God Sightings – Sharing Mountaintop Experiences
/This coming Sunday the gospel reading is the Transfiguration, when Jesus went up on a mountain with Peter, James and John and He became dazzling white and then Moses and Elijah joined them. Peter wanted to build permanent dwellings for the “Big 3”, but was overshadowed by God declaring loudly, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with Him I am well pleased; listen to Him!” Jesus then tells the shaken Peter, James and John to not be afraid and to also not tell anyone about this event until He has been raised from the dead.
I can’t imagine how hard it was for Peter, James and John to not breathe a word of this life-changing experience to anyone else. Perhaps they didn’t manage to keep it a secret from the other disciples. We don’t know. But we do have this powerful story of their not only meeting their heroes of the Jewish faith, Moses and Elijah, but also hearing God’s audible voice, and seeing Jesus reflecting God’s glory.
Now that Jesus is risen, we have nothing to hold us back from sharing our experiences of God. A woman just last week shared her personal healing story with me, which she completely attributes to God. It was holy ground and a blessing to hear. As followers, we’re called to witness, to tell our stories of how God has uniquely touched and transformed us. And yet, it can still be a challenge when we fear rejection or even discrimination. How do we make testimony a bigger part of our lives, in honour of the place Christ holds for us, and how do we model it for our kids? Consider the following:
1. Know and own your story and make the decision to share at least part of how God has shaped you. Start with someone you know who you feel comfortable with and give voice to your experience. Writing down what happened and sharing it in an e-mail may be easier for some. The more we do something, the easier it usually becomes. After this initial experience, pray about who else may need to hear your story and listen for when God is nudging you to take the opportunity to share.
2. Within your faith community, find out about and/or create opportunities to share faith stories. We all benefit from hearing how God has worked in others’ lives and God is praised through this telling. Perhaps during announcements or the collection of the offering or at another time in worship, there could be opportunity to share. This may be just once in a while and as the Spirit moves people. Or have a campfire or storytelling night where people can come and share with the community. Articles in your newsletter or on your website or facebook page may be another option.
3. I liked how a VBS curriculum made a big deal of “God Sightings”. It suggested not only having learners sharing in small groups where they have seen God, but also creating a large bulletin board where short or long stories or photos or drawings allowed people to share how they have noticed God present and at work. This could easily be set up for contributions from the whole congregation in a high traffic area.
4. Encourage families to share with each other at home and to become more comfortable with talking about their faith. Making a ritual of talking about where everyone has seen God during the day, either at mealtime or bedtime or in the car, can open us up to becoming more sensitive to God in our lives. A simple handout could be sent home with parents with questions to ask to begin the conversation, i.e. What was the best thing about today? Where did you see someone showing God’s love? Was there a time when you felt God helped you today? How did God’s love show through you today?
5. Smaller groups and one on one are often the best and most comfortable places to share. Till the soil for learners to feel comfortable for this kind of sharing by finding examples of people’s stories whose lives were changed by God. People from the congregation may be more comfortable sharing some of their faith journey with a Sunday school class than the whole congregation. Or give older learners a specific question to ask people at coffee time each week (prepare the congregation that this will be happening), i.e. Where did you see God this week? Who has shown God to you? When do you feel closest to Jesus?
The world, particularly in these challenging days, needs the hope and grace and reassurance that God provides. When we take the time to remember God’s faithfulness and presence and mighty acts of mercy and love in our lives, we not only strengthen the community around us, but also ourselves. We may also be able to lead people who are seeking that hope and stability to experience Jesus for the first time. Let’s grow and nurture our family to the glory of God!