Dear friends in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Encouragement comes in many ways—perhaps from a song, a Bible verse, the nod of a friend, a heart-shaped rock, the sky at sunset, and I would dare say through prayer. And we all need encouragement – whether we’re young or old, or somewhere in between.  Even Olympic athletes need encouragement.

Pierre de Coubertin, considered the founder of the modern Olympic movement, adopted three words as the Olympic motto. Citius. Altius. Fortius.  Translated from Greek, the motto stands for: Faster. Higher. Stronger.  But in the case of Eric Moussambani, who made his lone Olympic appearance at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia, another motto would have been more appropriate: Slow. Slower. Slowest.  Eric Moussambani of Equatorial Guinea was an unlikely hero of the 2000 Olympics.  The 22-year-old African had only learned to swim a few months before the Olympics, and had only trained in a 20 meter hotel swimming pool without lane markers.  He had never even seen an olympic size pool before arriving in Sydney, nor had he  raced more than 50 meters.  Moussambani had gained entry to the Olympics via a wildcard draw designed by the International Olympic Committee to encourage participation from developing countries lacking full training facilities. Dutch free style swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband won the gold medal in a time of 48.30 seconds, while Moussambani took more than twice that time to finish.

There were two other swimmers in Mousambanni’s heat, but they were disqualified because of false starts forcing Moussambani to swim alone. With ten meters left to the wall, he virtually came to a stop. Some spectators thought he might drown. The capacity crowd in the bleachers got on their feet and cheered the swimmer on. Eventually, the African reached the wall and hung on for dear life. When he had finally caught his breath and regained his composure, the French-speaking Moussambani said through an interpreter, “I want to send hugs and kisses to the crowd. It was their cheering that kept me going.”  Yes, encouragement comes in all forms- including the roar of the crowd.

The story of Jesus’ transfiguration is one of the most poignant stories of encouragement in the Bible. The question is simply; for whom is the encouragement intended?

Just before this morning’s reading from St. Luke’s gospel, Jesus announced to his disciples that it would not be long before the Son of Man would suffer at the hands of his enemies, and be put to death. Yes, Jesus knew what lay ahead of him in the very near future. He knew that in Jerusalem he would face wickedness head on. Now eight days later after he had spoken these words, Jesus led Peter, James and John up the mountain to pray. While he was praying, and while the three disciples were struggling to stay awake, Jesus was suddenly met by two figures. Moses and Elijah, and the whole appearance of Jesus changed into dazzling brilliance. As the disciples looked on in amazement, Jesus, Moses and Elijah discussed together what was about to unfold in Jerusalem and how Jesus himself would leave this earth in his own exodus.

How encouraging this moment must have been to Jesus.  After all, even though in that moment, he truly seen as divine, he was also still truly human. He experienced the same joys and fears that we do.  He had questions and doubts and the physical limitations of pain.  How encouraging it must have been to hear their words of counsel from Moses and Elijah, and how comforting reassuring to hear the voice of his own father say, “This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him.”

But I don’t believe this scene on the mountain peak was intended for Jesus only. It was an occasion that offered clarity and encouragement to the disciples who were closest to him as well.  Seeing Jesus transfigured before them and glowing with dazzling brightness, overwhelmed them. Hearing Elijah and Moses, the voices of the past speaking to Jesus of the future, certainly inspired them.  They might not have understood what was to happen or why, but for that brief moment on the mountaintop they recognized who Jesus was, the Son of God..  Yes, in that brief moment, they knew that no matter what happened on their journey to Jerusalem, that God was in command and all would come to pass according to his plan.

How significant was that moment of clarity for the disciples?  Peter wanted so desperately to hang on to that holy moment, “Master, it is good for us to be here, “and  he offered to build a shrine to the three. But then, a thick cloud engulfed the mountain and when the cloud lifted, Jesus and Peter and James and John were the only ones left. They descended the mountain in silence.  The transfiguration ended as abruptly as it had begun, but the three disciples remembered that one fleeting moment and they clung to it.

They would need it for the journey. These three were the same disciples, who would see Jesus sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane; they would see him arrested, beaten and left to die as well.  They would see the worst happen to him, but in that moment of his transfiguration, Jesus was offering them a glimpse of his very best.  He was unveiling for them what the resurrection would look like. He was revealing to them what eternal life and God’s glory looked like- and not even his impending death could rob them of Jesus’ dignity and nobility.

That my friends, is the encouragement that God wants to offer you as well. God does not want you to lose sight of his purpose for humanity in this world.   Your prayers may not bring immediate healing to those you love, nor may your actions bring peace to war torn nations, or harmony to broken relationships. But in the gifts of prayer, scripture. meditation and mutual consolation, God allows you to experience what the disciples glimpsed on the mountaintop with Jesus, that God is ultimately in command. Regardless of what the future brings to your life, and regardless of how wonderful or awful events may unfold, God is there to encourage you to be of good courage and to follow Jesus and him only, “This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him.”

Peter, James and John would encounter the world’s discouragement and frustration. again and again, but they would not forget the encouragement they received at Jesus’ transfiguration.  James would be the first of the 12 apostles martyred for his faith in Jerusalem. Peter’s  death in Rome is traditionally dated during the persecution of the Christians that followed Nero’s fire in the summer of A.D. 64.  The blame for that fire was shifted onto the Christians of the city, along with their obvious leader, Peter, the chief of the apostles. John watched from afar as his brother in faith were persecuted for their conviction. But before Peter died, he wrote in his epistle of the encouraging power of the Jesus’ transfiguration on his life.  He was greatly discouraged, but he did not lose hope in preparing for his own departure, and so he dared to write, “We ourselves heard this voice come heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.  So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed.  You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

My friends, let the mystery of Jesus’ transfiguration remain with you as you make sense of your own dark valleys. For it is in that mystery that God encourages us with his patience, hope and confidence and the assurance that he will never leave you. And trust that God has a why for your life that may not yet have been revealed.  God will do all things in his time.  In the meantime, walk through the valleys patiently and purposefully and listen to Jesus., and to him only.  Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.