On the Mystical Mountaintop

The Epiphany season of the Church Calendar opens and closes with mystical mountaintop moments. The season began with a figurative mountaintop moment, celebrating the arrival of magi coming to bow down and worship the Christ Child. And now we conclude the season up on a literal mountaintop with the story we call “the transfiguration”.

First, the story: Jesus goes up on a mountain with three of his closest disciples. There, Jesus is transfigured before them, appearing in full glory. The prophets Moses and Elijah appear with him as well and discuss with Jesus what lies ahead for him. Peter wants to build tents and stay up there, when suddenly a cloud forms and a voice proclaims Jesus is the Chosen One—listen to him. As quick as the cloud came it disappears and all is restored back to the normal state of things. (Luke 9:28-36, Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13; John’s gospel excludes this story)

This pinnacle tale comes near the middle of the three synoptic gospels. Going forward, Jesus will primarily be focused on going to Jerusalem and the destiny that awaits him there. The back-half of the gospels get darker and the teachings of Jesus harder to follow. This story though harkens back to the mountaintop moments of older scriptures and the great moments God has shown up to deliver, support, and encourage the faithful.

The Church Calendar similarly places this reading liturgically in the middle of Temporal Time (the festival portion of the year that runs from Advent in November/December through Pentecost in May/June). It tees us up for the Lent season to follow, when we push the limits of our faith and challenge ourselves to be better, more committed followers of Jesus. Having heard Jesus clearly proclaimed as the long-awaited Messiah we have a renewed sense of vigor and courage for whatever tough road lies ahead.

We should also recognize the mystical realities of this story and understand that a healthy dose of mysticism is good for our faith. From a transfigured Christ revealed in a future glorious state, to prophets from long ago reappearing and conversing with Jesus, to a cloud that swoops in and speaks, there is a lot going on here. Now, we may not have experiences as over-the-top mystical as this, yet there are times throughout our life where the unexplainable happens, or times where the presence of the Divine is closer than usual. These fleeting mystical moments could happen when we are alone in nature or at a communal event with others; they could happen in times of quiet stillness or within the noisy rush of daily life. We should cherish mysticism without worshiping it. During Lent and Holy Week ahead, we will remember more mystical moments in the life of Jesus and we will seek out similar experiences by practicing ancient rituals that are customary during this portion of the Church Year (which I will expand upon in a future post).

Indeed, life is full of peaks and valleys and times lived in the plains. There are personal triumphs and defeats. There are likewise times when we feel God’s presence in new and wondrous ways. And other times when things feel ordinary and stagnant, or when God feels standoffish. The mystical mountaintop moments are there to give us something to hold on to and recall when the road ahead is uncharted, the terrain unknown.