Moments of Clarity….
My two older daughters have taken up rowing as a sport, just as I did at their age. I remember well the early mornings, the endurance training and the aching muscles after long sessions in the boat. Often, three minutes into a 10 minute race, and already exhausted, I would ask myself, ‘Why am I doing this? How will I ever get to the finish line?’ But then, in a moment of clarity, I would remember my commitment to the team and the beauty of getting across the line together and somehow muster the energy to finish the race.
The Transfiguration must have been a similar ‘moment of clarity’ for Jesus and his three disciples who joined him on the mountain that day. As they prayed, Jesus was transfigured and his appearance displayed the glory of God that dwelt in him. Moses and Elijah, the two great religious leaders, joined him and spoke with him about his death. Then God’s presence overshadowed them in a cloud and they all heard His voice say, “This is my Son, listen to him”.
The three disciples saw Jesus in his glory, and heard the voice of the Father affirm his authority. What an incredible moment of clarity for all of them! I expect that the Transfiguration helped Jesus endure the suffering that was to follow during his journey to the cross. I expect it helped the disciples as they made sense of the death and resurrection of Jesus and then remained faithful to him through persecution and martyrdom.
Often as Christians, we need moments of clarity. When marriage is difficult and we want to rationalize another relationship, when we are weary of caring for our loved ones and get impatient with them, when another drink would taste so good, when someone slanders our friends and we laugh and don’t defend them. At those times, we must remember that we are followers of Jesus who endured the cross for us. A clear understanding of the Christian faith and of what being disciple of Jesus means can help us carry on as faithful followers even when it is hard to trust or hard to obey.
In this season of Lent, set aside some time to follow the Father’s command and listen to Jesus. Ask him to increase your faith and to help you see him more clearly. Pray for his transforming power to help you face your temptations and challenges so that, with the help of His Spirit, you can endure and cross the finish line as a faithful servant of the Lord.
Rev’d Beth Spence