Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor
Gregg DeMey 0:09
Good morning friends and welcome to Elmhurst CRC's daily dose of the Word of God. This is Gregg DeMey, Lead {astor at the church and Sunday is indeed coming. It's Friday, March 1st, it's the season of Lent and we are walking with Jesus.
Gregg DeMey 0:22
This week, we've been focused on Jesus' practice of prayer. Jesus had a rhythm of life that went back and forth between extraordinarily busy days and weeks of ministry, crowds, human needs healings - followed by a time of prayer and silence. Jesus knew how to practice a rhythm of work and Sabbath. One of the things that we've noticed from this week's Bible readings from Luke 9, is that when Jesus goes to prayer (on what will become the Mount of Transfiguration), things get revealed. And indeed, this is one of the truths of a life of prayer. When we go to God in prayer, things get revealed and become clearer.
Gregg DeMey 1:05
I want to mention a few things that become amazingly clear in Luke 9, First, Jesus identity is clearly revealed. Luke says, the appearance of his face changed. His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. In short, Jesus glory is revealed in this moment of prayer. Jesus looks like how he's described in Revelation chapter 1 - Jesus still fully human, still fully divine, but with more of his divinity shining through and even perceptible to Peter and James in John's eyes. Secondly, on the mountain in prayer, wisdom is revealed. That's evidenced and personified by the presence of Moses and Elijah coming alongside Jesus. Moses, the great leader of God's Old Testament people, and Elijah, the greatest of the prophets in the Old Testament. Third, Jesus next steps of obedience are revealed. Moses, Elijah and Jesus talked about his departure, as many translations put it. The actual Greek word here is Exodus - 5hey talked about Jesus Exodus, his upcoming journey to the cross into death and then out of death into the freedom of resurrection, life and Exodus into a resurrection. What better people to talk about that with then Moses (the man God used in the original Exodus) and Elijah (one of two figures in the Old Testament who the Bible teaches left planet Earth while still alive). And no one has been more fully alive than Jesus after Easter Sunday morning. And finally, in prayer on the Mount of Transfiguration, God's affirmation and approval of his son is revealed. God's voice speaks from the cloud on the mountain saying, "This is my son whom I have chosen, listen to him." So much gets revealed when we go to God in prayer.
Gregg DeMey 3:07
Let's pray. Oh God, we do trust that in the days and weeks ahead as we walk closely with Jesus, keep company with him and commit ourselves to prayer, we trust that we will know our Lord more deeply as your chosen son, our Savior. We want to listen to his words and deeds - help us Amen.