Transfiguration

Today the gospel is the Transfiguration – when Jesus was seen in glory with Moses and Elijah by his disciples, Peter, James and John.

Sometimes we expect that we have to do the work to see the glory of God. If we prayed better, if we were more holy, if we did more work for charity, if we drunk less, we might see God. And by contrast often the church emphasises that we can only see God and encounter him fully by God’s choice.

But here Jesus takes himself to a space, away from the crowds, where he can be alone with his friends and having put himself in that position, God then takes the opportunity to bring him an amazing, strengthening experience that will also be important for the disciples after the events of Good Friday.

If you want to meet God, yes you can wait for him to appear in a flash of light, or rush about doing good works and getting really involved in our local church but you may find you have to wait beyond your patience or strength. Or you can take a bit of time away from the distractions to give yourself the space to hear him and see what happens.