The Transfiguration
Pastor Judy Richie
18 February 2007


Questions for Reflection and Discussion Focusing on The Transfiguration.

1) Have you had a spiritual experience that changed your life that you would be willing to share?


2) Have you had a time where you knew God was speaking to you, or to be consistent with this week’s message, a time when you were “listening to God.” Either through an impression, reading the Scriptures or some other way that had a life altering effect?


3) What are the purposes of spiritual experiences in our lives?

The Transfiguration
Pastor Judy Richie
18 February 2007

Text: Matthew 17:1-13

Opening
50% of Americans claim that they have had a spiritual experience that has transformed or altered their lives.

The Transfiguration
What are the rightful places of those kinds of experiences in our lives?
Why was this preserved in the Scriptures in 3 out of the 4 of the gospels?
Isn’t it interesting how it was right after Peter’s confession of Jesus being the “Christ” (Mt. 16:13). And then Jesus predicts his death. Peter must have been quite confused. Then came the transfiguration
Peter tried to hold onto the moment by suggesting they build three houses for Jesus, Moses and Elisha.
We are not meant to hold on to the moment.We are not meant to hold on to our last great spiritual experience or our last great moment at a retreat.
But we are meant to keep moving forward by seeking and following God
What did they see? They saw the glory of God. They got a glimpse.

How did they respond?
They tried to hold on to the experience.
They were terrified.
They couldn’t tell anyone.

Jesus did not:
use this as a recruiting device.
use this just to give the disciples a cool spiritual experience
do this just so they could understand God’s glory.

Key Phrase: “This is my Son. The Chosen. Listen to Him.”
God speaks to them out of the cloud – “This is my son who I love. Listen to Him”.
Listening implies obedience. If you are not obeying then you are not listening.
What are the purposes of spiritual experiences in our lives?
We are warned not to get caught up in the experience but rather “listen to Jesus.”

St. Francis of Assis’ Mountain Top Experience
St. Francis of Assisi was repulsed by lepers but one day the Lord spoke to him to go back to a leper that he just passed and embrace him. He obeyed and that experience profoundly changed him to the point where his ministry to lepers is still visible today. St. Francis describes this as his “mountain top experience.”

Summary and Call to Action
Matthew 17:5 “ This is my Son. Listen to Him.”