It is good for us to be here...

Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here…” (Matthew 17:1-4)

In his book, This Sunrise of Wonder, Michael Mayne writes this to his grandchildren: “If I could have waved a fairy grandfather’s wand at your birth and wished upon you just one gift it would not have been beauty or riches or a long life: It would have been the gift of wonder.”(1) He goes on to suggest that they set their sights not on success, but wonder. They should live with a sense of awe. Perhaps that is what Jesus is trying to help his disciples experience by giving them a glimpse of his glory. Jesus is trying to give the disciples the gift of wonder, a sense of awe.

In the Bible story above, notice what Jesus did to help create the experience of the Transfiguration for his disciples. Jesus took Peter, James and John away by themselves. Jesus set them apart to focus their attention on what God would reveal to them. On that holy ground they were given a glimpse of Jesus’ majesty and they heard the testimony of God Himself of who Jesus was. Peter, in his excitement, exclaimed: “Lord, it is good for us to be here!” I think that was an understatement!

Jesus is God’s Son, who reveals the character and the ways of God. God urges us to pay attention to him. God is willing to reveal who Jesus is to us. Worship is one of the primary experiences God has put in our path to see and hear who Jesus is. Worship is a set apart time where God calls us to be with Jesus…to see him and to listen to him.

One of the temptations of our spiritual journey is to take our opportunities to see and hear Jesus too lightly. Worship can start feeling too familiar, too rote. We lose that sense of being set apart…we lose that anticipation that we are coming to meet Jesus and to express to Him our love and our need for him. We lose that sense of “It is good for us to be here.” When you take opportunities to worship too lightly…you may very well miss being awed by Jesus.

In these weeks that mark the approach to Easter, I encourage you to take time to set yourself apart with God’s people for worship. The testimony of scripture is quite clear: People of God need worship to be humbled, refreshed and invigorated. People of God need worship to capture glimpses of God and catch God’s vision for their lives. You and I need worship to keep our sense of wonder at the power, love and mercy of God. You will find, when worshiping with your brothers and sisters in Christ, that it is truly good for you to be there!

(1)Mayne, Michael. This Sunrise of Wonder. London: Fount Paperbacks, 1995, p. 11.