There was once a time when the world knew not of its Savior. Yet there was hope because it had been foretold that a child would be born and called Emmanuel – God is with us. In Lent, we prepare for his coming anew. During this season, we discover for ourselves the call of salvation and the promise of eternal life.
A son wants to visit his father. He asks his friends to join him and they set off to travel up a tall mountain.
They arrive at the mountain top. The son stands high above the world and tilts his gaze skyward. As he does, a burst of white radiance engulfs him and he is transfigured by the light. Then a booming voice emanates from the clouds:
“This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” (Mark 9:7)
The apostles Peter, James, and John are astounded at what they see and hear. First, they see Jesus embraced in brilliant radiance. Even more incredibly, they hear the voice of God proclaiming the divinity of his Son, Jesus.
Jesus commands his friends to not tell anyone of this happening until his work is complete. Then, he reveals to them his coming destiny.
“The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. (Mark 9:31)
God sends his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world so that those who believe in him will not die, but gain life everlasting in heaven. God does this to save the people of the world because of His love for them. But to accomplish this, His Son will have to first endure rejection and humiliation and be crucified by those he has come to save.
On the day Jesus climbed the mountaintop to pray, God pronounced His witness to the world and He did it in this way: God attired His Son in beautiful radiance and He praised him with the heartfelt words known to all proud fathers:
“This is my beloved Son.”
God is the Father of Jesus Christ. God was willing to endure the suffering of His beloved Son so that we can one day join them both in heaven. When God calls out from above the clouds and speaks to us about Jesus, he asks only one thing:
“Listen to him.”
Once the voice of God was heard by human ears. In that instance, God acknowledges His Son and says this about Jesus, the Word of God:
Listen to him.
These Gospel stories are re-imagined in the book series:
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