Kristin Tovar

The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Daily Collect: O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Friends,

We remember the Transfiguration in Luke 9:28-36 on this feast day. With three intimate friends, Jesus heads to the mountain to pray. On this mountain, two revelations would come to them. First, Jesus reveals his identity to his disciples; second, a voice from the sky confirms this truth: “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”

Whole books could be written about this moment and its rich meaning. I am encouraged by how these two revelations strengthened the faith of Jesus’ closest circle. It recognizes their humanity and their need for validation of the path they would continue to follow, one filled with sorrow, winding paths, and moments of doubt to come. 

God could have accomplished this work in other ways, perhaps asking for blind obedience in faith. Yet there is such kindness in how God invites them into the work being done in and through Jesus. They witness signs and confirmations of what is true and what is to come. Maybe these things that had already been stirring in their hearts simply awaiting the invitation to move forward. God does not withhold; there is a generosity in sparking trust for the journey ahead.

In reality, we face moments the disciples did in our own lives when we carry anxiety or a certain kind of agitation as we bump up against suffering or friction. We have bumpy days! I love the use of the word “disquietude” in today’s collect because the world around us provokes a kind of anxiety that stokes a harmful flames that can unintentionally leave us feeling burned out. 

How often do we “go up to the mountain” to pray?

Jesus’ life shows us this path over and over again. We have access to God now. When we feel God’s voice in our life is quiet or experience disquietude, may we open space to truly sit and listen, whether among friends or in our own practice of solitude in communion with the Spirit. 

As we seek solace, may the Spirit spark trust in us for our journey in faith, bumps and all.

In Love,

—Kristin