Loading more...
The Wisdom of the Body
The Word became flesh and made his home among us. —John 1:14, CEB This month the Read More
Steve Garnaas-Holmes | Read 2 Peter 1:16-21
“We had been eyewitnesses. . . . We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven.” What about you? What have you witnessed? What have you heard? We need not limit God’s revelation to mountaintop experiences and scriptures about miraculous events. God’s light shines in the everyday.
Most of the time we go through life on cruise control without really paying attention to what we see and hear. We filter our experience through our habits and preconceptions. We miss most of what we could perceive in our world—especially the miraculousness of it. We see what we expect to see. Believing is seeing. We see what we want to see, or what we think we ought to see instead of what is before us. When we do look at the world around us, we usually see just the surface—not the glory of God shining there. That is, until we open the eyes of our hearts.
Notice what you see today. Listen to what you hear. God is in the everyday elements of our lives. Even the majestic glory of the crucified and risen Christ is present in ordinary moments. Look for it there. Pay attention to Christ’s everydayness, as to a lamp shining in a dark place. God’s revelation comes through “men and women moved by the Holy Spirit.” Reflect on what you experience through the light of the Spirit instead of mere conventional wisdom.
What do you see? What do you hear? How have you witnessed the glory of Christ shining in your life? Perhaps in the beauty of an innocent child; in the courage of someone who takes a risk for the sake of love; in a moment of forgiveness, healing, and grace; or even a simple patch of sunlight.
Let the Spirit speak to you through your senses. Pay attention to the light. God’s glory may not be dramatic, but it will still be the Beloved.
God, open my eyes to your light today, so that in what I see and hear I may know the glory of Christ. Amen.
The Transfiguration is a striking manifestation of the union of humanity and divinity in Christ. In Exodus, Moses goes up the mountain to meet with God, and the divine presence on the mountain is like a consuming fire. The psalmist says that the presence of the Lord shakes the earth. In Second Peter the author declares that the truth of Christ’s message is affirmed by the glory that surrounds Jesus on the mountain and the voice from heaven that confirms his authority. In Matthew’s account, the revelation of the glory of the divine son of God on top of a mountain causes the disciples to fall down in fear. Moses and Elijah are present, demonstrating the continuity of Christ with the prophets and the always overwhelming splendor of God’s presence.
Read Exodus 24:12-18. When have you experienced God’s cleansing and transforming fire?
Read Psalm 99. How has God led you through darkness?
Read 2 Peter 1:16-21. How can you be attentive to the light of God in the world around you?
Read Matthew 17:1-9. When have you experienced God’s love shining through you?
Respond by posting a prayer.
