The Transfiguration: Kaylee Hibbard

The following was shared as a homily at our Sunday Evening Eucharist service on 3/13/2022:

“Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 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 9:28-36 (NRSV)

While I would love to be able to say that the first thought I had when reading through this passage in Luke was something wise and insightful, all that came to mind was, “Are these 3 disciples really snoozing right now?” I mean in all seriousness, Jesus goes out of his way to specifically take these 3 up to a mountain to pray, he is literally transforming in front of their eyes, dudes from the Old Testament are appearing out of nowhere, and these fools are really dozing off while this was going down?

I’d also love to sit here and be able to tell you that I would never do the same thing, that I would never turn a blind eye and overlook the glory of God right in front of me, just as they did. That just isn’t true though. The truth is, I constantly take God’s grace and His glory for granted, simply because when I get caught up in the chaos that is this life, I forget to open my eyes and see all of the work he is doing all around me. No matter what season of life we’re in, whether we’re college freshmen adjusting to being on our own or parents running their young kids to and from all their extracurricular activities, the busy nature of life will consume all your thoughts and actions if you let it. It says in this reading that once they were fully awake, the disciples were able to witness the glory of God. We all have to be fully awake to notice God’s hand in our lives, the glory that is always present. We have to allow ourselves to stop being consumed by our secular lives and earthly responsibilities and make room for the joy that can come from an intimate and intentional relationship with God.

We’re in the season of Lent currently, and a huge component of that is giving up or adding something into your daily life to make more time to be in the presence of the Lord. This practice is a wake-up call to all of us, giving us a tiny glimpse into what it means to sacrifice, a small peek into what it looks like to be fully awake in the presence of God. The things we decide to add or take away during Lent are centered around areas of our lives that prevent us from growing closer to the Lord. For me, that looked like deleting social media apps off my phone and using that time I usually allotted for Instagram to pray, worship, or do anything that intensifies the relationship I have with God. The way I see it, the disciples falling asleep and me mindlessly scrolling through social media are one and the same. We are all so fortunate to be able to experience God’s glory, even if we are only capable of understanding a speck of what He is truly capable of. I encourage you all to tune into the moments where you are most overlooking God’s hand in your life. Let us not miss any moment of this glory we are so graciously given a preview of.

Kaylee, now in her sophomore year here at Tech in the Kinesiology program, is looking at attending PA school once she graduates. A deeply valued member of the community, Kaylee continues to be a leader not only in worship but in her small group as well. She is also passionate about Squishmallows and eating things she is allergic to.