Daily Office Readings for Friday of the 6th Week of Easter: Year 1
Morning, Psalms 85 and 86; Evening, Psalms 91 and 92;
Ezekiel 1:28 to 3:3; Hebrews 4:14 to 5:6; Luke 9:28 to 36:
“Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him” (Luke 9:35)
Jesus went up to pray, a separate place to pray, and took only Peter, James and John , from all who were following him. We are informed that Jesus, Peter, James and John we then joined by Moses and Elijah from their own place in eternal life. And while there seems to be a separate conversation happening with Jesus, Moses and Elijah, all this brightness happens within the light of prayer, which is why Jesus went to this location in the first place. Let us not omit that there is a presence beyond the six figures atop the mountain. The very voice of God speaks to Peter, James and John saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen.”
This is the second time the voice of God proclaims our Lord Jesus as the pride of God. The voice of God says it the first time when Jesus comes up out of the water after being baptized by John in the river Jordan. There is a little bit of a difference this time however. In this Transfiguration reading, the words, “Listen to him,” has been added.
We must understand that, “Listen to him,” means to heed his commands and to do what he tells us. There is a barrier broken on this mountain top experience. Our Lord Jesus has taken them to another dimension of time and space. This moved Peter so much that he recalls the experience in his own written letters in our Bible where he says, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.” (2nd Peter 1: 16 to 18)
My beloved in the Lord, we can only pray, as we read these words, asking God to bend these dimensions once again within us, so that we too might receive deeper understanding about the realities of the kingdom of God. We too must find a quiet place to be alone with our Lord Jesus and witness His radiance. Let us ponder this in our Sabbath time tomorrow.
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia, Sudan, South Sudan, Israel, and our schools.
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done” (Genesis 2:1 and 2). So, for this evening and tomorrow day my friends, Shabbat Shalom.
What is Shabbat? Intro to the Jewish Sabbath – YouTube
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
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