Message: Light on the Mountain / Mt 17:1-9

Today is Transfiguration Sunday, the last Sunday of the Season of Epiphany. Throughout this season, we have been reflecting on the mystery of God revealed like light. We began with the journey of the wise men who followed the star. We remembered Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan and the beginning of his ministry in Galilee. We listened to his teachings about the Beatitudes and being salt and light. And now we arrive at the mountain where Jesus is transfigured.

Yet as we have walked through this season of light, we have also seen deep darkness in the world. We have heard terrible news of violence, fear, and sorrow. In Iran, the government used force against people who were calling for freedom and human rights, and thousands of people were killed. In the United States, there has been turmoil because of violent actions by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). The killing of two U.S. citizens by ICE agents in Minneapolis has shocked many people.

Moreover, over the past week, Canada has been touched by deep grief. In Tumbler Ridge, BC, a shooting took the lives of nine people, including five children. Soon after, in Quebec, a father killed his two children and then took his own life. In homes and schools, the places that should feel safest, children spent their last moments in fear. Many people feel not only sadness, but also anger and helplessness. We pray for the victims, their families, their friends, and their communities, but our hearts remain heavy.

We believe that God is good. But sometimes, when we face the evil in the world, we cannot help feeling as if our very souls are being swallowed by darkness. Jesus’ disciples also had that experience. There were times when they felt disappointment and despair in the face of darkness. This was not because they lacked faith or courage. Rather, it was because they held a strong hope in the light they had seen in Jesus.

The disciples believed a new world was about to come. Many people at that time hoped for a messiah who would overthrow Roman rule with force and restore their nation. Their expectations were much the same.

But what they experienced did not match what they had hoped for. Jesus did not build an army or seek political power. Many lives were changed through him, yet those changes felt small beside the harsh realities of the world. Roman rule grew more cruel. Poverty and heavy labour wore people down day after day. At times, large crowds followed Jesus while still hungry, with no food to eat. Meanwhile, opposition from Herod and the religious leaders grew so strong that Jesus’ life was in danger.

Then they heard the news of a terrible accident near the tower of Siloam in Jerusalem, where eighteen innocent people were killed. For the disciples who had dreamed so deeply of a new kingdom, their hearts began to feel tired and dry. They had seen the light, and because of that, the darkness around them felt even heavier to carry.

John of the Cross, a sixteenth-century Spanish priest, called this experience “the dark night of the soul.” This darkness is not suffering caused by wrongdoing. Instead, it comes to those who have already seen the light and want to live more fully as followers of Christ. After experiencing grace, their desire grows stronger. But instead of clear answers, they meet silence. The warmth they once felt begins to fade. Faith starts to feel dry and tiring. A deep emptiness slowly fills the heart.

According to John of the Cross, this experience is necessary to become true followers of Christ. The dark night of the soul comes because people are often trapped by the image of God they have created in their minds. Their understanding of God can be easily shaped by desires and biases. It is only by going through the darkness that they can meet God beyond their understanding. It is a time of purification, a season when the false images of God begin to fall away.

Peter was one of the disciples who experienced the dark night of the soul. He was the first to confess that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah. But the Messiah Peter imagined was very different from the way of Jesus. When Jesus spoke about his suffering and death, Peter tried to stop him. He insisted that such a thing should never happen. Jesus rebuked him, saying that Peter was setting his mind on human things, not on divine things.

Then, six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain. They were the first disciples to follow him from the shores of the Sea of Galilee. On that mountain, they witnessed Jesus being transfigured. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.

They also saw Jesus speaking with Moses and Elijah. Scripture does not say how the disciples immediately recognized them. What matters is not how they knew, but why these two were there. Both Moses and Elijah had encountered God on a mountain. Both had also known deep despair.

Moses led the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt. But many still thought like slaves. They complained about small things and even said they wished to return to Egypt. Moses felt deep disappointment and loneliness as their leader. At that moment, he went up Mount Sinai. There he stayed in God’s presence and received the Ten Commandments, a gift from God to lay the foundation for a community of peace.

Elijah also faced deep despair. On Mount Carmel, he won a great victory over 850 false prophets. But the world did not change easily. Corrupt rulers did not repent and instead tried to kill him. Exhausted and afraid, Elijah fled into the wilderness and asked God to take his life. Then he went to Mount Sinai, and there he heard God’s voice. God reminded him that he was not alone and that 7,000 others remained faithful, standing against injustice.

Both Moses and Elijah encountered God’s mystery on the mountain. When the dark night came, when God seemed absent, and when evil appeared to be winning, they went up the mountain. There, they could see beyond what they had known. They realized they were not alone. They became certain that darkness cannot overcome light and that God’s love does not fail. Then they returned to the world.

Jesus invited his disciples into that same mountain experience. On the mountain, through Jesus, they saw God’s glory. Their tired hearts were renewed. They realized that God’s silence does not mean God’s absence. They were filled with joy, and that place felt like heaven. Peter wanted to stay and offered to build three shelters.

Then a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son. With him, I am well pleased. Listen to him.” The same words spoken at Jesus’ baptism were heard again. They revealed that the way of Jesus is the way of God. It is the way of life marked by patience and compassion.

As the disciples lay face down in fear, Jesus came to them, touched them, and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” Then he led them back down into the world. His path did not end on the mountain. It led to the places where cries of suffering are heard. It led to the cross. This was the true path of the Messiah.

The church is called to be like the mountain, a place where people encounter Christ’s presence. The church is not only a building or an organization. In a world that often feels hopeless, the church can be a place where we remember we are not alone. We come with fear, grief, anger, and questions, and we are met by the One who draws near.

So, when we face the dark night, when prayer feels dry, when the news overwhelms us, we remember the mountain. We remember the voice saying, “Listen to him.” We remember the touch saying, “Do not be afraid.” And we keep moving toward the world, toward the wounded places, toward the places where God’s heart is already waiting.

It is like living water from the mountain. It keeps moving. It flows downward, toward the low places. It goes where the ground is dry and where life is wounded. This water is not violent. It does not destroy. It keeps moving gently. Sometimes the water encounters large rocks. It does not fight them. It gathers, it waits, and in time it moves around them, over them, or through them. And it meets other water. One becomes two. Two become many. A small stream becomes a creek, then a river, and finally a great sea of life that no one can stop.

May we, like Moses, like Elijah, and like the disciples, find the courage to climb the mountain in our lives. May we see God’s glory even in times of silence. May our hearts be renewed, our faith strengthened, and our lives be guided by patience, compassion, and love. And may we be like living water flowing from the mountain, bringing hope, healing, and light to a world in need.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Rev. Min Hwang