His Radiant Face

 

~~~Second Sunday of Lent~~~

~~~ Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18~~~Psalm 27~~~Philippians 3:17—4:1~~~Luke 9:28b-36~~~

 

The Transfiguration is how Jesus revealed to his closest companions his true self.

They were given a glimpse of his glory.

They were given the privilege of hearing the voice of the Father

speaking of his beloved Son.

 

The readings today contrast to me darkness and light.

God led Abram away and darkness fell over him,

but from the darkness a light of fire erupted.

God did not leave him in the terrifying darkness.

 

Abram put his faith in the LORD,

As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.

 

God will not lead us into darkness just to abandon us there.

Most of us do not like to be in the dark. We feel more vulnerable.

We feel uneasy, unsure of our surrounding.

 

God promises to be our light.

He is the light of the world.

He dispels the darkness...literally and figuratively.

 

The Lord is my light and my salvation.

 

Lent is a somber season for Christians,

 yet we are given this glorious vision of what we too have been promised.

When we will be joined with God in heaven our body will also be changed.

We will be taken in to the glorious light of the Trinity.

 

'...we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body...'

 

 

 Our face will become radiant with his glory.

We will hear the sound of the voice of the Father

claiming us as his own beloved son or daughter.

 

Peter, James, and John saw Jesus transform before their eyes.

They  understandably were awe struck beyond words.

 

While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.

becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory

 

By this time they had become comfortable keeping company with Jesus.

All that he had attempted to tell them was now revealed to them.

He truly was the Son of God

they saw his glory.

Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”

 

They heard the words that we all long within our hearts to hear.

We want God to be proud of how we have lived this life

he so graciously gave to us.

We want to know we have pleased him.

 

Lent is a time for conversion and today if there was any doubt about why...

we have been given the answer...

So that we can share in the light of the glory of God for all eternity in heaven.

 

May the presence of God give you strength and perseverance

during these forty days of Lent.

Fix your eyes on the glorified face of Jesus.

Today we are given the reason for our faith in the love of God.