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One foot in front of the other – keep moving – hand over fist – you can do it. This was the mantra repeated as we climbed the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail towards the summit of Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast. The goal was to get to the top so that I could tell myself, “I made it!” The incentive was to buy a T-shirt that said, “This Body Climbed Mount Washington”.  Seriously, I climbed—up—those 7 hours with the hope of experiencing God with every step and with the hope of being awed by a view of God’s grandeur.

It was a long journey up. Each milestone achieved engendered a wondrous a sense of accomplishment. Relief and pride delighted every fiber in my being when we reached the Lake of the Clouds Hut, the most popular and highest hut on the mountain. It was just 250 feet short of one mile above sea level. We were now at the base of the summit –two-thirds of the hike completed. Just a little bit more, we thought… We will arrive at our destination, we determined.

To this point, the steep trail upward was much like a dirt path softened by pine needles, maples leaves and small stones like gravel.  The remainder of the climb was rock on rock, boulder on boulder. The trail was now marked cairns—piles of rocks – rather than paint swatches on sides of trees.  “Just over there,” was the sight of a mountain peak, its appearance granting us energy to keep going. That is until we saw another peak just ahead. Later on, we discovered those seven peaks were merely a staircase leading us towards the ultimate goal of the summit. “There is it!” one of us had said. “Nope, keep going” another would encourage.

The actual summit was amazing, simply amazing. The view was vast and memorable. The August temperature of 45-40 degrees was manageable however, Weather conditions were erratic as three major storm tracks, the Northern Pacific, the Southern Atlantic and the Gulf Region converged. In just a short while we experienced rain and snow and a moment of fierce wind. While the summit was crowded with tourists who came by bus, train and cars, clamoring to have their picture taken next to the sign which announced the height of the mountain, the busyness of vacationed agendas quickly faded to the background. All we could see was beauty. There was no denying God’s presence; no denying God’s dazzling Glory.

Mountains are favorite places for God to meet with people.  Moses, Abraham and Jesus go up onto the mountain when they want to be close to God. For them, on the mountain with God was a time of solitude—a time to ponder, to think, to pray.  We too go have special places we like to go in order to think and to pray. Sometimes that is a special room in our homes or the meditation room in our church. And sometimes we need to find a mountain to climb or a mountain to view from the valley to sort through the journey to sort out lives.  In each of these places we come face to face, soul to soul with God.  There we discover again and again, that God on our mountains, those times filled with hope and joy, is still God in our valleys, those times filled with sorrow and despair.  In all of life’s journey, God is still God.

Six days after Jesus told the disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo suffering and death; he took with him Peter, James and John up a high mountain apart by themselves. There, Jesus was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white, such that no one could bleach them. And there, in front of them was also Moses and Elijah talking to Jesus.

Peter, James and John were amazed—awestruck. In just a few moments, they experience a convergence of three streams of divine intervention, Moses and the law, Elijah and prophetic hope and Jesus—God with us—three strands of God’s love, God’s saving grace, stand before them and they are breathless.  Peter, our beloved and perplexing brother, wants to make this moment of glory permanent, to keep this experience high up on his mountaintop, by building booths or tents for each of them. The flash of brilliant, blinding revelation illumines who Jesus is and there is no denying it. And there is no denying Jesus’ words about his coming suffering death and resurrection.  This moment of brilliance will sustain each of the three as they journey with Jesus towards the cross.

Oh how we long to hang on to Christmas and Epiphany—that time of joy at the birth of the baby Jesus, that time filled excitement and exuberance when recognizing who and how many traveled by foot, camel and donkey to the place where Jesus was born. There we get a snapshot of what they would announce to their own when they returned home. Many times, like Peter, we want to make the image of joy and love at Christ’s birth permanent—absent from all other parts of his life’s journey.  But we cannot.

Today is Transfiguration Day.  It is a day for us to once again recognize the brilliance of Jesus’ light and life in our midst promising each of us life in abundance eternally.  It is also a turning point.  Today, our journey through the church year veers us in new direction.  Beginning Wednesday, we begin to climb through the season of Lent, a season where we too journey with Jesus towards the cross. With gratitude and grace, we travel this journey with our eye on Easter.  Reflection, exploration, discipline, contemplation and transformation are the stair steps to the summit.

The hike down Mount Washington required a great deal of effort! The weather shifted several times during the first third of way to the parking lot. Every step was to be intentional, different muscles were now in use; my toes kept slipping to the front of my shoe, blisters formed. At one point I could hear cars in a distance and I was certain we were almost there. No, our son said, we have another 5 miles to go.  The sound of the car motors from a distance was simply echoing off the mountainside. I complained a bit, but decided to put my frustrations and worry down and then returned to a prayer-focused journey.  Our arrival at the park lot was like arriving at church-it was time to sing and give thanks.

During the season of Lent, we are invited to come down the mountain with purpose and intention. Like James, Peter and John we are asked to know who Jesus is. Together they walked beside Jesus, sometimes with joy and anticipation, other times with angst and impatience and discouragement. But still they journeyed. We are reminded that we too must put down whatever is needed for us to follow Jesus. We can embrace moments of when we recognize God’s divine intervention—moments of transformation, but we cannot hang onto them in a way that does not allow God’s light to continually guide our life.

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