Sunday, February 15, 2026
This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible, from Matthew 17:
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
There is a lot going on here, and much of it I don't completely understand (which is true of almost all of my favorite things).
As a kid, I remember hearing the story of the transfiguration and thinking "Having your dad say he is proud of you, and then telling everyone to listen to you-- that's a pretty good day."
As an adult, I'm struck by the way that this must have come down for Peter, James and John. Suddenly, Jesus's true nature is revealed in so many ways at once: the dazzling white shows his divine nature, the appearance of Moses and Elijah his role in history, and God's words reveal Jesus to be his son. How did they explain that to everyone else?
There are these moments that something you kinda knew but weren't sure of is revealed with clarity. I feel that way about Minnesota right now: I always thought that there was true community here, but in the last few months that was revealed with blinding clarity. It's a good thing to know, even if it is not of quite the quantum of the transfiguration....
