Virginia Pevey/First United Methodist Church
Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)
Feb. 27 – Transfiguration Sunday
In what context do we usually use the word metamorphosis? I remember science class, and we were talking about butterflies – the process of changing from a rather ugly wormlike caterpillar into the fragile but breathtakingly beautiful butterfly is metamorphosis, or change. Or maybe it was in earth science, and we are talking about metamorphic rock. Melted by the heat of the earth’s core, the rock flows from one form into another. But here’s the question: “Which is the true form of the rock or the creature? Or is the before and the after both a part of the whole? Is it a matter of perspective and a matter of timing?” Where you are and when you are allows you to see one truth as opposed to another.
What happened on that mountain was not so much a change into something different, but a revealing of the essence of the one who was changed. Jesus became who he was on that mountain, even though he was who he was as he climbed up and then down again. He is always who he is. He is always present in the fullness of his being. We can see only a part of him, the part we need at any given moment. We experience only a piece, a dimension of the reality that is the Christ. And we get used to that; it becomes familiar to us.
But every now and then, we catch a glimpse of something larger, something deeper and more profound. Every now and then, we hear a word that reverberates in our soul for weeks, if not a lifetime. Every now and then, a tear comes to our eye as we stand on the precipice of glory. Every now and then, a lump comes to our throat as we encounter the depths of love and sacrifice. Every now and then, we climb a mountain and see what it is that we are following in what is most often the darkness of this life. Every now and then, we move a little closer, grow a little taller, and listen a little better. Every now and then, we catch a glimpse of the appearance of his face. And all we see is love – love so deep that he would die for the object of that love; love so powerful everything is changed by that love; love that goes on and on, even through our own inconstancy, our wavering acceptance and application of that love. In him, we see a love that never ends.
Grace & peace,
Pastor Virginia