URC Daily Devotion Wednesday 15 January 2025

St Luke 9: 28 – 36

Now about eight days after these sayings 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.  Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.  They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.  Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said.  While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.  Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’  When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

Reflection

One question among many that this passage asks of us, is, are we trying to remain? The disciples wanted to remain on the mountaintop. It was a place of wonder, of safety, and of joy, but Jesus made them come down off the mountain. His glory was hidden again, though its memory was in their hearts. The event and the occasion was good, but they all had to move on.
 
Do we try to hang on to past glories? Are we more comfortable remaining where we are, when what we should consider doing is moving on to a new place?
 
God reveals himself to us, just as he revealed himself to his disciples and we may be blessed with wondrous moments, but they are just that – moments. Not timeless, but fleeting. They inspire and excite,
but they are also meant to encourage us to move on.
 
Samuel Greg wrote these words in a hymn:
 
            Stay, Master, stay upon this heavenly hill;
            A little longer, let us linger still;
 
            No, saith the Lord, the hour is past, we go;
            Our home, our life, our duties lie below.
            While here we kneel upon the mount of prayer,
            The plough lies waiting in the furrow there.
            Here we sought God that we might know his will;
            There we must do it, serve him, seek him still.
 
The retired American Presbyterian pastor, Joseph Harvard III, describes it like this,
 
God gives us mountaintop experiences that are transformative. They change the way we see the world and ourselves. Business as usual is no longer possible after you have seen the vision of God’s good future revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
 
This teaches us a truth that while it is good to be on the mount, we must remember that we cannot remain there, that we have a duty to do, and that this duty is to carry out God’s work in the world. But we should remember that we do not do this work alone. For we are empowered and accompanied by the very same God whose glory is revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

Prayer

We pray using words of a hymn written by Joseph Robinson,

            How good, Lord, to be here!
            Your glory fills the night;
            Your face and garments, like the sun,
            Shine with unborrowed light.
 
            How good, Lord, to be here!
            Yet we may not remain;
            But since you bid us leave the mount
            Come with us to the plain.
 
            Amen.