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1 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." 8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." (Matthew 17:1-9 NRSV)
Hi Friend. I pray your weekend was nice and that you made time to worship the Lord and fellowship with other believers. Nellie and I were blessed to be in our home church of First United Methodist Church of Gonzales; it was nice to see the hometown crowd again. I was very sorry to have missed dear saints who are injured and recovering from surgeries and procedures. I could feel their prayers but I missed their beautiful faces. I would ask for prayers for Mr. Jimmy Borrer who is in the ICU of Kyle Hospital. Latest word I heard was that he was a bit better and expecting more tests. A sweet young lady asked for prayers for a Ms. Lindemann, who is battling breast cancer. We heard in church that the original tumor has shrunk to half its size and I quipped that we hadn't even prayed yet! We trust God would heal that dear teacher. We were treated to lunch after church by a sweet couple and we thank them again for their kindness!
Peter, James, and John, were on the ride of their life. From the daily drudge of commercial fishing, now these gentlemen were with an itinerant rabbi who is saying and doing incredible, almost unbelievable things. Now they find themselves as the inner circle of this traveling rabbi and are now privy to incredible sights and experiences. Where once they were outside the established church, now they are inside the inner circle of the Son of God, also known as the Messiah. In today's passage they are taken by Jesus on to a very high mountain. Their prayer life had changed for the better and now on this mountain they are about to take part in a very unusual spiritual retreat. And it begins with Jesus transfigured right before their eyes. That means the outline of His body was evident as the inside shone like the sun; Jesus' clothing became dazzling white. We believe this was to show those disciples that Jesus was both in and of this world, but also in and of the spiritual realm, like Heaven. And it gets better! The disciples saw appear before their very eyes, Moses and Elijah, talking to Jesus. Because it is a spiritual retreat, the Holy Spirit opened their minds and spirits to truly understand that two key figures from their biblical history, who have been dead for centuries, are now alive and talking to Jesus. However spiritual the moment, human frailty was still present for we see Peter, though knowing who Moses and Elijah are, doesn't know what to think about how to relate to them, and so, he suggests that he build three dwellings there, one for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. This gets interrupted by the appearance of a cloud that speaks these words, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with Him I am well pleased; listen to Him!" The disciples fall to their feet in fear, but Jesus came and touched them with the words, "Get up and do not be afraid." The retreat is over. On the way down the mountain, Jesus orders them to keep quiet about this whole experience until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.
This passage shows us several things. The first is that when you walk with Jesus, anything can and will happen. Some things you will not be able to explain, but the point will be for you to enjoy them. The second is that you might begin to recognized God's word come alive. No, I'm not promising that figures from the Old or New Testament are going to visit you, but God's voice may tell you things you need to know, so listen. You may also get an idea of what you think is proper for a certain setting, like building dwelling places, but if you think about it, staying put may not be what is best for God's plan. God is a God of action. You will also find that Jesus is a man of touch. His touch says both I love you and do not be afraid. And just when we need to hear those the most. And the work before us gets done by the loving hand of the Lord.
PRAYER: God of grace and God of Glory, enlighten us on our journey with Your Son Jesus. We want to grow in our spiritual life. We want to touch more people for You and Your kingdom. Grant us Your vision to see things others may not, and to believe the things that will bless our walk with You. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a vision-caster and a vision-receiver!
Receive my blessings of peace and love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
PRAYERS FOR THE OLD MAN AND HIS LADY! Right after our delicious meal with church friends I got into our vehicle and drove home and quite frankly, I was dead tired, weak and had trouble keeping my eyes open. I fell asleep as soon as we were home and I woke up with a bad cold. Yuck. Pray for Nellie's healing and mine. Blessings!
