Daily Bread

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’ Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

In this dramatic event we call The Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John received a blast of who Jesus really was. The itinerant rabbi was transfigured into the dazzling white-bleached clothed Christ he always was and always would be — and the disciples was terrified! I know I would be!

Reading this passage, it made me wonder, what would it be like to see ourselves or others as God sees us? How would such a revelation change us?

Each of us has a perception of ourselves, and we choose how we project our inner selves to the world. We express ourselves in the way we dress, the way we talk and walk, the language we use, the professional roles we play, the places we hang out in, and the communities or groups with which we identify. Peal all that away and who are we on the inside?

From my experience, all the outer stuff — the stuff we let others see — is often a mask for who we really are. How would we self-identify if we had no job, no-one to serve, no special clothes to wear, no community to belong to, and so on — if we were simply alone with ourselves and our thoughts? A scary idea indeed!

We are reminded, through the words of the writers in the Bible, that Christ is all we truly need. We need no other approval than God's, and though that's not how the world works — that we are not designed to be isolated beings — sometimes it is good to ponder on how God sees us. I think we get a glimpse of this in the book of Revelation:

"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands."

God sees us as clean and holy, loved, accepted, and welcomed. God sees our potential, our hopes, our dreams, and is excited for us. There is nothing we need to do to earn God's favour for God needs nor requires anything from us. We belong to God and God belongs to us.

Holy God
Today, may I rest in your presence,
knowing there is nothing I can do
to make you love me more,
and nothing I can do to make you love me less.
Help me remember that I am secure
in your love, welcome, and acceptance,
and that my calling is first to simply 'be'.
Thank you for your unending love.
Now and forever.