| Lord willing and weather permitting, just over a week from now I will be enjoying the breath taking view from Pike’s Peak. As spectacular as that view is sure to be, I know it will never compare to the mountain top experience the disciples witnessed in our passage from Mark’s gospel this week. I’m fully expecting, when I pause at the summit of Pike’s Peak, I will find myself in awe of the power and awesome nature of our God. Yet, I don’t believe, unless Jesus returns at that very moment, I will actually see God in all His power and glory, as Peter, John and James did on their day on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured. Short of Christ’s resurrection, that had to the greatest moment in their lives. A real high point (pardon the pun).
Meanwhile, down below in the valley, the other nine disciples were experiencing their own memorable moment, a botched exorcism and a heated confrontation with the religious experts. What happened down below didn’t seem compare to the spiritual high a few thousand feet above them, or did it? It’s hard to imagine a bigger contrast than these two events, yet they share a common theme in the power of Jesus. The passage is a stark reminder that our daily struggles are not so much against the world as they are struggles for faith. The realities of life’s struggles are what we’ll grapple with together on Sunday morning. |
holdfirmly 