Dear Christian Friends,

What were you just thinking about? Really, what has been on your mind since you came into church this morning? Don’t worry. I’m not going to scold you for not paying attention or make you feel guilty for lack of concentration. I just want you to realize how much our daily lives control our entire life. It’s nothing unusual. Of course our daily lives control our entire life; that’s what life is made of. We have responsibilities, concerns, things to take care of. But I wonder, do our daily lives overshadow the ultimate goal of our life? Is it possible that we get so caught up in routine that we forget where we’re going? I would ask you to join me this morning on a trip to refocus our lives. Jesus’ Transfiguration will help us do just that. Let us take a journey with Jesus to put our daily lives back into perspective. In order to focus our attention on Him, The LORD Reveals His Glory I) on a mountain II) in his Word.

At the time of Jesus’ Transfiguration there were a lot of stories floating around about who Jesus really was. Shortly before this Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do the people say I am?" "Oh, some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets," they replied.

Even after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, the stories continued. "Jesus wasn’t fully human and fully God; he was a little bit of both. No, no Jesus was just a spirit that appeared as a man. Well, I’m not so sure, I think Jesus was a semi-god but not the Son of God."

And we still hear stories almost two thousand years later. "Jesus ranks right up there with the likes of Ghandi, Mohammed, and Mother Theresa. Jesus was certainly a great prophet and a good example to follow, but he’s not God."

To refute all of these myths and stories, the LORD revealed his glory on that holy mountain in front of eyewitnesses, three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John. Peter had responded correctly to Jesus’ question, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." At times, the disciples showed great faith in their Savior. At other times, however, they also misinterpreted who Jesus really was. Through his Transfiguration Jesus dispelled all of the stories and gave the disciples a wake up call.

Besides being suspect and doubtful the disciples were also very sleepy. The wear and tear of their daily lives easily wore them out. Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him up the mountain to pray. While Jesus was praying, they began to doze. But suddenly, a bright light was shining in their eyes. They looked up and Jesus’ face was as bright as the sun. What a wake up call! Yet, seeing the glory of the LORD did more than wake the disciples up from natural sleep; it woke them up from spiritual sleep. The LORD had revealed his glory. They saw Jesus for who he really was, true man and true God.

Do we need a wake up call? Has the wear and tear of our daily routines begun to overshadow our view of the Son of God? We work so hard during the week; we can’t wait for a little rest on the weekend. Even going to church becomes part of the routine we’d like rest from. Wake up! The LORD is revealing his glory to you so that you might look up from your daily life and focus on waiting for his return. The LORD reveals his glory to strengthen us while we wait.

We don’t want to forget how Jesus received his strength. Remember that Jesus went up to the mountain to pray. Yes, he was the Son of God, but he was also fully human. In a very short time Jesus would be riding into Jerusalem to face his death. When he looked ahead, he didn’t laugh at his wimpy opponent. He got down on his hands and knees and prayed. He prayed…and God answered his prayer. God strengthened his Son so that he could carry out his work.

God also took a moment to strengthen believers. First he strengthened the eyewitnesses on that holy mountain. He said to them, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased," the very same words he spoke at Jesus’ baptism. He assured those three eyewitnesses that they were looking at the very Son of God. God loved his Son. He was pleased to choose him to be the Savior of the world. He was pleased with all of Jesus’ work to this point and pleased to have Jesus finish the work of our salvation.

Through theses eyewitnesses God would also strengthen other believers. Jesus had good reason to take these three men with him up that holy mountain. They would become his witnesses to the ends of the earth. Peter, James, and John became leaders in the church. They recorded all that they saw and heard for us so that we too might see the LORD reveal his glory.

I don’t know if I’m right, but maybe we feel a little slighted that we couldn’t see Jesus and his majesty with our own eyes. Maybe we have just a little bit of doubt because we never saw the glory of the LORD for ourselves. It’s very easy to let unanswered questions creep into our minds and steal our faith. That is exactly why the LORD reveals his glory to us in his Word. And, just to calm our fears he has confirmed his Word with a reliable source.

Peter said, "We have the word of the prophets made more certain…Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation." Yes, men wrote the Bible, but "prophecy never had its origin in the will of man."

I don’t know if it’s coincidental or not, but did you realize that the three groups who wrote most of the Bible were all represented at Jesus’ Transfiguration. The three groups of writers are Moses, the prophets, and the apostles. Moses, of course, represented himself; Elijah represented the prophets; and three apostles were eyewitnesses as well. It is also interesting to note that none of these men ever wrote what they thought.

You heard about Moses in today’s OT reading. He saw the glory of the LORD long before Jesus lived on this earth. Yet when he went up the mountain God said, "I will give you the tablets of stone, with the laws and commands I have written for their instruction." God didn’t tell Moses, "Well, you have seen my glory so you just write what you think." And the prophets… over and over again they write, "the word of the Lord came to… or…declares the Lord." And here, Peter himself says that these are not his words.

The LORD reveals his glory in the Word of God. Just as God spoke to the three disciples on the mountain, he speaks directly to us through his Word. "Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." It’s like this. God spoke and the men wrote what he said. It’s the same as if you recited a letter while I copied it down. OK, maybe it’s a little more complicated, but you get the idea. With the help of the Holy Spirit God used the style and language of men to communicate his Word to us. Whether we understand the process or not isn’t all that important. What is important is that we know God is speaking to us through his word. Through the word the LORD reveals his glory to you and me. And, what is even more important, is how we use that Word.

Peter desperately pleaded, "You will do well to pay attention to [the Word], as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." Have your been struggling day after day? Have your routines begun to wear you down? No wonder. You’re probably walking around in darkness.

I know that most of you here can relate to darkness because I have never seen one area lose its power so often. Flashlights and candles become very important commodities with so many power outages. Our lives are not any different. Without light we walk around in darkness. Our visibility is almost nothing. We can see the work piling up. We can see the games we have to go to this week. We can see the blahs of wintertime turn us into cranky, cold, complainers. We need a light to open our eyes so that we can see the cross. We need a light to raise our eyes to see the glory of the LORD.

Jesus and his Word give us all the light we need. The psalmist says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." If you need help in your daily life, look the word. If you are like me and often forget the goal we strive for, see the glory of the LORD in the word. There is no substitute for it. Only the Word can show us the way to heaven. Only the Word can keep our attention focused on waiting for Jesus’ return.

We need the light of God’s word until we can see the LORD reveal his glory again on that holy mountain. God’s word will provide the light we need until we get to heaven. In heaven Jesus will be our eternal light. Peter, James, and John could not stay on the mountain with Jesus, although they really wanted to. They only saw his glory for a short time. In heaven we will see the glory of the LORD just as they did, with our own eyes, but for eternity. Like cats lying in the warm sun, we will rest peacefully in the warmth and love of our Savior.

Therefore, pay close attention to the Word. Hold on to it with all of your life. You would never think of getting rid of all of the lights in your house. How then can you leave the light of the Word sitting on the church doorstep? Is one hour of light per week enough to survive? The LORD reveals his glory in his word and gives us power to live our daily lives. When we are depressed because of the cold, dark season, thoughts of Jesus’ glorious resurrection warm our hearts. When we feel lonely, we can be with Jesus on that holy mountain. When our work or family overwhelm us, we can raise our eyes above all of that and look up to the mountaintop where the LORD reveals his glory.