I have heard it said that Celtic Christians speak of “thin places.” Thin places are places in this world where contact with the holy seems easy. Some of these thin places become pilgrimage goals for the faithful, others are known just by only a few, and others seem to be special places for one time only.
The gospel passages describing the Transfiguration of Christ (Mark 9, Matthew 17, Luke 9) depict what is perhaps the ultimate in “thin place” experiences. Peter, James and John accompany Jesus up a mountain to pray. In that lonely place they suddenly see Jesus with new eyes. Instead of the Jesus as just one more man with dirty feet, they see the divine Jesus positively glowing with the glory of God. What’s more, they also experience Jesus as in visible communion with the sources behind the Law and the Prophets.
I believe that this is one small piece of what worship is about. Worship is about declaring that this finite world in which we live is also a place in which the full glory of God is present among us. Worship uses liturgy, art, Word, sacrament and fellowship to proclaim this truth of communion-with-God-in-this-world, and also to orchestrate opportunities for worship to sometimes turn into an actual experience of the thin places of this world.
In my personal experience, corporate worship does sometimes (though rarely) succeed in becoming such a thin place experience. Yet, even when worship seems boring and repetitive, I believe the to be tremendously important. Participating in worship proclaims a truth that is always present, but that some only rarely experience—that though we live in a creation that hurts and struggle and must pass away, we also live in the presence of, and in relationship with, the Holy One, and are surrounded by God’s grace and glory; even if we don’t know it. There is great wonder to be found in this creation, and we need to recognize and celebrate that truth. Worship is an intentional effort at recognizing and celebrating the Holy.
Besides understanding worship, there is another aspect of this passage that I love. I find it fascinating that in the very moment when the disciples experienced the power and glory of God in Jesus, the words that the Voice of the Lord spoke were the same words that were s[plem when Jesus was baptized. The same voice spoke the same words at Jesus’ all-too-human baptism and at his all-so-divine transfiguration: “This is my (God’s) Son, whom I Love.”
On the other hand, at Jesus’ transfiguration the Voice added, “Listen to him.”
I suppose I am a Christian and a minister to some degree because of those moments in which I have experienced great awe and wonder in glimpses of the divine. I truth, those moments are precious. They somehow manage to transcend the routines and drudgery that are make up so much of life. Yet, I must admit that only a very small part of my life has been filled with such wonder.
Even so, because I have glimpsed God’s glory, and just as important, because liturgy and true Christian community keep proclaiming that reality even in the dry times and even in the painful times of my life, I have found that I am fed by this holiness and glory—and the potential that this glory holds for all—both in good times and in bad. In my life, and I believe in the lives of most people of faith, I/we continue living the way I/we do out of faith, not sight.
However, having said that, I also believe that this awareness of the divine power and glory of God creates certain challenges for people living out of hope. First, we need to be continually striving to proclaim what is true, namely the truth of this reality of God’s grace and glory all the time by what we do and say. Consistency is important.
Second, we need to be careful in how we proclaim such things. I sometimes find it tempting to “force” the message by pretending to have wonderful experiences in moments that are not “thin place” moments. It is tempting to buy into the idea that I ought to “look holy” or others will lose the message, or to believe that if I act holy enough I will experience these special moments. These temptations have nothing to do with reality, or with what honors God.
But most importantly, I find that this passage encourages me to stay the course and work for healing, justice and reconciliation in this broken world even when I am feeling overwhelmed by this world’s troubles. I believe this is the deepest teaching of the passage. After all, Jesus does not let the disciples stay at the “thin place” on top of the mountain. Instead, he insists that they accompany him back down the mountain, where they immediately find people suffering physically, spiritually, and socially. And so they wade into the struggles of life once more.
This is the essence of hope. Not that we always (or even normally) feel holy ecstasy, or even great emotional confidence. The essence of hope is based on glimpsing what is true beyond the immediate troubles and, living out of that reality, to participate in God’s work of addressing the bad news of this world with the good news of God.
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