Transfigured

Friday is the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. God the Father gave a taste to come of the glory Christ would have. Jesus' day was not here yet however so the transfiguration came and went without fanfare because Jesus swore secrecy to Peter, James, and John who had been the only earthly witnesses.

We all know that the real story of the book of Revelation is that Jesus wins. We are all waiting for that final victory and it seems like it will never come, especially with what we all witness in the world. I remember a 1993 football playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Oilers. Houston took a 35-3 lead into halftime with them. Buffalo had lost their starting quarterback, linebacker, and the star running back was not 100%. It was not a recipe for victory. Miracle of miracles...Buffalo wins that game 41-38 in overtime.

We could go back and watch that game now...I'm sure it is some place on the Internet. We could watch it and know the final outcome just like we know our final outcome as Christians...Jesus will win. I think this game is also a metaphor for our Christian lives. We watch life and sometimes the brutality of it and the feeling in our stomachs that we can't possibly believe this will turn out right. We are down 35- 3 with little time remaining. God gave the early Christians a pep talk with the story and actuality of the Transfiguration at halftime. It is our faith that gives us hope that Jesus will win and everything will be alright. The Transfiguration and the Resurrection are our certain hope of Christ's final victory. We will get slapped around in life because we dug a deep hole for ourselves. We may be losing, but we are coming back, and it God who will provide victory and Christ who will lead the way. We are down but the outcome has no doubt. We lift ourselves up with this hope and continue to play hard.