Luke 9:27-36
27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.” 28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
Master, How Good it is That We Are Here!
While I was a student at the University I studied Medical Technology. I wore a lab coat stained with acid burns and methylene blue and often smelled of formaldehyde. I took my fill of chemistry and biology courses, dissecting animals, gas chromatography, doing what was necessary to obtain a diploma and get a job with which to " support myself". I hated those classes. What I really loved, though, were the wonderful electives I was allowed to take to fill in the gaps. I thrived on philosophy and religion courses and quickly made friends with all the seminarians on campus. I was a commuter, so it wasn't always practical to go home between classes and I could only spend so much time in the student-center drinking coffee and wasting time, so I decided to stop by the chapel on campus and say a prayer once in a while. Soon I found myself stopping every day, then "on purpose"...imagine my surprise. It became a wonderful habit, an addiction, of sorts, and I began to fall in love with God in prayer. At first I would recite the prayers I had memorized as a child, "Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One...". Then I began to rattle off a list of all of my petitions, " Please, please please let me have passed that horrible biochem test. Please!" As time went by, I found that, as He had already heard most of what I had to say, I would just sit there and be quiet, resting my soul in Him without a sound, movement, or even thought. That was nice. One day, as I knelt there silent and still, it came over me like a tidal wave..."O God, how good it is to be here!" I prayed. " If only I could sit here forever, I would never, ever sin!" It was absolutely wonderful. It is no wonder that one of my most favorite verses of scripture is from Luke 9:33, "Master, it is good that we are here!" When Peter, James and John found themselves immersed in the presence of God, they could want nothing more. They were in the cloud of His presence. They were filled with that same peace and utter joy that God had permitted me to experience in prayer that day. After having experienced that, they would never be the same. They would do things that would confound their friends and, quite frankly, terrify their enemies. Their devotion to Him would defy all logical reason, yet they would persevere. All they would ever want would be to convey that same love to others, let them feel what they felt and know what they know. They would understand Him a bit better, and would know and trust Him more...and...they would long for the day in which they could encounter Him like that again.
Transfigure me, O Lord! Let me reflect You more perfectly so that everyone who
encounters me, encounters You in me! Amen.
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