Carrying the Light From the Mountain

Here we are once again at the Last Sunday of Epiphany. We know what that means—Lent has arrived. But why do we usher in the season of Lent with the Transfiguration story?

Because the light isn’t supposed to stay on top of that mountain.

Peter, James, and John go up a mountain and witness this extraordinary event—Jesus, transfigured before them, dazzling white, radiating light. This is the glory of God revealed, not reflected. Moses, when he came down from Mount Sinai, bore the radiance of God’s presence, but it was a reflection of glory, like the moon reflecting the sun. But here, on this mountain, we do not see a reflection. We see Christ himself, the source of the light, the very presence of God made visible.

There can be no doubt that Jesus is God after this event. And yet, as much as we are drawn to the splendor of this moment, the voice from the cloud directs our attention elsewhere. It does not say, “Look at him!” but rather, “Listen to him!”

This is the real call of the Transfiguration—not simply to behold Christ’s glory but to listen to him. And to listen, truly listen, is to enter into deep communion with God, to discern God’s will, and to respond in obedience.

This is where we find our connection to Moses. Moses ascended the mountain to converse with God, to discern God’s will, to receive the law that would guide his people. And what did he do when he came down? He carried that revelation into the world. He interceded for God’s people, he guided them, he upheld God’s law.

We, too, are called to go up the mountain in prayer—not to stay, but to be transformed. Lent invites us into that holy conversation. It calls us to make space to listen, to seek God's voice, to discern what God is asking of us. The disciplines of Lent—prayer, fasting, self-examination—are not ends in themselves. They are tools that sharpen our ability to hear. They attune us to the voice of Christ so that when we come down from the mountain, we are ready to follow him.

When Moses came down from the mountain, his face shone with reflected glory. When we come down from the mountain of prayer, we may not shine in dazzling white, but we are called to reflect Christ’s light in the world.

How do we do that?

By keeping God’s will, as Moses did. By living in obedience to Christ’s teaching. By becoming instruments of God’s love, mercy, and justice in the world. This is what listening leads to—not just hearing, but acting. The Transfiguration is not just about seeing Christ's divinity—it is about being changed by it.

And that change is meant to radiate outward.

Peter wanted to build tents and stay in that place of glory, but the light was never meant to remain on the mountaintop. It was always meant to go down into the world.

And so, we descend. We enter Lent. We turn our faces toward Jerusalem, just as Jesus did. The glory we glimpsed on the mountain does not disappear; it goes with us. It sustains us in the wilderness. It strengthens us for the road ahead.

But we must listen.

In these coming weeks, as we take up the practices of Lent, let us take seriously that call to listen to Christ. Let us be like Moses, seeking God in prayer, discerning God’s will, and keeping it—not for our own sake, but so that we may reflect God’s glory in the world.

Because the light is not meant to stay on the mountain. It is meant to shine through us.