Hello Grace Family! Have you ever had a day where everything feels the same even looks the same but you know deep in your heart that something significant has changed? This Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday. It is a threshold day. It is a day that marks a change from one reality into another. Threshold days leave us feeling a little like we have lost our equilibrium. Everything seems the same and yet it is different. Weddings are a great example of threshold days. A man and a woman walk into a church on their wedding day just a man and a woman but once the vows are said they become husband and wife. They still feel the same. They still look the same and act the same and yet their lives are significantly changed.
Transfiguration Sunday commemorates a day that marks a significant change in the life of Jesus. Since the first days of Advent and on through Christmas tide and the season of Epiphany, we have been celebrating all that is light and joy filled as we rejoice over the birth of the baby Jesus. Transfiguration Sunday tops off these seasons of joy with a spectacular event. The mystery of it all is too incredible for words. But this event marks a pivot point in the life of Jesus and in our church year. While we would love to stay on the mountain tops, because they are indeed magical places, reality tells us that life happens in the valleys where the rivers flow. When Jesus came down from the mountain he set his face toward Jerusalem and all that awaited him in that city. Transfiguration Sunday is the day that stands between the celebrations of Advent and the desolations of Lent, a season where we are called to face our own darkness, our own failings, and our own weaknesses. It is a season of quiet contemplation, which is so important to our spiritual growth.
I look forward to seeing you all in worship this Sunday as we explore the significance of life’s pivot points.
Blessings, Pastor Beth