Friday March 27, 2009

Friday

March 27, 2009

Scripture

Mark 9:2-13 (New International Version)

The Transfiguration

²After 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. ³His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. ⁴And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

⁵Peter 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." ⁶(He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

⁷Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"

⁸Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

⁹As 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. ¹⁰They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.

¹¹And they asked him, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"

¹²Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? ¹³But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him."

1 Corinthians 12:27- 13:3

1 Corinthians 12:27-13:3 (New International Version)

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. ²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues^a]">[a]? Do all interpret? ³¹But eagerly desire^b]">[b] the greater gifts.
And now I will show you the most excellent way.

1 Corinthians 13

¹If I speak in the tongues^c]">[c] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,^d]">[d] but have not love, I gain nothing.

Reflection

Mark 9:2-13
Did Jesus know what was going to happen when he reached the top of the
mountain? Did Jesus know that there was to be this strange, amazing
other-worldly moment, a vision of something special and holy and
precious?

Assuming Jesus did know all this was to happen what are we to make of
his decision only to share the experience with three of the twelve
disciples?

There are a few occasions throughout the Gospels when the three who
climbed with Jesus that day formed some sort of inner circle with Jesus,
but it didn't always seem to have done them too much good - Peter, James
and John were just as prone to frustrate Jesus or abandon him at the
point of his greatest need. Didn't all three of them fall fast asleep
that night in the Garden of Gethsemane as Jesus faced the agony of what
was about to happen?

Sometimes we imagine that if only we had some sort of really, really
amazing spiritual experience we would end up as more faithful
Christians, but the example of the three who witnessed the
Transfiguration tells us otherwise. For us to be faithful means looking
for, anticipating, expecting to meet God even in the mundane things of
everyday living. It is not the means or manner of the revelation that
counts for most, what really matters is how we are changed and renewed
by journeying through life with Christ and all whom Christ loves.


1 Corinthians 12:27- 13:3
Where do you receive your motivation?
As people we can discover motivation in many different places - the
encouragement of other people; the expectations of loved ones; our own
standards; the rules and regulations that govern our behavior; the
desire to make a positive contribution in the life of another person;
the intrinsic values of what we believe to be right and good and true.

The words and thoughts of Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 remind us that the
greatest motivation, the motivation that ought to be first and foremost
in our minds if we are to follow after the example of Jesus Christ, is
the motivation of love.

When love is not our motivation, even if what we are doing is a good
thing, even if it is the right thing, it will be less than complete,
tarnished by some aspect of self-interest. It is not enough, Paul says,
to speak about God, to teach about God, to give away our possession...
unless we do this in love, with love, for love.

Love needs to be our motivation, because love is the essential nature
and being of the God we know in Jesus Christ.

Written by a PC Staff

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