Lent 2 cont

from Luke 13:31-35 or Luke 9:28-36, (37-43)

The stories are scripture. Tell the stories! They're God's stories. But...the countenance change, the demon and the child....sometimes when I tell the stories of scripture to kids in my desire not to lie to them, sometimes I find myself balking a little and I have to ask why. If I'm afraid of something that our culture doesn't perceive as "true," if I'm afraid of growing false hope, if I'm afraid that God will disappoint them, then I have to look seriously at my own faith in Him whose story I'm telling.

Telling God's story to a child presents an opportunity to reclaim my child-like faith not dismiss it.


The Transfiguration

8 days. Is that important? Jesus only took 3 friends. Is that?

There are OT references to booths. Are there stories that go with that?

Stories of Moses. Stories of Elijah. Of all the men in the scriptures, all the stories to reference - why did God send those two men? We have the story of Moses' face when he came down from the mountain, Elijah being taken up in the cloud. Are there other stories about a cloud? Are there other stories about people going up on a mountain to pray or about someone's countenance changing?

These three men who go up with Jesus hear Moses and Elijah and Jesus talking about Jesus dying in Jerusalem. This is an amazing story but Jesus' 3 friends don't tell anyone about this amazing encounter. They kept a secret. Why was it a secret? How do you know when to keep a secret and when to share it?

A voice from the cloud. "This is My Son. And I have chosen Him. Listen to Him" Are there other stories like this? Clouds? Listen to my son?

Jesus Healing the Boy

This story happens the very next day when the four of them came off the mountain. We don't hear about Jesus' face shining like Moses' did when he came down from the mountain (I wonder why) but a big crowd meets them.

Why was Jesus so impatient with these people? Did it have anything to do with what had just happened? He still healed the child then He gave him back to the father. They were amazed at God's greatness. Moses had been impatient, hit the rock and people saw God's greatness but Moses hit it too many times and got in trouble. Jesus didn't.

That same story from the 3 disciple's perspective? From the other disciples' perspective? From Jesus'? From the father's? The child's? The onlookers?

Why a child? Why not a grown-up? Jesus healed him and gave him back to his father. The healed child was still stuck in the world with these grown-ups that Jesus was so impatient with.

Jesus Sad over Jerusalem

Jesus had friends among those who had previously argued with Him. They were trying to warn Him, to keep Him safe. How did they know? They weren't on the mountain. Jesus was on a journey to reach a goal. He healed people all along the way to where He was going without losing sight of His goal. Or was that part of the goal?

When God gets mad, He gets mad but in this case Jesus' response is different. Jesus wanted to gather these people like a hen would gather her chicks but they wouldn't let Him, they resisted Him. Isn't He God? Why didn't He just make them do it! The image of hen & chicks is such a cool image! Did you ever spend time with chickens? What do we know about chickens...

He says, "I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.' " (a reference to Psalm 118: 26). When do you hear that phrase, "I won't do this unless you do that."

Where does this incident fall in relationship to the children praising Him? Didn't that happen on the way to Jerusalem, too?