Change [Last Epiphany B]
The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Mark 9:2-9 Change Don’t let the Gospel fool you: Peter knew exactly what he was saying and why he was saying it. I have no doubt that he was awestruck and terrified, and so I can concede that perhaps his response to the Transfiguration was not terribly well thought out. But then that probably just means his response was actually honest, not pious, not guarded, but the honest expression of his heart. The word “transfiguration” comes from a Latin word that means a “change of form.” And so I believe Peter’s response to Jesus’ transfiguration was a very natural human response to the change he witnessed, to change in general: don’t. Don’t change. After a lifetime of fishing for something, Peter found meaning and purpose in Jesus and change was threatening that. Change reminds us that nothing beautiful can be frozen in time. Each moment brings a change with it that transports us into the next changing moment...