“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” A famous story by Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, begins that way. Dickens uses the two cities to show how the best and the worst can exist simultaneously. That is our story today. Perhaps we might re-entitle it, in light of the scripture readings for the second Sunday of Lent, A Tale of Two Mountains. It is the best of times — for we Christians have been invited up onto Mount Tabor with Jesus to the mountain of glory and transfiguration. It is the worst of times — for we Christians must ascend Mount Moriah with Abraham to the mountain of testing. Two mountains, two different stories but one reality. The best of times and the worst of times are happening to us at the same time.
On the mountain of transfiguration we see how good, how wonderful, how blessed we have it as the people of God. Jesus takes his friends, his disciples, his apostles, Peter, James and John with him up to the heights. He gives them a glimpse of the glory. They are dazzled, they are tongue-tied, they are “overcome with awe” at the grandeur of God which they glimpsed. They found that all that they had learned in the Bible from Moses and Elijah paled in comparison with the surpassing splendor which Jesus, the beloved Son of God, demonstrated. No wonder Peter cried out, “Rabbi, how good it is for us to be here.” We want to feel like this always. We want to stay in the glory. As Christians we have experienced transfiguration, we have been touched by glory. Every time we gather as a people in prayer and worship we are touched by glory. The opportunity to raise our minds and hearts, our voices and our lives up to the throne of God transfigures ordinary existence into something glorious. Every time we notice God’s beautiful creation we are touched by glory. The moon and the stars, the flowers and the trees, the color purple in a field, the beauty of a new-born baby — God’s world transfigures and gives us hope. Every time we love another person we are touched by glory. When someone matters to us so much that they become the we of “me,” we are transfigured. Every time we help another we are touched by glory. Whatsoever we do for the least of Jesus’ brothers and sisters transfigures us into glory. Every time we wash the dishes, or take a step, or read a book, or listen to a friend — whenever we lavish care and attention on daily life we are touched by glory. If we have the eyes to see, God’s grace transfigures everything.
Yes, for a believer this is the best of times. We are blessed beyond belief. However, Jesus doesn’t let his friends stay on the mountain of transfiguration. He knows there is another mountain which is part of human life as well. Abraham had to climb the mountain in the land of Moriah and find there testing, trouble, difficulty. That worst of times is also part of the human story. “God put Abraham to the test.” All of his hopes and dreams seemed to come crashing down. God asked things of Abraham that he didn’t want to give. On Mount Moriah, at the time of testing, God can seem too demanding, too distant, too mysterious. Even the seemingly happy ending to the story leaves one shaken and confused.
Each one of us has our own mount of testing to endure. Sometimes when we pray we find no answer, no response to our most heart-felt sentiments. God remains silent just when we need divine help the most. School children are being killed in their classrooms and no one does anything about it. Our bodies fill us with aches and pains and no end of discomfort. People that we love are taken from us and we are smitten by sorrow and grief. On Mount Moriah, at the testing, we can’t see the glory. We feel lost, confused and alone.
The testing feels like the worst of times. There is a road, though, connecting the two mountains. The road from Moriah to Tabor leads to another mountain. For the Christian life is not a tale of two mountains but of three. To understand the relationship between trouble and glory one must climb the Mount of Calvary. That road connecting the Mountain of Testing to the Mount of Transfiguration is the way of the cross. Paul himself insists God “did not spare his own Son but handed him over.” So it seems that having God for you does not mean you’ll be spared taking up the cross. Quite to the contrary, if Jesus is any example — and what better example could there be — having God for us implies embracing the cross. The apostle suggests that we know “God is for us” not just on the mount of glory but also on the mount of testing. “God for us” is not an invitation into a rose garden, but into the garden of Gethsemane. “God for us” does not suggest that everything is hunky-dory but that everything is redeemed. Peter seemed to have made the mistake of thinking that having God for them meant they could stay up on the mountain, above all the troubles of life down below. “Let us make three tents.” He needed to learn that “God is for us” both in the peak experiences and in the valleys. The cross illuminates the divine reality that God is for us no matter what is going on. God is for us so we know all the testing and trials, all the troubles and temptations, do not have the last word. Good Friday becomes Easter Sunday. Because God is for us we are glory bound.
This is the best of times. This is the worst of times. This is the time of the cross. Christian Life is a tale of Three Mountains. And yet, there is a story which lies hidden beneath this tale. According to legend, the Mount of Testing, Mount Moriah, received a new name in its long history. Almost a thousand years after Abraham it came to be called Mount Zion. On Mount Zion King David built the City of God, Jerusalem. On Mount Zion the temple of God was constructed. So even the Mount of Testing is transfigured by God into glory. The real meaning of the tale of the three mountains is there’s only one mountain, there’s only God’s mountain. Even in testing we are promised a happy ending to our story. Even the cross foreshadows coming glory. The moment of faith comes when, whether basking in the glory or baking in the testing, we trust that God is for us. All will be well, all manner of things will be well if we take up our cross each day and follow Jesus.
