A Matter Of Attitude

To the geologist, mountains are evidence of seismic activity, the process of reshaping the earth’s surface over the course of millennia.

To the tourist, mountains are sometimes beautiful, sometimes inconvenient features of a landscape.

To the skier, snow-covered mountains are an opportunity to enjoy a challenging outdoor activity.

To the religious person, a mountain is where God and human beings meet. It symbolizes reaching up to touch Heaven, and Heaven bending down toward earth. (So the ancient Greeks told stories of the gods living atop the tallest mountains, and the Bible describes Moses climbing a mountain to receive the tablets of the Law from God).1

And in our Gospel Lesson today, the New Testament writer describes an awesome mountaintop experience of God by Jesus and three of the disciples:

… Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain … And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments…