in our lives. It’s good for us to be here on the mountain, but we are not supposed to pitch a tent and stay.

Prayer
Jesus, lead the way, light our path, and give us the courage to shine with your love. Amen.

(from: “A Story to Tell: Devotions for Lent” Bekki Lohrmann, Harvard Stephens Jr., Lydia Posselt, David L. Miller; Augsburg Fortress, 2020)