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Karen Hollis | Feb 15, 2026 Epiphany 5
Peter to Philip 3:1 Then a great light appeared so that the mountain gleamed from the sight of the one who appeared. And a voice called out to them, saying, “Listen to my words that I might speak to you. Why are you seeking me? I am Jesus Christ who is with you forever.”
Matthew 17:1-9 Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground. Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” And when they looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus. As they went back down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be reflections of your word to us today, in Christ’s name we pray. Amen
I was processing the events of this week a few days ago and suddenly realized that I wasn’t really ok. I stopped and I cried for the kids, parents, families, the lgbtq++ community, people who are in unimaginable pain, for Canada and the world, and everyone who has thought, ‘oh, not here, too’ . . . and then gathered myself to continue with the day. Sometimes we need to take a moment, you know. When we are faced with a tragedy that impacts so many cross sections of society and causes us to see the present differently, sometimes we need a moment to be with what’s happening and remember that we’re not alone.
The author of Peter’s letter to Philip knew something of this need. They present the reality of persecution of the apostles or ambassadors, as we learned last week, wondering how those sent out in Jesus’ name can possibly match the powers that are against them. United in their approach to ministry, Peter and Philip take a moment . . . and go to the Mount of Olives, a place set apart from the dailyness of life . . . and they pray: “Father, Father, Father of the light, who has immortality, hear us, just as you have delighted in your holy Child, Jesus Christ. For he became for us a light-giver in the darkness. Please hear us.” And they prayed again, saying: “Child of life, Child of deathlessness, who dwells in the light; the Child, Christ of deathlessness, our rescuer, give us your power for they seek to kill us.” Then, as we heard, “a great light appeared so that the mountain gleamed from the sight of the one who appeared. And a voice called out to them, saying, ‘Listen to my words that I might speak to you. Why are you seeking me? I am Jesus Christ who is with you forever.’” Jesus appears in his fullness and reminds them that they are not alone in their struggles.
In a way, Jesus is not only appearing to Peter and Philip, but is appearing through the text, somewhere beyond time . . . to the author, to the early communities who read it (who often experienced persecution), to us and those who will come after us. The stories, themselves, are a link between the past, present, and future. Many authors of scripture draw on this cyclical concept of time to frame new experiences in terms of important events from the past . . . in this case, from Hebrew and early Christian texts into a new story.
Time fades on the Mountain, where the resurrected Christ appears to the ambassadors, and two scenes are layered with this one: the time when human Jesus gathered his disciples, there at the Mount of Olives, just before he was arrested, and also the transfiguration, where Jesus’ fullness is first revealed. The transfiguration invites in a third image from the Hebrew scriptures, this time, of Moses on the mountain with God. All of these images exist together for us as Peter’s letter unfolds.
Time fades as the light shines through the veil of this thin place on the mountain, while Peter and Philip appear to be nearly blinded by the light of Jesus’ presence. Perhaps in that moment Peter remembers the time Jesus led him and the other disciples up the mountain to see Jesus’ appearance transfigured before them, not his essence, but his appearance – the disciples are invited to come and see Jesus’ full self. This glimpse through the veil is reminiscent of Moses’ face glowing with light after his own encounter with God up on the mountain.
Time fades as the resurrected Jesus speaks to the two ambassadors: “listen to my words that I may speak to you.” His words echo the words spoken by God out of the bright cloud at the transfiguration, saying: “This is my dearly loved Son . . . Listen to him.” “Listen to my words” . . . “listen to him.” Yeah, got it. Seems clear. After all, our tradition lifts up Jesus as God’s word here on earth. You want to know about God? Watch Jesus’ actions, listen to what he says . . . there you will learn about God, how we can bring God into the centre of our lives, and bring God’s kindom here.
Time fades as the presence of the resurrected Jesus appears in response to Peter and Philip’s prayer, and reminds them: you don’t have to search for me . . . I am with you forever. The resurrected Jesus claims to be with those who seek relationship with him. I don’t think this is intended to be an exclusive club . . . it’s more about intentionality. We are in charge of our lives; we can turn ourselves toward Jesus or nature or Buddha – we have free will. Watch out for the Holy Spirit, though – she’s a wild one. You never know when she’s going to show up. Anyway . . . if we want Jesus in our lives, he will be there. I also think it’s bigger than Jesus. At the transfiguration, Moses and Elijah slip through the veil and talk with Jesus, about what, we can only imagine. They are among Jesus’ ancestors in faith and they are present with him. They show up for Jesus while he is living his human life. Today, it’s often indigenous people who teach us about ancestors and the relationships that continue even through the veil. Those who have gone before us know what it’s like to be human – the beauty and the ache of the whole experience. Surely, they have wisdom to share or support they can give. And we see Jesus’ relationship with them as an example.
Time is a funny thing . . . it moves like lightening and like molasses. It can run our lives and disappear entirely. In these days that just break our hearts and cause devastating shifts in perspective, we might consider strategies for keeping ourselves grounded. One option is thinking like a disciple. What did the voices say? Listen to Jesus? Listen to him. Maybe find a teaching that meets you where you are and listen to it. Take a moment set apart from your daily life, allow time to fade, and listen. Remember: if you want Jesus to be with you, he is. He’s already there, he’s there forever. And he’s not the only one. Your community spans from all of us still in human form, to our ancestors. While I don’t think any the wisdom we need will come from any single source, we have a huge amount of wisdom and experience among us, and we will find our way together.
I invite you now to do some reflecting of your own and responding to the word we have lifted up among us.
Light Candles and Rocks in Water
Anointing for Healing
Teachings of Jesus – take a card.
Breath Prayer –
Inhale: God of all beauty;
Exhale: open me to wonder
(another idea)
Inhale: Healer, Exhale: heal us.
For Reflection:
Reflect on a mountaintop experience and what was revealed to you in that encounter.
Of your ancestors (in faith, life, and family), who do you feel most connected to and what do you need from them?
We’ll be here for about 8 min, this time is yours