Lingering on the Mountaintop - October 14
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 16, 17; PM Psalm 22; Ecclus. 1:1-10,18-27; Acts 28:1-16; Luke 9:28-36
Today’s Reflection
Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings,* one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. Luke 9: 28-33
You’re likely familiar with the phrase “mountaintop experience.” It means an experience that is inspiring, renewing, transforming—something that seems very different than our day to day life. A mountaintop experience can feel like we have gotten to experience, if even for a brief moment on our life, a glimpse of what heaven might be like. We feel closer to God. We may feel a greater sense of clarity. We may feel a sense of abiding peace. We may feel surrounded and filled with love.
When we get to experience life on the mountaintop, if only for a few moments or hours or days, and we know that it is possible to feel renewed and transformed in this way, it’s only natural that we never want to let it go. It’s natural that we would want to find some way to keep it going, to linger in that little piece of heaven as long as we can, and maybe even make it our home forever.
Maybe you have experienced this in a retreat or a vacation or in a reunion with close friends. I experience a tiny glimpse of this whenever I go for a walk or hike in a beautiful place like my favorite beach in Florida or in a favorite botanical garden, whether here in Birmingham or others I love to visit elsewhere. Or when I travel some place that I love, or have an experience that is spiritually deep or intellectually stimulating, I want to keep that sense of being more attuned and more alive going.
This past week, I was able to take a few days away to travel on my own to North Carolina. While there I got to have a mountaintop experience of sorts. I had the chance to go hear a favorite author and podcaster speak in person. I stayed a couple days with a friend who I have known since I was a college freshman, and to catch up with her over dinner each evening. And I got to immerse myself in a pastors’ conference at Duke Divinity in which I could hear more from very smart people who are thinking deeply and creatively and compassionately about our Christian faith. To top it all off, I took lingering walks in the beautiful Sarah Duke Gardens, on the Duke campus, all three of the days I was there. On that last afternoon, I even found a sunny spot on the South Lawn of the garden and took a little nap using my backpack as a pillow as I stretched out in the grass watching the students and families enjoying this peaceful corner of the campus.
These few days way on this adventure on my own felt renewing and life giving. And as much as I love it here, it was also hard to return to daily life and all my usual responsibilities. And so I understand why Peter and James and John wanted to build little huts there on the mountain so they could keep that moment of transfiguration with Jesus and Moses and Elijah going. If I could have built a little cottage or even pitched a little tent in the Sarah Duke Gardens, maybe right there in the edge of that sunny meadow, I would have been tempted to stay. But as the afternoon was growing late on Tuesday, I knew it was time for me to say goodbye to that mountaintop experience, at least for now, and make my way home to do the work God has given me do here. But we need to be sure we make time and space in our lives to go the mountaintop, at least from time to time, to remind ourselves of what is most important and to reconnect ourselves with the face of God.
Becky+
Questions for Reflection
Tell about a conversation or a retreat or some other experience that you did not want to end. What was it about that moment in time that allowed you to feel you had a glimpse of heaven, or to be transformed and renewed in your faith?
Daily Challenge
Look for a few hours or even a few days in your calendar when you can be intentional about making time for a mountaintop experience. You don’t have to stumble into a mountaintop experience acccidentally—you’re more likely to have one if you make the time for it.
