Today is the feast of the Transfiguration. Jesus takes 3 of his disciples up into the mountains, and when they get high up and out of sight, Jesus’ face shines dazzling white and alongside him, there appear Moses and Elijah, apparently in deep conversation with Jesus. And St Peter, always the one to rush in and blurt something out, says: “Lord, this is a most amazing moment…Could we stay a bit longer… perhaps we might even build little shelters for you, for Moses and for Elijah. Could we in some way prolong, even make permanent, this moment?

And as he speaks, they are all covered by a dark cloud, and a loud voice calls out, “This is my Son, my beloved!”...And they fall down on their faces in terror……..and when they look up again they find that it’s all gone, and there is just themselves, left there with Jesus.

At its heart, this is a story about Jesus, about the fact that he is not just some upstart who decided one day to make claims that he was divine. But rather that he is God’s anointed, God’s son, the one to whom Moses (representing the Jewish law) & Elijah (representing the prophets) were the warm up act, and whom they now reveal as the star.

But it is also a story of human religious experience, of how we deal with those special moments in our lives, when in some particular way God reaches through and there’s a strong sense of connectivity, of meaning, and of reality. It might have been a bit of music, it might be something that somebody said, it might be a beautiful view, or equally something unpleasant or shocking. …And something clicked, something somewhere deep down inside. And you wanted to say ‘Yes’ or ‘I’ve got it’ or just plain ‘Thank you’.

And like St Peter, James and John, we want to hang onto those moments, to bottle them. But as you reach out to get hold of it, … it is gone, and you’re back to your normal life; and you open your eyes, & it is all just plain normal stuff.

You can’t tie it down, you can’t bash it into shape, you can’t confine it, because it is borne of a God who is infinite and almighty; …and the minute you think you've got him bottled up, in a formula, in a theology, a liturgy or some nice sweet words, then you can be sure that he is going to pop out again somewhere else, in a way that is entirely unexpected.

And you are left with this amazing experience on one hand, this moment when you have been deeply moved, lifted up, when God has reached through and touched you, and you walked on air. And on the other side all the mess, all the ambiguity and perhaps the disappointments of everyday.

And that is the very heart of our faith, the very core of what it means to be a Christian. Because in Jesus Christ the Word was made flesh, God did speak directly to human beings, and walked among us, ….and the world was changed as a result. Religious experience did break through into everyday human life – and still does - and people's lives are changed.

Picture above - Transfiguration window, from the Taizé Community, France