Transfiguration

Today (August 6) is the Feast of the Transfiguration. On this day, the Church remembers Christ’s transfiguration and appearance with Moses and Elijah. In these few moments on the mount, the light of the glory of God in Christ was unveiled.

Among other things, the transfiguration anticipates the day when God will finish his work of salvation and his glory will fill the earth (Habakkuk 2:14, Revelation 21, 22). John describes it this way, “And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:23)

God’s plan for us and for the rest of creation is to envelop us – maybe even infuse us – with his glory. What this fully means is beyond our comprehension, but we know it will be magnificent!

Until then we still have to live today. Today gives us news of battle deaths and bridge collapses. Today we face our own inability to be all that Gods wants us to be. Today we struggle. But the transfiguration reminds us that our, “momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17, 18).

An eternal weight of glory – the same glory unveiled in Christ on the mount of transfiguration. This is our hope! Today, may we remember our hope, may we walk by faith and not by sight, and may we not falter on our journey to the eternal city illumined by the glory of God.