Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking about his exodus, which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep, but as they awoke they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not realizing what he was saying. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen;listen to him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen. Luke 9
to sit with him in prayer,
in the coolness of the evening
brought by quiet breezes there.
Birds prepared for darkness
as they prayed with him in song,
but to weary eyes and burdened minds
the call for sleep was strong.
They nearly missed the holy
that was heavy in that place.
Slumbering as he prayed alone
and God's glory filled his face.
Unless we stir to wakefulness
and wait with him in prayer,
unless our souls long to know
we will miss the holy here.
What would it be like to have Jesus invite you to go up the mountain with him to pray? No crowds. No noise. No demands on your time. Just you and Jesus resting on the grass under the stars, praying. Perhaps the sound of birds settling in the night. What does it feel like to imagine that?
For me there is something like a cloud of peacefulness, of security, and faith that settles into and around my soul when I stop for a moment to imagine. Perhaps much like the cloud that settles over the disciples on the mountain top when they hear the voice of God. (sigh)
Our reading begins with “about eight days after these sayings.” The fact that Luke starts this way makes me think that we should probably look back to see what “these sayings” were. If it wasn’t important to the story Luke might not bother to point us back to them. And so we find, just before the story of what we now refer to as the Transfiguration, these sayings:
“The Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised. If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (9:22-23)
In other words Jesus has just finished warning the disciples there are dark days ahead. There will be suffering, rejection and murder. And if you are going to follow me you better get ready. With these words echoing in their heads, Jesus invites them to come pray with him. Come up on the mountain, away from all the chatter, and pray.
I often wonder what prayer time for Jesus would be like. Scripture tells us that he frequently went out alone and spent the night in prayer. Since I wasn’t there I can only surmise. But I just don’t see Jesus on his knees with a laundry list of all the things God needs to be doing. Nor do I see Jesus spending the night complaining how hard this all was. So I wonder what it would be like.
I certainly think that Jesus took time to express himself, his inner feelings to God. Jesus was human. But often when he prays aloud around others he says something like “I know you always hear me Father but I have said this so that others would believe.”
So I wonder if Jesus actually spent much of his prayer time just being with, soaking in the Spirit of God. I wonder if this wasn’t the time that the divine energy within him would be renewed and energized. I wonder if this isn’t the reason why scripture often tells us that power was emanating from him when he came down the mountain from prayer. Indeed, the power was actually visible to the disciples on this occasion.
Was it in this time of prayer, that Jesus wanted to show his disciples where the power and the strength to say yes to God’s call to love is found? And it will be in such times of prayer that they too will find the solace and the ability to follow him. Corporate prayer is important. There is strength in that unity. I am often awed by the presence of God as we pray the Lord’s prayer together. It is powerful. But contemplative prayer, being with God, is for me sustenance itself.
I often mention my own go-to prayer, centering prayer. While I am far from a master at the practice I would like to share a little of what this type of prayer is like.
The Contemplative Outreach web page says this:
Centering Prayer is a receptive method of Christian silent prayer which deepens our relationship with God, the Indwelling Presence … a prayer in which we can experience God’s presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself.
It’s practice is simple but not easy. Again referring to the Contemplative Outreach’s guidelines:
1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.
2. Sit briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within. It is not that we repeat the word as in meditation, but rather it anchors us to our intention.
3. Remain quiet before God. No thoughts, no words, no laundry list. When thoughts come, and they will, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.
That’s it. Silent prayer. No need to worry about what words to say or what one should pray for. Just sit in the moment and allow that cloud to come over you and hear, or maybe simply feel God.
So do I think Jesus sat with a single word and had to battle off all the thoughts that inundate quiet times? I like to think Jesus just came and sat in the Spirit without effort. But who knows. Jesus was human. And I do believe that it was because of his humanity that these moments were so very important. Just as they are for us.
So today I have chosen to share a little of my own heart, my own spirituality with you. I know centering prayer is not for everybody, but I also know that as a practice it is well worth a try. And I also believe that within spiritual practices such as centering prayer, transformation takes place. For me it is peace. Without it I grow anxious. God’s Spirit is not a spirit of anxiety and fear. My hope is to one day find a couple other people who might join me in this practice.
Jesus knew what was about to happen. Jesus knew the disciples were going to need all the strength and wisdom they could get. Jesus knew that each of them had some suffering and heartache ahead. And Jesus wanted them to be equipped to succeed. So he invited them to come up the mountain with him to be in prayer.
We too, in this disquieting time in history, are invited to come up the mountain and pray. We too need such a connection with the Almighty if we are to proclaim the good news to the poor, free the oppressed, and love our enemies. If we are to be united with Christ on the way.
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and watch and see.
Be still and touch what is divine.
Be still and pray with me."