Transfiguration
Our first trip to Mt. Nebo was around 12 years ago during a long, hot summer.
That first evening brought quite a surprise. See, we didn’t know that the River Valley can generate pop-up storms even during a heat spell. Around midnight, we were startled awake by the crash and roll of an intense storm cell. Now, if you haven’t stayed in the state park rentals before, you might not be aware of the layout of the little CCC cabins. Each cabin has a single bedroom just a little bigger than the bed. But those bedrooms stick out from the side of the cabin and have walls of windows on three sides.
I enjoy a good thunderstorm. Since I was a child, my mother would open the patio door, and we would let the storm wash over our senses. But Nebo is just high enough to sit inside the storm clouds. So, when we shot awake, we found ourselves surrounded on three sides by lightning crashing all around us. It was close enough to raise the hairs on our arms, and our hearts jumped in concert with the cracks of thunder. It was terrifying and mesmerizing.
It’s in these moments, that it’s easy to imagine the scenes of the Bible where God comes as a raging wind or tempest. I can picture Peter and the other disciples sleeping in their own shelter and being awakened by rain. Looking out they see the troubled Jesus as he deliberates over his future. Suddenly, his pacing and prayer are interrupted by unexpected lightning, illuminating Jesus with a supernatural glow. Jesus’s whole being is transformed in the moment.
As Peter rubs his eyes and squints to see through the rain, lightning strikes again revealing two figures standing with Jesus. He cannot tell you how he knows, but in his gut, Peter recognizes Moses and Elijah. Of course, his instinct is to protect his teacher. Let us provide shelter for you. Get out of the storm. But then the wind shifts, and the mountain is enveloped in thick fog as a cloud wraps around the mountaintop. Everyone stops, no longer able to see beyond a few feet. And in the quiet that follows a distinct voice is heard, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”
Listen to him, God tells us.
On a feast like today, we honor and celebrate the manifestation of God. Like a thunderstorm, Psalm 99 praises the power of God. “The Lord is King; let the people tremble; he is enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth shake.”
There are times when we need God to get our attention in a big way. Yet, we are also invited to seek God on a daily basis. Psalm 46 reminds us that God is always our refuge and our strength. God is always with us, even when our days are busy and nature seems far away. If we get quiet and ask for help, we will receive it. “Be still,” the psalmist writes. “Be still, and know that I am God.”
And when the Lord came to Elijah as described in 1 Kings, he was not in the earthquake, the wind, or the fire that came. But Elijah knew the Lord in the silence when a still quiet voice came to him. Listen, God tells us, and I will answer.
I know I’m not alone in finding a connection to God in nature. Many people share the need to retreat, and others relate they have had a spiritual experience while exploring the outdoors. Maybe it’s because we’re away from our normal rhythms or because the time outside brings us closer to Creation but encounters with the divine seem more common in wild places.
The challenge is listening for God in our day-to-day lives. We forget that God guides us always if only we take the time to listen. Many things get in the way. The busy-ness of our roles as employees, volunteers, parents, grandparents, and spouses. We are driven by the tyranny of urgency fed to us by the messaging of the world around us. We are constantly driven by the disquietude of the world to do more, buy more, be more, and go more.
In the chaos of everyday life, it can seem hard to set aside the time, but we are charged as Christians to listen for God. There are a variety of ways to pray, and no one way is right or wrong. What is important is making time to spend with God each day in whatever way works for us.
I know, starting a practice can feel overwhelming, but from my own experience, I promise that it can begin with just a moment or a few minutes each day. The right practice may vary according to our personalities and what’s happening in our life. If you have a limited view of which prayers are right or wrong, I encourage you to throw out your assumptions and come chat. For when we choose to make time for God, we will find that God is present during even our most difficult decisions.
Listen, God tells us, and I will share my compassion.
Because at times in life, we will find ourselves facing difficult choices and feeling lost. In our reading, Jesus faced a dilemma as he retreated up the mountain. He knew that to continue his ministry would certainly lead to death. As he travels the road to Jerusalem, he is drawn to retreat and pray, offering an example of seeking quiet to hear God’s direction.
Our struggles today look different, but they can still leave us stressed over difficult decisions. Do we do what we love or take the job that earns more money? Do we stay home with kids or work? How do we care for aging parents and still follow a passion? These life dilemmas force us to choose between two difficult options.
Faced with impossible choices, some people turn outward, seeking advice from one person and then another, frequently getting conflicting guidance. Others turn inward, ruminating on their impossible choices. Struggling through a difficult decision can cause our hearts to become heavy and our thoughts to circle in tumult. Truly, we are often the source of the storm. We create the tempest that consumes our souls.
Listen, God tells us, and I will guide you.
When we develop a daily habit of prayer, we create a backstop to our flailing emotions. When we know how to find quiet thoughtful time, it serves as a safety net in our hardest times. Daily prayer creates a well- worn path to God that our feet will follow when our souls are anxious and afraid. In times of trouble, how often do we ask for a guide through the storm? The guide is always there; we just need to remember how to reach out to God.
God will speak to us whenever and however God can. Some of us are more stubborn, requiring tempests and storms. Sometimes we need the fog to remind us to be still and listen. When we cultivate a regular prayer practice, we make our own map to God and know where to find the still, quiet voice of guidance.
Through prayer, we are invited to listen to God.
Listen, God tells us. I am always present.
The Rev. Mercedes Clements
