"A Mountain Of Emotions"

Mark 9:2-9

“A Mountain of Emotions”

This past Wednesday afternoon, approximately 20 Christians from about 4 different churches began making preparations for our first week of East Ridge Cares—where we pick up children from the Superior Creek Lodge down the street and bring them to the church for tutoring, mentoring, games, music, and then to feed them dinner.

I was a little bit nervous, and I think Marcy and some of the others were as well.

We had seen God’s Vision for this.

We had heard God’s call.

We had done a lot of preparation, a lot of work.

We had a lot of volunteers who had seen the vision as well.

What if no children showed up?

What if it was all a bust?

Throughout the day we kept telling one another, “If we don’t have any children the first Wednesday—don’t worry about it—we will keep doing this until we do!”

When the time came someone from Christ United Methodist Church and I drove the church van to the hotel where there were no children waiting in the lobby—even though 5 had signed up for the program.

I asked the receptionist if I could use the hotel phone to call the rooms where the children lived.

One family no longer lives at the lodge.

Another phone just rang and rang and rang.

Finally, a mother with two children showed up.

Then, other children, who had not previously signed up began to come, and we hurriedly had parents filling out consent forms.

The children were so eager to go, and the parents were friendly, thankful and excited that some folks cared enough to transport their children who (they know) live in dangerous conditions to a “church” program, if even for a few hours.

We filled the van with 8 little tikes and headed to the church.

It was an awesome day!!!

The kids had an amazing time, and I think you folks who volunteered had an even better time.

Now it looks like we will probably have 20, 30, maybe 40 kids coming within the next few weeks!!!

And our Faithful God only knows where we will go from there!!!

Lives are being changed for Christ, and by Christ—through YOU—Christ’s people!!!

All the worrying we had done was for nothing.

For when God gives a vision and a calling—God is faithful to carry it out!!!

You know, God is faithful no matter what!!!

I think an amazing theme from today’s passage of Scripture is the clear evidence of God’s faithfulness!!!

God has not and will not leave God’s people without guidance, without help, without hope—ever!!!

From Moses to Elijah to Daniel to Jesus God’s faithfulness shines through!!!

It’s interesting, six days before Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain…

…Jesus had asked His disciples a very key question.

In Mark 8:27 Jesus asked them, “Who do people say that I am?”

After they named a number of great prophets and people of the faith, He asked them again, “And what about you? Who do you say that I am?”

It was Peter who answered for the group, “You are the Christ.”

After this, Matthew records Jesus saying, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.”

In other words, God had given Peter special insight into Who Jesus was!!!

God had given Peter a vision.

God had revealed the true identity of God’s Son to Peter.

And that is the way it always is.

It is God Who reveals God’s self to us.

It is God Who pursues us.

It is God Who calls us.

It is God Who gives us faith to believe…the very faith that saves us!!!

That’s how much we are loved!!!

That is how faithful our God is!!!

Anyhow, back to Mark.

After Peter made the profession that Jesus is God’s Messiah, we are told that Jesus “began to teach his disciples” that He must be “killed, and then, after three days, rise from the dead.”

Of course, the disciples were horrified!!!

They didn’t know what to make of this.

How could this be?

God had revealed to them that Jesus was the Christ…

…now the Christ is telling them that He is going to be killed?!!!

Then, we enter today’s Lesson.

“Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and brought them to the top of a very high mountain…”

Jesus “was transformed in front of them, and his clothes were amazingly bright, brighter than if they had been bleached white…”

And, “Elijah and Moses appeared and were talking with Jesus.”

Could it be that this was for the benefit of Jesus’ beloved disciples, whom God had revealed God’s self too?

Could it be that, in giving the disciples a vision and a call—God was reassuring the disciples that even though Jesus was going to suffer many things, Jesus was indeed the One Whom God had revealed Jesus to be?