Today’s Scripture: Mark 9:2-8
2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them. (NRSV)
One spring, when my husband and I were dating, I had the privilege of visiting the family mountain house in Ridgecrest, NC. While there, we took the family’s traditional trip up Mount Mitchell so that I could experience what many in the family consider the event of a lifetime.
As we drove up the mountain, almost everyone, except for the driver, fell asleep since it took a little while to reach the top. The scenery was ok, but it was a little foggy that day so I couldn’t see much. And all the turns made it hard to anticipate the glory that might be waiting for me at the top. So as I sat there longing for the ride to be over, I began to wonder what all the fuss was about. However, when we finally reached the top of the mountain and I was able to step out of the car, it all became crystal clear.
There was not a cloud in the sky. There was nothing but the deepest, brightest blue that I had ever seen that stretched as far as the eye could see. There were a multitude of smells in the air –– the fresh smell of a clean, crisp breeze, the smell of a campfire with hotdogs being roasted, the smell of the fragrant flowers that had just reached their peak bloom. And the sun –– oh how the sun felt on my face as a looked up to the heavens with amazement. I truly felt like I had seen a little piece of heaven in this experience on top of the mountain.
I wonder, even through their fear and confusion, if Peter, John, and James felt this amazement of what they had just experienced on the top of that mountain? Did they truly appreciate what they were privileged to see as they stood there with greatness? Do we ever truly appreciate what we experience when we have these holy moments?
In this season of Lent, let us be reminded that Jesus had to first go to the mountaintop in order to then travel back down to the valley. He needed to find courage and strength in the ones that went before him so that he could make the trip back down with his disciples to help guide them on their journey. Let us be reminded of those mountaintop experiences to help give us strength and courage for the journey that lies ahead as we walk this road together.