UCA SA - Reflection of the Week

Mountains and Valleys

by Clive Conway

The story of the Transfiguration invites us into a special moment – on an ordinary mountain, at an ordinary time, something extraordinary happens: Jesus shines with a radiance that startles even his closest friends. And yet, at its heart, this story is not about a supernatural spectacle – it is about seeing clearly and recognising the sacredness that has been present all along.

Jesus leads Peter, James, and John up the mountain not to escape the world but to see it in a new way. The climb itself reminds us that spiritual insight isn't always just about revelation; it often requires intention – stepping away from fear, noise, and urgency to listen for something deeper. When the disciples witness Jesus transformed, they are not seeing a different Jesus; they are seeing Jesus differently. They glimpse the fullness of who he is, the divine love that fuels his compassion, his justice, his courage.

The Transfiguration is not a call to cling to mountaintop experiences, but to allow those moments of clarity to transform how we live day to day ‘in the valley’. Peter’s instinct to build tents – to preserve the experience and lock them away – may be something we would also be tempted to do. We often want our spiritual lives neatly contained and safe. But the voice from the cloud interrupts Peter’s plan with a simple command: “Listen to him”. Not worship the moment; just listen.

And really listening to Jesus means following him back down the mountain into the places where love is most needed. It means recognising that such a revelation is not meant to elevate us above others, but to deepen our commitment to them. The disciples descend the mountain to a world that has not changed, but they have. And maybe you and I are called to do the same.

The Transfiguration also is also a profound affirmation of human dignity. Jesus shines with divine light, and yet he remains unmistakably human – the teacher who heals lepers, welcomes children, challenges injustice, and eats with outcasts. In him, the sacred and the human are inseparable, revealing a truth we often overlook – that every person carries divine light; every face is capable of reflecting God’s glory, not through perfection but through love.

The mountain shows us who Jesus is. The valley reminds us who we are called to be, and whom were are called to serve. For as we are reminded in Matthew 22:32, God is "God not of the dead but of the living".