Reflection: "Seeing the Great Glory of God"Have you ever been to the top of a mountain where it seems like you can see forever?
You stand there, slowly rotating through 360 degrees and all you see is pure beauty. If you’ve ever watched the Winter Olympics, you’ll know that on top of a snow-capped mountain you will see sweeping, blinding white, panoramic magnificence from the top of the runs. There are certain places in this world where it seems as if you can see forever, but you’ll probably also know that mist and fog can descend on a mountain, making it impossible to see past the hand in front of you. There are not only mountaintop experiences that happen on actual mountains; but there are what are called “mountaintop religious experiences.” These are those special times when you see with utmost clarity who God is. When there is no fog, no haze, no trees, no obstructions, and there, for a moment, in that mountaintop religious experience, you see with utter clarity a vision of who God really is. On the mountaintop, Moses saw this clear revelation of God, even though there were ominous black clouds swirling, with flashing lightening and the thunder growling. In the lightning and the thundering, Moses was talking with God. When Moses came down from the mountain, his face was shining like the sun. He had a mountaintop experience. He walked down the mountain with the Ten Commandments, the moral law for the human race. Moses saw with utter clarity, the moral law for the earth. So, Moses was on the mountain in the Old Testament, but the New Testament also has a similar story of a mountaintop experience and it’s called “the Transfiguration”. In this story we can see with utter clarity the truth about God. Peter, James and John were on the mountaintop with Jesus and their eyes were dazzled with visionary ecstasy.Jesus was transfigured before them. He was utterly changed before their eyes. This was where the human, Jesus of Nazareth, was transfigured into this divine Christ of glory. At children’s birthday parties, we often light sparklers and let the children wave them around. The sparkler itself is a bland piece of grey wire with some material coating around it. The sparkler is dormant, apparently dead, before heat is applied, usually with a match or lighter. And then, suddenly, the sparkler comes alive and sparkles intensely. The sparkles are so alive and bright, compared to the bland piece of grey wire. Thus it was with Jesus, on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus came alive, as if he was shining with sparkles. At least, that’s how it was described in Mark’s recording of the Transfiguration. We read that Jesus went through an enormous transformation. And on the mountaintop, the disciples saw a vision. And in that vision, they could truly see who Jesus really was - the Son of God - the very presence of God in divine form. Glorious. Bright. A dazzling shining light - like an angel. In this vision, we saw Moses, the lawgiver of the Old Testament, the founder of the Ten Commandments. Also in this vision was Elijah, and he was the greatest of the Jewish prophets. The Law and the Prophets, which were the two divisions of the Jewish Old Testament. Peter was there, too, and he saw Jesus sparkling. Peter was there to see it all, and we are happy that he was, for Peter often said the wrong thing at the wrong time. Peter had “foot in mouth” disease and we like that, because we often have the same problem, too. Peter said, “I have a good idea. Let’s build three huts. One for Jesus; one for Moses; and one for Elijah.” He implied, “Let’s make this experience last a little bit longer.” Suddenly, a voice thundered from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” This is my Son who is greater than all the laws of the Old Testament. This is my Son who is greater than all of the prophets of the Old Testament. This is my Son, Jesus, the Son of God - listen to him. He is the voice of God for you. Don’t centre your attention on the laws and prophesies of the Old Testament. Far more important than these, is the importance of God’s Son, Jesus. Listen to him. Suddenly, it was all gone. The vision was all gone. All that was left was Jesus. Visions are those rare moments in life when there is no fog, no haze, no trees, no obstructions, where you clearly see the truth about God and the truth about Jesus Christ. Visions aren’t hallucinations. Hallucinations usually happen to unstable people who are going through a period of instability in their lives. For example, an alcoholic will have the DTs (delirium tremens), after they’ve been drunk for a long time. Or, if a person is on drugs such as LSD, that person may have hallucinations. Visions are not hallucinations, nor are they fantasies. Fantasies occur when you can’t deal with the real world, and so a person creates this imaginary, pretend world, as an escape from the real world. Visions are those special moments in life when we see something with utter clarity, knowing that it’s true and so that we can understand the fact that God has put us on this earth for a reason. We all have a purpose and perhaps you may have already realised what yours is. Visions – the moments of truth when there’s no fog, no haze, no trees in the way and no other obstructions. A time when you see your God-given destiny. When we think of today’s Biblical story, with the vision on the mountaintop, we can’t help but think about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior, who, on April 3, 1968 said, “I have been to the mountain. I have seen the Promised Land.” King had this vision of the Promised Land where all people, black and white, would live together in peace, where black and white would live together as family, as brothers and sisters, a vision of God’s creation between the races.” Dr. King had a vision; he believed the vision; he gave his life for that vision - the very next day. You usually need visions to see the possibilities in life, to see beyond the problems and past the haze and past the fog and past the trees and past the obstructions - past the hindrances and to the possibilities. Visions are moments of truth, where we know for sure about God and his destiny for our life. Have you been to the mountain? Have you had visions…where you know for sure that you’re loved by God? Visions of what it means to love one another. Have you caught the vision of God’s kind of love? Have you been to the mountain and, with Martin Luther King Jr., have you seen the Promised Land? If you’re fortunate enough to have a mountaintop experience, you just may be able to see forever and you may even be fortunate enough to see God’s glory and have a vision of his love for you. I pray that you do and that you can. Pastor Rick
1 Comment
Beryl
13/2/2021 07:42:51 am
Thank you Rick, for this inspiring message and reminding me that we can all have mountaintop experiences. Enjoy being in Forbes. I am sure that the people will be pleased to see you.
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