Uncovering Joy – Transfiguration
“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. 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.” (Luke 9:28-36)
It was supposed to be a short stop for some quick work. It was to be as it often was: cup of coffee, a bagel, and open up the computer before I was on my way to a meeting. The coffee shop was unusually crowded with people working at laptops. It was quiet and orderly and intense. As I was about to turn the corner and approach the table I usually try to grab to do some work, there they were. The three of them were standing on the cushion of the bench surrounding the table on which their muffins were scattered like seeds from a biblical story.
I didn’t know who they were – but they were making sure that their presence was known. The Glory of the Lord shown all around them and I don’t think anyone was taking much note of it. All three of them were wearing hooded sweatshirts – or was it some kind of dazzling apparel?! One was in pink, one was in blue, the other was in red – and they were all clothed in life that was making the room glow from their little enclave in the coffee shop. What faces! What spirit!
My order was place and payment was made and now I walked to the pick-up area to wait for my bagel to be toasted. It was then that I realized I was in the presence of the fullness of our humanity. Were these the three kings (actually two kings and a queen) bringing the treasure of our humanity right into the midst of this common place of people who have other things to do? I leaned against the shelves filled with newspapers and advertisements, crossed my arms over my chest, and watch the glory unfold. They were going about their business – laughing business, funny business, mischievous business, you’re-only-young-once business. I could only smile and keep watching. There was nothing else needed for the rest of the day. This was enough to sustain me and make me think of what was not - but could be.
Well, as I stood there watching the glory shine, one of the three looked up to see me looking at them. Big smile – big eyes – I just had to give a wave. It was reciprocated. Worlds blended for a moment. Then they were back at being a team of humanity making much of little and singing out with voices that I could not understand but it was really quite an uplifting piece. Sometimes, we need only be in a distant place to receive the overflowing glory of God’s people when they are at play in the garden of life that can be so utterly full of wonder.
These kind of divine displays often allow us to enter them and come closer and see things through another perspective. Sure enough, carrying my coffee and bagel back to my table I had to pass right by this small gathering of saints. Being cordial, I gave a simple “Hi!” I have learned over the years that a man with a beard can frighten children of this age so I make it as short as possible. They all look at me and one smiled, grabbed my attention, and said “Hi!” after which the other chimed in and then the other...and then, even after I had passed by, their “Hi!” was repeated as though it was the word of the day as I drifted off out of sight.
So, is this a passing event? Am I making much of nothing? Was the tenor of my day one in which I was ripe for such a greeting from this realm of glory? Now that it has passed, what good was it and how will it be a part of my day as I continue on through all the rest of the ordinary stuff through which we all move each and every day? I can’t say. Then again, for a moment and in the moments that followed, I saw something amazing – something I too often look past so that I can go along to join in that which I have somehow deemed more worth my time. Even now, within this simple reflection, I realized that those three spilled life all over me.
Special moments come even when we do not expect anything but the common to appear. On another day and in another mood or within an agenda that would not settle for such an extravagant experience, I may have moved on down the road toward whatever was next on my “to do” list. I know that happens quite a bit – maybe too often. Unfortunately, the training within our adventures in life does not let us take advantage of what is put in front of us. Coming across those three was like standing on a lawn and having someone turn on the sprinkler that is just a few feet away. Wham! Be present...be alive...be joy-filled, and be ready to have the Reign of God draw us out of ourselves and introduce a bit of glory – ordinary glory.
I don’t expect that I will ever have an experience like the one of the Transfiguration that are shared with us by some of the gospel writers. Unfortunately, when I think like that, I am already saying something that eliminates opportunities filled with surprise and wonder and imagination. As people who are beloved by God, the most common of places and times can be and will be transfigured in order to bring us in touch with the whole story of God’s ongoing creative power. Like Peter and John and James, we may feel as though we just want to go to sleep even during the unfolding of God’s glory. And yet, even as we go to sleep, the glory still shines. We do not have any control over how much and how often the glory of God will brilliantly shining and make a scene among us. In those moments, nothing is demanded of us. We can look on and be overwhelmed and have nothing to say but mere babbling. Isn’t that a form of prayer – being so caught up in the presence of God that we do not even need or have words that fit the event?
Laughter is not too far away from crying...or is it the other way around? Wouldn’t a full experience of the glory of life be those in which such apparent opposites crash in on one another? Well those glorious three in the coffee shop settled down into a bit of whining and crying. It was time to go and they were not ready to step down from that table bench. It took a few minutes of transforming those wide smiles into floor-dragging frowns before they were ready to be led out the door. How could I not look up from my work as the parade passed by! The smiles were gone and my initial wave to the leader of the pack went unacknowledged as though he was saying – “what are you smiling about buddy?” The final moments of eye-to-eye contact with the last one reminded me that our days can indeed move from one place to another in a matter of moments and then - it is as though they vanish.
It is in the telling of these simple stories that we can remind ourselves to look up again. I don’t care if you are a big-picture person or a detail person, the details can stretch us out into the big picture and the big picture can bring us into the fullness of life within a few details. What is most important is that we are willing to venture out of our picture and seen more than what we have let ourselves see. It will be those moments that move us to see and hear and be present in the glory of God’s Reign among us. More and more, when joy spills out into the room, it never ruins the day. Rather, we may well be shaken or stirred up so that we become open to how God is always spilling out life that will revolutionize our ordinary vision.
Those disciples who came down off the mountaintop had an experience that was “way out there.” It would not be the norm within what was the ordinary of their peasant lives – at least not for awhile. After time passes, they will learn to see the glory of God all around them even when Jesus is dead and gone. We know that they will become the church that continues to shine just as those three heroes of old on the mountaintop. They would see the possibility of life full of joy and spilling out around them and being spilled out by them. We all need to find ways to be at home within the glory of God that we are told is so available we may walk right by it on our way to what we think are bigger and better things.
Can laughing children – crying children – be a passageway leading to the Lord of all Hopefulness? I would say yes. More than that, I would bet that we – despite our desires and needs – are having the Reign of God spilled on us through our lives and we most often…don't even realize it is taking place. Unlike Peter, remember that we are invited to simply take it in and learn a bit about the Glory of God. There needs to be no outcome – no monument erected. We are invited to take that glory and continue to see it over and over again.
TRRR
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