At Rome's Church of St. Peter in Chains, stands the unfinished tomb of Pope Julius II, the centerpiece tableau is Michelangelo's marble statue of Moses.  Many visitors are surprised to see Moses with two horns sprouting from his head.  These devilish protuberances trace back to an early mistake by Jerome, a great Christian monk and scholar of the 4^th century who translated the Bible into Latin.  The Hebrew words narq "shining" and nrq "horn" have the same consonants, but are pronounced differently a feature never spelled out in the ancient Hebrew manuscripts.  Thus, we have this unique portrayal of Moses, a provocative witness to his transformation from this encounter with God.

         Strange statue, strange story.  We don't know what to make of these "shining" stories, but neither did their first witnesses, for these events are not meant for explanation, but for experience.  In deference to the Lord's blinding, purifying holiness, the bible usually made indirect metaphorical references to God;s glory, pillar of fire and cloud, smoking mountains, the Lord's throne obscured by the hem of the royal robe, as we hear in Isaiah, etc.  Every Israelite at Sinai was understandably nervous about too much exposure to God's glory, for a direct exposure to God's face was unimaginable, it meant certain death.  I imagine it like the climactic scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark;" when the greedy Nazis pry open the ark of the covenant, and their grinning faces melt gruesomely and the blinding light vaporizes their bones on the spot.

         So, when the Lord specifically instructed Moses to come up the mountain alone, he probably met with few objections from his people.  "By all means, Moses, you go," make a second trip up Mt. Sinai on their behalf to receive the tablets which he had broken in an angry outburst over the golden calf incident.  Moses was already known as a "friend of God," from their conversations in the tent of meeting.  He had been "playing with fire" we could say, ever since the desert days when he had stood his ground at the burning bush and more recently, when he requested a private showing of God's glory glimpsed from the cleft of a rock.  Whether horns or shining light, the Israelites saw that something big had happened to Moses when he brought back the words of God.  He persuaded Aaron and the other leaders to tiptoe up to his shining face, then all the Israelites gathered round.  Once he had transmitted the commandments, Moses covered his face (maybe borrowed a scarf or bandana from his sister Miriam) until his next meeting with the Lord.

         Fast forward from Moses at Sinai to Jesus and company on another mountain a thousand years later.  No matter that we wonder at Luke use of light-filled physical features both to capture the experience and yet fail to do it justice.  Clearly we are meant to see various meanings shine through the transformed faces and gleaming clothes, and the connections that are evoked through the intersecting presence of Israel's spiritual giants – Moses, Elijah, and now Jesus.  Though this transfiguration story occurs in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, only Luke describes a topic of conversation between Moses, Elijah, and Jesus.  Following their descent from the mountain, Jesus will make it clear that he is headed to Jerusalem, so we hear a preview of this objective on the mountain.  We typically associate Jesus' departure with his death, since we know that occurs at Jerusalem, but the word Luke uses for departure is "exodos," another thinly veiled allusion to the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, The Exodus led by Moses, an accomplishment, a fulfillment.  Luke also explicitly connects prayer as the conduit for God's glory being manifested in Jesus, emphasizing this intimate spiritual connection between God and Jesus that takes on physical features of light.

         We note also that Jesus takes companions up the mountain, the same Peter, James and John who have been watching and learning and listening.  Peter has shown some understanding of Jesus' identity as the messiah, the liberator and deliverer from God.  And Jesus has begun to teach what kind of messiah he will be, a more disturbing and cloudy picture in their minds.  The cross that he will be nailed upon in Jerusalem moves into the picture, though they do not recognize it yet.  Nevertheless, whereas Moses went alone, Jesus travels with others, God-with-us.  He is not a lone ranger Messiah, and we are not to be lone ranger disciples.

         Peter was so taken with the experience that he blurted out his desire to capture the moment, build some shelters, kick back and enjoy the exalted company.  I can also empathize with their terror at the cloud and the voice.  Even our limited hiking experience has made us well aware that the sunny clear view from a mountain summit usually changed rapidly to clouds carrying afternoon thunderstorms, forcing us to scramble back down into the forest and cover before lightning struck and the rain could catch us.

         How are we to take in the wonder, the untamed radiance of God?  Behind the little word "God" that trips so easily off our lips lies the immensity of our universe, the burning power of a billion, billion, billion suns light-years past our own.  Farther still the awesome gravity of black holes draws us toward unknown cosmic mysteries.  From the little word "God" flows millions of millennia on earth, fantastic creatures that populated the eons down to the present, connected through us to future generations.  We cannot absorb all this divine glory and yet we see it shimmering through the open window of Jesus' face.  Condensed but not exhausted, true but not tamed.

