Pause

During Lent, we consider our relationship with the Holy One. We are but dust, yet made in the image of God.

It is two sides of the same coin. We are significant and beloved in God’s eyes, but who do we think we are to stand in the presence of the Almighty and ask for anything?

At God’s request and in God’s mercy, we enter into a covenant relationship. The unconditional love we experience in that relationship compels us to trust God with every fiber of our being.

Listen

While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

Luke 9:34-36

Think

Winter in the South often brings foggy mornings. Driving along the ridge-tops in my town feels like rowing through soup on these occasions. Visually, the road opens just enough to drive a few feet at a time. It’s slow going, but I enjoy the smoky effects across lawns and in the trees.

Jesus had climbed the mountain to pray over the things that were yet to come. The clouds moved in – a physical representation of the murkiness of his future.

Drawing ever closer is the violent end he will not escape. Yet there from within the soupy fog came a voice of reassurance – a reminder of the covenant with this beloved Son, that he was the chosen one. Jesus was the promised Messiah who would open the way for God’s people to experience the mystery of God, just as Peter, James and John did that day.

Valerie Burton

Pray

When my path is cloudy, O God, speak to me from the cloud. When my future is dim, may the light of your face brighten my outlook. Help me to lean into this mysterious God-human covenant. Amen.

Go

I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:13-14 (NIV)