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This devotion pairs with this weekend’s Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.
Matthew 17:5-8 – He [Peter] was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
Your life is supposed to be filled with mountain-top experiences. At least, that’s what the world around you says. You’re supposed to have these experiences that stand out above everything else in your ordinary, everyday life. These are the concerts, the vacations, the productions that truly move you. These mountain-top experiences—and the spectacle and emotional highs that they bring—are ones that are supposed to sustain you through the rest of your days that are more like valleys: normal, boring, something to be endured instead of celebrated.
I live in a valley. That’s not a metaphor; I actually live in a valley, surrounded by mountains. It’s a beautiful place, and I very much enjoy living here. But I’m reminded every day that I’m not on the mountain. The mountain—and for us around here it’s the ski resort at the top of one particular mountain—is something that I need to make a big effort to make my way up it, and then have this grand experience, and then when I make my way down again, there’s a let down. Both literally and metaphorically.
On that Mount of the Transfiguration, it’s rather the opposite isn’t it? Sure, it was a mountain-top experience—in that it took place on a high mountain. But the main point for Peter and James and John wasn’t their efforts during the climb; Jesus led them there. And it wasn’t the emotional high of the spectacle (although, let’s be honest: what a spectacular thing for them to experience!).
No, the thing that would stay with them, even as they descended back down, it wasn’t the spectacle. It was God’s Word. There on that mountain, the disciples were in the presence of God, and they heard Him speak. And what did He say?
“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”
Luke tells us that the disciples were terrified at that word, and rightly so. But Jesus, the Son of God, spoke another word to them: “Rise, and have no fear.” And He speaks the same word to you today.
Instead of leaving you on your own to manufacture the highs of so-called mountain-top experiences in your life, the Word of God—even Jesus Himself!—speaks to you and walks with you down the mountain today. The Word of God is with you always, on every mountain and in every valley of this life. And as you listen to Him, following His voice, He leads you to a new mountain, where God will make His eternal home with you.
WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, help me always to listen to Your Son, who has the words of eternal life, who is the Word of Life for me. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Pastor Michael Schutz.
Reflection Questions:
- Describe a “mountain-top experience” in your life. What made it so significant for you?
- In the Bible, people are often afraid when they first hear a word from God and need to hear a second word to bring them out of that fear. How does God’s Word produce fear and faith?
- How has God’s Word sustained you in the peaks and valleys of your life?
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