February 15, 2026: Awesome Wonder

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 24: 12-18 
The Gospel:      Matthew 17: 1-9

When was the last time you felt awed, when you felt such overwhelming joy and wonder, that you did not know what to do: when the smile on your face led directly to an enlarged heart that felt so full that it might burst? When your joy, brought you to tears?

For some, this could be the experience of finding your life partner who loves you just as you are, with whom your bond is so clear, there are no words to truly encompass your love and connection. 

For many, this could be the experience of holding your child, grandchild or niece for the first time: looking at that beautiful, perfect face, feeling the grip of that tiny hand around your little finger. Feeling the wonder, joy and miracle of new life as if it were for the very first time. 

For some it can be the wonder of watching a puppy run in circles around you then jump in your lap, somehow filling your heart at the same time.

For others it could be a sunrise over the mountains streaked with purples, pinks, and yellows that makes you stop in your tracks and take a deep breath to inhale the sheer beauty, the sheer awe of this fleeting moment. 

This is what I imagine the experience must have been like for the disciples as they gazed upon Jesus as his face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white, blinding them with their brilliance. As if this was not enough, Moses and Elijah appeared beside Jesus, conversing with him. How did they even know it was Moses and Elijah? Did Moses say this reminded him of his 40 days on the Mountaintop talking with God? Did Elijah mention his encounters with God or being carried off in a fiery chariot into Heaven? Did they both mention parting seas?

What the disciples did know was the Jewish belief that Elijah would appear on the mountains of the Holy Land to announce the coming of the Messiah and here Elijah and Moses stood with Jesus. Could the message be more clear?

This was certainly a time of awesome wonder for Peter, James, and John as they stood looking on. No wonder Peter wanted to build three monuments or chapels on the site: one each to Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. But God’s plan was simpler than that. Echoing the words God said at Jesus’ baptism by John, God said, “This is my son, the Beloved, with him I am well-pleased” but there is an addition here that God did not say at Jesus’ baptism, “Listen to him!” God is telling them not to bother with chapels or monuments but to learn from Jesus. The disciples would become living monuments to Christ by continuing his mission: baptizing, forgiving, accepting, welcoming, healing and loving in Jesus’ name.

While the disciples were not the ones who were transfigured with a glowing brilliance as Jesus was, they did have an experience with Jesus in that moment as well as with God in a cloud, just like Moses and Elijah did. Although maybe not outwardly changed, they were transfigured, changed and elevated by this experience. They now knew, as much as they could take in, that Jesus was truly God’s son but what was the first thing Jesus said to them after that? “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” 

What???? I imagine the disciples thinking, if not saying out loud at the moment. First they see Jesus transfigured in a way in which they cannot deny his connection to God and then they are told not only not to talk about it yet and  again they are reminded that Jesus’ time on earth is limited, that he will suffer and die but would rise again. 

Honestly, this would be a lot to take in and I imagine the impetus would be to go running down the mountain to share the great news of the transfiguration with everyone, but it was not yet time. 

This had to be both overwhelming and frustrating for the disciples as they went on with their work learning from Jesus but they were following God’s instructions, “Listen to him!!!”

That instruction, however, was not just for the disciples, but it is for all of us, “Listen to him!!” It is in the words of Jesus that we can still find the guidance, help, and hope to deal with what life throws at us and it is in taking time to listen and to look that we have opportunities for our own transfiguration moments. 
God has the ability to awe us in many ways and we all have the ability to have mountaintop transfigurations without always having to climb up mountains. 

Let’s think about that for a minute. Why do Moses, Jesus, the disciples, and other prophets climb up mountains to have experiences with God? They need to get away from the crowds, the worries and distractions of the day; they need to clear their heads. 

The walk up the mountain is part of the preparation: heart pounding, the rhythm of your audible breathing with the effort of the hike, the feel of your muscles working, that positive fatigue that reminds you that you are alive. All of the physical aspects of the climb help distract us from the day to day challenges we are leaving behind, if only for a short time. As we get used to the rhythm of the hike, letting go of the constraints and challenges of society as we climb, we begin to look around more: to notice the wildflowers blooming along the trail, to catch a glimpse of the owl that just flew above us or the chipmunk scurrying over the log next to us. We gaze up at the mightiness of the pines and hemlocks and the uniqueness of the cloud formations as we continue climbing. We pause to look at the intricacies of a beautiful spider web wondering how something so big and yet delicate can come from such a tiny creature. We feel a sense of awe for that tiny spider and what she has woven.

 And before we know it, we are at the top of the mountain, already transformed by the journey as we sit on a rock at the top and look down on the valley below. We feel gratitude for the ability to get here and for the beauty discovered along the way but also in this moment right now. We say “Wow! Thanks God!” And ideally we then listen for God - what is it you want from me God? What path should I follow? How should I act? We sit with the questions on that mountain top and on the whole hike down, hopefully hearing or feeling a message, even a small nudge from God to guide us.

No wonder the experience of God is often had on a mountain top - it takes the journey up to prepare us to listen and to feel God’s presence. But how can we create mountaintop moments when we do not have the time or ability to climb a mountain? 

It’s all about preparation. In order to give space and time to hear God and be transformed by Love, we have to make space to pause. We have to find a way to shut off the chaos that is more than just turning off the news. We need to be deliberate. It might be sitting in your garden or even working in it, hands on the earth contemplating the creator while touching and being a part of creation. It might be a quiet corner in your home that becomes a sacred space where you read the Bible and listen for God’s words to you through it. It might be sitting in your favorite chair, gazing out the window and pausing to listen and to let God in. It might be on a yoga mat as you stretch your body and quiet your mind to listen for  God. 

It is possible for all of us to have our mountaintop moments with God and to be transformed by them but they are not one off experiences. We are invited to continue our journey with God with patience, carving a little time out each day if we can or at least each week to sit with God, to feel God within us, guiding us, to truly experience God: Love with us. As we prepare to begin this journey through Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday this week, let’s commit ourselves not to giving something up but to making space for mountaintop moments, space to hear and feel God, Love, with us. 

And if we do this, others will see our transformation over time because one cannot encounter Love without being transformed. Amen.

Pastor Michelle Fountain