Sermon Short for February 11th, 2018
Tell me the stories of Jesus – On the Mountain
2nd Kings 2:1-12, Mark 9:2-10
Something I remark upon from my travels to many countries 
is the reverence we give to high places. So many cities have a mountain or at least a very high hill that becomes a focal point for their community. Athens’ Acropolis, Quito’s El Panecillo, and Seoul’s Mt. Namsan. You can list a bunch more. We make a big deal out of big hills.
So does the Bible. Big hills are big deals. Moses gets the commandments on Mt. Horeb. Elijah gets his vision on the same hill. Mt. Olivet is where we find Jesus on the night of his betrayal. There are many other mountains in the Bible. They all bring us one step closer to God. Mountain-top experiences bridge the gap between God and us for a brief moment. But then we come back down and get to the work of real life.
This week’s reading of the Transfiguration is just such a story for Jesus and his close circle. These people witnessed a powerful and moving vision on the mountain. And when Peter suggested they set up camp to make this experience linger Jesus made it clear that it was not about that. They had to go back down and get on with the calling God had laid before them