Historical Context – Moses and Elijah
Both Moses and Elijah had powerful encounters with God on the top of a mountain – it is appropriate that it is they who appear beside Jesus in the transfiguration account. Moses travelled up Mt Sinai to receive the Law from God in the form of the Ten Commandments. When Elijah was fleeing for his life from Queen Jezebel he fled to Mt Horeb. The word of the Lord came to Elijah and told him to stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord was about to pass by. Elijah experienced the Lord in the whisper of a gentle breeze.
Living the Gospel – Down from the mountain
Sometimes we experience powerful moments of connection with God or with other people. Sometimes this might be through a special experience of nature; a meaningful retreat experience; a powerful sense of being ‘in tune’ with another person; a reflective prayer experience; or some other significant experience. The temptation when we have these experiences is to wish that we could remain in the experience. The challenge, however, is to take that experience back into the everyday of our lives – changed by it without remaining in it.
© Greg Sunter