Today's Scripture:

Mark 9:2-9 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Read: Reflect on a story in your life that pertains to this scripture.
In this amazing scripture, Peter, James, and John are given a brief glimpse into the future of what is about to change the entire world. They were dumbfounded and didn’t know what to do, except probably gawk with their mouths wide open. They were able to experience purity and what was to come, and then they were ordered not to tell anyone about it until after Jesus had risen from the dead. None of this probably made any sense to them and, if it had, there would be no way to contain the good news, and they would probably have been shouting about what they had been privy to all the way down the mountain. Jesus trusted these three disciples with an incredible revelation that would be almost impossible for any of us to keep to ourselves, and, thankfully, we no longer must because He has risen from the dead – the event that lets us tell all.

Reflect: What is this scripture telling you during this season?
Monika and I have been married for 30+ years, so I can really relate to this scripture on how unfair it is to ask someone to keep a secret of excellent news. Here is a little context to the story: We had been dating for a little over a year, it was mid-December, and we had just decorated her little apartment and a small little Christmas tree. I was working overseas on a 28/28 rotation, so I was getting ready to walk out the door to leave the country for a month. We were sitting in front of the tree in a quiet moment, enjoying our decorating work and lamenting over the fact that we wouldn’t be spending the holidays together. All of a sudden, I was overcome with emotion sitting next to the woman I loved, and I asked her to marry me. The only problem is that I wasn’t prepared for this moment. I didn’t have a ring or any plans other than I didn’t want to spend another holiday without her. Because I didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of her friends and family, I then asked her to keep it a secret until I came back in January, and we could go pick out the ring that she loved. She said “yes” to getting married and about that time there was a knock on the door from the driver who was taking me to the airport. We embraced and said our “I love you,” and I headed to the car. As I turned to look one more time, I could tell Monika had picked up the phone off of the wall (no cell phones back then), and I had a feeling our little “secret” wasn’t going to be withheld from her mother for very long.

Respond: How is this scripture calling you to respond?
This scripture gives us a picture and description of what we have to look forward to when we will be transformed like Christ in our own lives. We will be sinless and pure and become transformed by God. We are going to struggle and fall short, but we should continue to share the good news of Jesus Christ–that he has died for our sins and cleansed us through his sacrifice. The requirement to keep this a secret is no longer a burden we must carry because He has indeed risen from the dead. We should be shouting this good news from the mountain tops and sharing it with all our neighbors, both across the street and around the world.

About Andy Frazelle:
My name is Andy Frazelle, I am a Petroleum Engineer and a 1980 graduate of Texas A&M University. I have been retired since 2019.
I have the privilege of serving as an Elder on the Serve Strategy Team where I can see all our opportunities to serve others and invite them to come live differently. I am involved with the Friends of Westchase and EPIC Sunday classes. My wife Monika, two daughters (Emily and Suzannah), and I have been members since 2008.