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What Happens on Transfiguration Mountain?

 

WATCH TODAY’S EPISODE ON YOUTUBE.

CONSECRATION

Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. 

Jesus, I belong to you.

I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.

Jesus, we belong to you. 

Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen. 

THE WORD OF THE LORD

Mark 9:2 NIV

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.

CONSIDER THIS . . .

Let’s start with theology. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and the big problem of the human race: sin and death. We come to the altar and hear the dreadful-hopeful words, “From dust you have come, and to dust you will return. Repent and believe the gospel.” We were never meant to sin, and we were never meant to die, but because our ancient forebears chose to rebel against God, they experienced the consequence, which is death. And they passed it on to us. Though we inherited the curse, we have added to the dark legacy, and hence we mark our foreheads on Ash Wednesday with the ashen cross.

But there’s a better starting place than theology. It’s geography. While Lent’s theological beginning is Ash Wednesday, its geographical beginning precedes it. While the theology of Lent begins in the dark valley of the shadow of death, the geography of Lent begins on a high mountain with transcendent light.

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.

I always thought of the transfiguration as a one-and-done, one-off kind of happening meant only for the Son of God. In other words, I didn’t see any personal application—until I looked deeper. The Greek word that we translate as the English word transfiguration is transliterated as metamorphoō (pronounced “meh-tahmor-FOH-oh”). It means something like “to change form in keeping with inner reality.” With his transfiguration, it is as though Jesus pulled back the veil of his human form and revealed to us the divine substance underneath.

Metamorphoō.

You are already making the connection to the English word metamorphosis. The word signifies change but not ordinary change. It means change of another order of magnitude. When I made this connection, I realized the transfiguration was not a one-and-done, one-off, Jesus-only occasion. He was showing us his intentions for our lives. The great church father Athanasius is said to have put it this way: “Jesus became like us so that we could become like him.”

He took on our form in order to make us into his form. And herein lies the meaning of metamorphoō. It is transformation. Trans + formation. Transcendent formation. It is change of another order of magnitude.

On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus unveils and reveals to us what we are meant to become—ordinary human beings invested and infused with the transcendent presence of God.

How does this happen? This is the journey of Lent. We follow Jesus on the way to the cross. The journey begins at the top of Transfiguration Mountain, and it leads to the bottom of the world—to the very foot of the cross.

PRAYER

Our Father, thank you for your Son, Jesus. Lord Jesus, we must have this transfiguration—transcendent formation. And yet we know the only way to have this is to have you. To know you is to love you, and to love you is to become like you, to be remade in your image. Lead us in this way. We will follow. Praying in your name, amen.

JOURNAL PROMPTS

How have you thought about this occasion we call the transfiguration? Have you ever considered what Jesus may have been revealing to us about ourselves and our possibilities?

SING

Today, we will sing “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” (hymn 343) from our Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise.

P.S. Want to Get Involved?

Would you like to help me sow the Wake-Up Call into new fields? Join our Field Team, and I will send you some seeds! Click link here.  Also, if you are a pastor or serving vocationally in a local church, I would love to be in touch. Click link here.

For the Awakening,
J. D. Walt

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WHAT IS THIS? Wake-Up Call is a daily encouragement to shake off the slumber of our busy lives and turn our eyes toward Jesus. Each morning our community gathers around a Scripture, a reflection, a prayer, and a few short questions, inviting us to reorient our lives around the love of Jesus that transforms our hearts, homes, churches, and cities.

Comments and Discussion

31 Responses

  4. Happy birthday, JD! How exciting for you that it falls on a Taco Tuesday! Enjoy and blessings on your day! Thank you for your ministry. 🌮

    Reply

  6. “Jesus became like us so that we could become like Him.” –Athanasius

    Christianity is way off track when:

    * It is low on love. (1 John 4:20)
    * It is superficial instead of supernatural. (Acts 2:43)
    * It tries to serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:24)
    * It’s so earthy minded (Colossians 3:2) that it lacks the ability to demonstrate the actual presence and character of Jesus. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)
    * It is a mere outward form of godliness without the power to change the way people live their daily life. (2 Timothy 3:5)
    * It embraces and aligns with the human culture that surrounds it. (1 John 2:15)
    * It presents Jesus as far away and removed from everyday life instead of as living inside of and continually interacting with His followers. (Colossians 1:27)
    * It is low on the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)
    * Its traditions make the word of God of no effect. (Mark 7:13)
    * It acts like Jesus is a dead religious figure instead of the living Lord (Romans 14:9) and the Creator of all that is. (John 1:1-3 & 14))
    * Its focus is on a weekly religious meeting instead of on daily discipleship. (Luke 9:23)
    * It puts its hope in human wisdom and a human government instead of in Christ. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

    Loveless Christianity isn’t taught in the Bible. It’s a false religion. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) Love God and love people, even your enemies.

    Jesus is the living way. (John 14:6) He want’s His followers to get back on His track. He calls us to: “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:17) How we who say we are Christians need to be inwardly led by the promptings of God the Holy Spirit so that we can live our life in much closer alignment with the inner government of God the Father. (Luke 17:21)

    Reply

  9. Happy Birthday JD! Thank you for bringing the joy to my mornings and and putting a song in my heart. Love the wake up call!!

    Reply

  18. Happy birthday JD. Thank you for accepting God’s breath when He breathed into your lungs.🥳🥳🥳

    Reply

  19. Happy Birthday JD
    You are such a Blessing to many!
    Blessing and may you feel the surrounding love of our God and of the many saints of the Lord who love you.

    Tom and Jeanette Crawford

    Reply

  21. Happy birthday. J.D.! Thank you for your leadership. I hope you have a very special day!

    Reply

  22. Thank you for celebrating your birthday with us on The Wake Up Call. Celebrating with you in joyful awaking- knowing Jesus, discovering His transformative grace. What a gift to celebrate- God’s gift, Jesus. 🎉
    Happy Birthday, enjoy your tacos!
    In gratitude for your sowing work-

    Reply

  23. JD, happy, happy birthday!!! May God give you an extra special gift… a serendipitous moment meant only for you!!

    Blessings,

    Sandy

    Reply

  24. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JD! Enjoy your tacos!! What a blessing your life is!!! Thank you for your faithful obedience to His call on your life.

    Reply

  25. I hope you heard me singing 🎵 loudly,
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY J.D.!!!🎉🎂🎈
    Eat lots of tacos 🌮 🌮🌮
    I hope you have a wonderful day! And thank you for all you do at seedbed.
    Michael Pabalate
    Oneonta, AL. War Eagle 🦅

    Reply

  30. Well J D, it’ll be belated when you see it I’m sure, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!! Hope the tacos were great today! May God richly bless you and your entire family.

    Reply

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