Adult Object Lesson: The Transfiguration
The Magic of Prayer Is in the Listening
Luke 9:37-45
Today’s object is a magic wand.
You don’t have a magic wand? Use any kind of pointer, stick or even a straw. Remember, it’s magic!
Today’s gospel tells the story that has come to be known as the Transfiguration.
Four men (Jesus, Peter, James and John) climb a mountain to pray. Suddenly, there are six men!
It has all the trappings of a magic show. People appear from nowhere. People disappear. There are clouds obscuring their vision and brilliant lights to direct the eye.
Keep in mind that Peter, James and John climb the mountain with the knowledge of Moses and the stories told of his mountaintop encounters with God. When Moses and Elijah appear, it may be to them as if they are experiencing history. We might liken it to suddenly seeing Abraham Lincoln and George Washington on the podium on Inauguration Day.
Climbing a mountain to pray is nothing new. Moses had a habit of climbing a mountain when he wanted to talk to God, too.
The experience was a bit ho-hum at first.
While Jesus was praying the three disciples were fighting sleep. Seems like this is a recurring temptation for them. They sleep in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Peter later falls asleep while praying on a rooftop.
That prayer is a challenge is nothing new. We want to talk to God. We hope to listen to God, but when given the opportunity, we feel inadequate. We fall asleep. An escape!
Talking to God is daunting.
But on this particular day, the three disciples were to experience the profound. What they were about to see was so like magic that they dared not talk about it until after the death and resurrection of Jesus.
(Wave your magic wand dramatically as you retell the story.)
They saw Jesus transform. Presto!
He became like light itself. They had heard about this. It had happened to Moses. The great and powerful Moses. The giver of the Law.
Speaking of Moses . . . there he is. He appears with Elijah, the prophet, no stranger to magical occurrences.
Abracadabra! They are here. Presto! They are gone.
The disciples are left listening to God. And what does God say?
“This is my Son. Listen to him.”
The Bible texts which follow this story reveal that Jesus is growing impatient with his disciples and their inability to make connections between what he teaches them and how they should apply his teachings.
The magical part of prayer isn’t so much in how we speak to God. It’s in listening to God speak to us. Elaborate on this.
Presto!