         However God's presence is marked, in Jesus' shining face and the radiant hovering cloud, however God's voice sounds, like thunder or a quieter cracking open of the heart, God's pronouncement of blessing recalls the one Luke placed at Jesus' baptism, and surely we are meant to hear the echo.  "Listen to him" seems both obvious and obscure.  Listen to him in every way, naturally.  But also "listen to him" might refer back to the final words of Jesus before they went up the mountain together.  Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.  The realm of God is glimpsed by Peter, and James, and John in the transfigured Jesus.  We like to put geographic boundaries on God's kingdom, placing it somewhere else, but really we are meant to live in God's realm here and now – by listening to Jesus.

         So we are to enjoy the mountain top experience.  Although 90% of ministry for Jesus, for his disciples, and for us takes place off the mountain, climbing to the heights on occasion is good, even necessary for our faith to grow.  With the world being in its usual mess, it is important for us to be reminded that there is glory abounding.  Sometimes on the mountaintop, it bursts through and stuns us with beauty.

         When our kids were growing up, we spent a number of summer vacations at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, CO.  The Y camp borders Rocky Mt. National Park, we often were out hiking the trails and marking each achievement with a colorful patch to sew onto our backpacks.  We have seen Alberta Falls and Bear Lake over 50 times, first as destinations in themselves along with busloads of tourists, and then as departure points for tougher climbs.  Our longtime friend Jimm introduced us to some of the more arduous Rocky Mt. hikes.  We never made the summit of Longs Peak ourselves, but for Jimm's two sons, the 4 A.M. predawn departure and ascent to the 14'er peak was a treasured "coming of age" ritual.  We contented ourselves with lesser altitudes, though we did get up Flattop Mt., which is a respectable 12,000+ and above treeline.  We waited a few days before attempting one of these "big" hikes in order to acclimate to the altitude; no matter how much training we did, the climb was always arduous and breathless, but breathtaking at the summit.  Food tasted better, even trail mix and PB&J sandwiches, when eaten on a boulder gazing out over a sheer drop into empty space.  Having these glorious mountaintop experiences, I understand the disciples' bedazzlement as they witnessed God's glory in Jesus' face and clothes as well as Moses and Elijah.  Silent speechlessness is a good response, for words are inadequate in the face of nature's majesty revealing God's glory or the legendary spiritual giants who appeared with Jesus.

         Seek your mountain where you know God's transforming glory revealed in your life.  Hoist yourselves up over the smog-filled valleys of worry and fear.  Climb with Jesus above the anxiety, hatred, and cynicism of the international and national political scenes that flow incessantly into our living rooms through CNN and FOX and NBC.  Rise above the jockeying for position and the badmouthing that can infect so much of our daily life.  Leave behind the comforts of those things which money can buy and stand with Jesus in his moments of glory, on the mountaintop and throughout his journey to Jerusalem, which we will follow through the Lenten season.  This seeking is not limited by age or youth, by physical training or even spiritual prowess.

         Where and when have you been on the mountain feeling close to Jesus, to God?  For some, it might be in Bible reading, for some praying under a star-filled sky, for some the unexpected wonder of meeting at the Lord's table.  For others it might be singing at Tues. choir rehearsal as well as Sunday, a retreat community in the desert, or sharing the fellowship of worship as we do this morning.  If you can't travel to your mountain in person, you can go there again and again in memory.  Dwell there often and draw strength from the deep and wide love of God.

         Whose face have you seen transfigured in love?  This week I saw transfiguration in my mother's face.  We formed a simple plan, my sister, brother, and I to gather and celebrate her 80^th birthday.  We had planned a party in her honor with many of her friends in attendance.  Despite our objections, Mom had baked cookies, ordered her own birthday cake ahead of time, leaving us on Thursday to fill in the final preparations, not sure how big the crowd would be in the aftermath of the recent snow and ice.  We had a wonderful time meeting and greeting her friends, sharing her delight and laughing at her astonishment that so many came.  Offering a great outpouring of love and thanks to her and to us as well.  Imagine our surprise after the guests had gone home and she told us that in her 80 years she had never had a birthday party planned just for her.

         Invite someone with you to your mountaintop and watch their face.  Perhaps you will see it shine with God's glory, perhaps it will be your own face that erupts with an inner glow of peace as you bask in God's love.  The good news – it could happen to you.  I pray that it will, again and again. Amen.