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Last year the pastor of our church resigned after 11 years. It was my duty as deacon of the church to deliver the sermon the first Sunday after he left. The Gospel that morning was Mark 9 1-8 the Transfiguration. Pastor James was a well loved man and his leaving was very painful. My duty as deacon was through this gospel, was to reassure and lead my church into a new chapter. The following is the sermon which I delivered that morning.

It's All About Jesus

Our text today is important because here we are officially introduced to Jesus as our Savior, Son of God. Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a mountain to act as witnesses to his transfiguration. Of course they don't know that yet. They are just taking a walk up a mountain. They have no idea they are about to witness one of the most significant moments in Christianity.

The fact that they went to the mountain is interesting. As we may recall, both Moses and Elijah encountered God on a Mountain. Elijah fled to Mt. Horeb to escape Jezebel. It is on this mountain that God spoke to him and said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before God, for the Lord is about to pass by."(1 Kings 19:11) Moses first encountered God as a burning bush on Mt. Horeb, and again on Mt. Sinai where he received the 10 commandments. Jesus preached from a mountain. Throughout the bible, and history, mountains have been associated with being a holy and safe place. They hold a central place in Jewish religious tradition. In this text, the mountain represents the familiar.

Peter, James and John must have felt rather special because Jesus was taking them to the mountain. It is a familiar place, a safe refuge away from harm. We all like things that are familiar and safe. When we are feeling threatened or stressed, we seek out the familiar to comfort ourselves. For instancecomfort foods. Many of us will turn to our favorite foods, or to chocolate, when our lives are stressing us out. It gives us a feeling of being normal. It reminds us of home and safety. When we are having a stressful day at our jobs, we can't wait to get home. Home is safe and familiar. We can sit in our favorite chair, watch our usual TV shows and life becomes normal again. There is something calming about the familiar. Many of us take comfort in our routines. We cling to the things we do every day, or every week, because we know them. They are like the symbol of the mountain - safe, a refuge.

Our real lives and our Christian lives are not always so safe. In this text, Jesus

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