Volcanoes and Transfiguration

We have come at Christ's own bidding
  to this high and holy place,
 where we wait with hope and longing
  for some token of God's grace.
 Here we pray for new assurance
  that our faith is not in vain,
 searching like those first disciples
  for a sign both clear and plain.

Voices United 104

When we visited the Azores last September, a group of islands in the Atlantic which are part of Portugal, our final stop of four was to Terceira. Ruth did a great job of researching each island before the trip but it was once we arrived on Terceira that we realized we could climb down into the largest hollow volcano on the planet which is called Algo do Carvao. We drove up and up to get to the summit, then walked down and down, hundreds of steps to the bottom where there is a small lake. It was a stunning experience, perhaps enhanced by not knowing what to expect.  It is a place where choral groups and instrumental ensembles offer events because of the acoustics. We could tell that others were also in awe of the surroundings.

There was something holy about this natural phenomenon, and it was one of the most remarkable places we've ever visited. We did a lot of descending and ascending in different locations that day. When Ruth checked her phone app for physical activity a couple of weeks later (we hadn't realized at the time that it was recording our ups and downs) we discovered that we had walked 18,000 steps and the equivalent of 91 stories that day. No wonder we were weary that evening!


The Transfiguration of Christ -- Earl Mott

We have come at Christ's own bidding
  to this high and holy place,
 where we wait with hope and longing
  for some token of God's grace.
 Here we pray for new assurance
  that our faith is not in vain,
 searching like those first disciples
  for a sign both clear and plain.

Voices United 104

In my Lion Lamb blog today I reflect on the notion of "thin places," which seems to fit with the mystical story of the Transfiguration. Rarely do we speak about the very experience of physical exertion as an aspect of what makes the story of Jesus and his disciples climbing the mountain for their numinous, bewildering encounter with Moses and Elijah, two mountain climbers of Jewish tradition who had been dead for hundreds of years so profound.
https://lionlamb-bowmanville.blogspot.com/2019/03/transfiguration-and-thin-places.html

It seems to me that sitting a pew or seat listening to the Transfiguration passage doesn't quite cut it, although that's the practicality of gathering for worship. Ascending and descending literally take us to places outside our comfort zone where we may experience God through the wonder of Creation and be opened to the presence of the living, present Christ. At times we resist breathing hard, whether metaphorically or physically, when it comes to our faith, yet that's when we have the most remarkable encounters with the holy.