Main readings: Exodus 34. 29-35, Psalm 99, 2 Corinthians 3.12-4.2, Luke 9: 28-36 (37-43)
Supplementary readings: Ps 97, Hebrews 11.39-12.3, Deuteronomy 34.1-12, Ps 2, John 12.27-41
“And while He was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.” (Luke 9.29)
There is a place in my home country called Ban Ban Springs. It has been a place of transformation for my people down through the ages. It is a place of transformation because of the fresh flowing water of the springs and because it is a quiet, peaceful place where the whispers of the ancient people can be heard in the breezes. It is a spiritual place.
There will be people who will not feel the spirit of Ban Ban. Experiences and places like this are rare. On the mountain, Peter, John and James were blessed in that they were able to encounter something that was not of this earth. In their encounter, all fear was pushed aside by love. Jesus had an encounter with His Father on the mountain which transformed his face. And, then out of the cloud of unknowing, came the voice of God. It is in places like Ban Ban and the mountain top, our special places, that we can encounter the true spirit of the living God and may even hear His voice in a unique way.
The ancient Celts, and later Christians, used the expression ‘thin places’ to describe where the Kingdom of Heaven – God’s realm – meets our earthly place. The mountain-top, where Jesus was transfigured and where Moses and Elijah appeared in glory, may be described as a ‘thin place’. Ban Ban is a ‘thin place’ for my people.
‘Thin places’ are sacred and rare, and we are blessed if we can find one where we can reach out and just be. However, we can all seek to find the transfigured face of Christ in each other daily, and by doing so we build God’s Kingdom.
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