REFLECTIONS
July 1, 2007
 
 
“Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."
Matthew 16:28 NKJV
 
 
Mountaintop Experience
 
At the crack of the bat fans erupted in celebration. A clean single to right center field drove in the tying run. But never mind the tying run. Craig Biggio had just struck his 3,000th major league hit and it launched a celebration throughout the stadium. Fans leaped with elation and waved signs in the air, teammates swarmed their hero as his family ran onto the field to join the celebration.  
It was a mountaintop experience for Craig. The season had begun in anticipation and now Craig celebrated the moment with as much elation as all of the rest. He danced from the embrace of his wife, to lift his daughter into his arms; he received hugs from teammates, and then he embraced his wife to begin the sequence over again. All the while the smile glowing from his face almost masked the tears of joy glistening in his eyes. A milestone had been reached and status in the Hall of Fame was virtually assured.
Mountaintop experiences don’t come very often though we constantly pursue goals like Craig’s. But some mountaintop experiences are unexpected. Imagine this one.
You are led to the top of a high mountain. The scenery there is majestic. You gaze below to see thatched rooftops and a checkerboard of barley fields. Above, there are a few clouds sprinkled into a clear blue sky. But as if the scene was not enough, there your leader stands; and before your very eyes his face begins to shine as bright as the sun in the sky and his clothes glow as brilliantly as light—whiter than you have ever seen.
Suddenly your leader is joined by two familiar figures. Although you have never seen them in your life, you recognize them as Moses and Elijah engaging in conversation with your leader. In dismay of what is before you, there comes a compelling need to do something for them—and then you hear a voice piercing from the sky that says, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (Matthew 17:5)
In terror you fall with your face to the ground only to hear the gentle voice of your Leader say, “Get up. Don’t be afraid.”  And when you raise your head, only your Leader is there. Like Peter, James and John, you witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus and the coming of his kingdom.
Now that is a mountaintop experience I would like to celebrate.
 
“You are the light of the world,”
Richard Ì


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