Are You Listening?

Transfiguration A

A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” Luke 9:35

God’s voice from the cloud interrupts Pete’s reaction to Christ’s Transfiguration. Moses and Elijah have appeared with Jesus on the mountain. Peter is not only amazed – he wants to stay. He suggests building shelters and staying up on the mountain. While he is saying this, the cloud appears and the voice speaks.

If you read the text, you’ll see that the cloud appears quite suddenly. It doesn’t just show up, it arrives as an interruption to Peter’s comments. God cuts him off, almost like there is no patience for such foolishness.

While we almost all long for some sort of mystical encounter with God, something like the Transfiguration, we also almost all want to stay in charge of our lives. We like being independent.

This call to Peter also comes to us. When we want to simply lift up our own ideas it is a good reminder to be quiet for a bit and listen to Jesus. Often our first instinct, like Peter’s, are not helpful. Often the noise of the crowd and what everyone wants is not what God wants.

All of us would do well to take the advice from the cloud. Martin Luther understood that when we are claimed by Christ, he not only redeems us but also guides us. Our live are best lived out, not by doing or saying the first things that pop into our heads, but by listening to Jesus and being obedient to his call.

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