As a child tourist, one of my favorite things was the “Son et Lumière” shows often mounted at important attractions like ruins or castles or natural wonders. Colored lights played off the site, synchronized with music, augmented by the “ooohs” and “ahhhs” of the appreciative crowd. I loved it.
Such a display awaited Peter, James and John during their trip up the mountain with Jesus. First the light: “And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.”
Some time ago, I got it into my head that Jesus was in this moment revealed as pure light, an energy form that radiated brightness. Whether or not that was the case, the effect was surely splendid, and probably frightening. Imagine it…
The sound part came a moment later – and it wasn’t music, but conversation. With two people long since dead, or at the very least departed this earth: Moses and Elijah, Israel’s prophets extraordinaire, and mountain-top witnesses of divine glory. There they were, chatting away with Jesus. “Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.”
Was their presence a sign that the revelation of God in Christ was in continuity with the revelation of Israel’s past? Were they Exhibits A and B for The Law and The Prophets? Matthew doesn’t tell us what they’re discussing – Luke says, “They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” Their presence was a major sign that God was up to something. “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Most of us don’t experience God with sound and light and visions. I wonder, is that because God isn’t revealing God’s self in that way, or because we’ve so reduced our expectations that we figure a glorious sunset is the closest we’re going to get? It’s tricky – we can’t conjure up manifestations of divinity. We can, however, be open to them – and notice when we come across them.
How do you most powerfully experience the holy? Have you had any experiences that you’d categorize as supernatural? What happened, and what was the fruit of that experience in your life? And do you share that story? It builds up other people's faith to hear our holy stories.
God shows up in so many ways in our lives. The more we become attuned to the movement of the divine in us and around us, the more we experience it.
And whether it’s eavesdropping on Biblical heroes or marveling at the presence of wild creatures in our back yards, there are sound and light shows for us to stumble upon. If we keep our spiritual eyes and ears open…
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