For us in NZ, we are at the back end of the Covid shut down, and the whole process has put us through a reasonable amount of trauma as a nation, and we yet haven’t seen the back end of it.  Economic experts are warning of a financial tsunami yet to hit.  But hardship is nothing to what other countries are currently experiencing.

As I write this, the US is not only experiencing Covid with the highest numbers of deaths of any country in the world but also social unrest, a double wammy.  The UK is relaxing social isolation rules while its medical experts are warning of a second more severe wave.  Added to this is China using the world situation to flex its muscles.  I would not be surprised if these happenings are but beginnings, not endings.  Does it make you think when everything is boiled down, what really matters?

In Luke 9, Jesus took Peter, John, and James up to a mountain to pray.  Usually the mention of pray subconsciously invokes “eck boring!”  But then we wouldn’t say that.  For Peter, John, and James boring is not what began to happen next.  Jesus’ clothes became dazzling white while the appearance of his face changed.   Then two OT heavy weights, Moses and Elijah showed up. Those two people represented the totality of God’s revelation to humanity to that time, the law and the prophets.  You could say, it wasn’t going to be a boring prayer meeting.   Peter the one who said what everyone else thought blurted out, “Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials; we also do it, all the way from books to cathedrals.  For Peter, what a way to put the icing on the cake of spiritual encounter.  It was almost a thousand years since anyone in Israel had been in the living presence of Moses or Elijah.  Some prayer meeting huh! It had gone on for a long time, and Jesus had said nothing about the men falling asleep, but now it was time to go back down the mountain.   “Hey Jesus, we’ve got our fill, we’re happy.  Let’s go home.”  It might come as a surprise, but God doesn’t run to our agenda’, “… even as he was saying this, a cloud overshadowed them, and terror gripped them as the cloud covered them.”  The prayer meeting excitement level just went up a couple of notches, these guys were packing themselves, and it just kept getting worse.  You think Covid is bad, with the possibility of death, these guys were dealing with one who determines eternal destiny beyond death, and it just kept on getting worse.  “A voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him” (Lk 9:35).   Then as quickly as the situation had ramped up, it stopped. “When the voice finished, Jesus was there alone (Lk 9:36).

It says to me, no matter what the situation, no what voices are dominating the air space, no matter what the spirituality, Jesus voice is the one we need to listen to.  With all the drama going on around us now, who will be there in the end?  Logic for me says, Jesus will have the final say, he will be there in the end.  Why not save my-self/yourself all the drama of working it out, make him a priority now?  With him my/your soul will be in the safe zone.

Den