What is your favourite hobby? Mine is reading, watching movies, making kimchi, and walking -nothing fancy and special. What about you? I imagine hobbies often depend on where people live.

Koreans love hiking and mountain climbing. Did you know 70% of the Korean Peninsula is covered by mountains? It’s no surprise that hiking was the most popular hobby among Koreans over 40, though trends are shifting. It was my late father’s favourite pastime, as well as my sister’s and older brother’s.

There is an old saying in Korea: “If you seek wisdom, go to the river; if you seek virtue, go to the mountain.” Mountains, they say, shape a good-natured and virtuous people. I am not much of a hiker, but many find something deeply spiritual in it. My sister once said:

“I feel like I’m dying – my legs ache, I can barely breathe.. and no one knows what’s coming after the next hill, but when I finally reach the peak and take in the vast view, I feel something holy.”

I can picture her enjoying coffee at the summit with her husband, then letting out a joyful “Yaaa hooo!” before heading back down to celebrate the climb and the journey.

Mountains are often seen as “thin places,” spaces where the spiritual realm feels near, where one encounters God. Perhaps the very act of climbing or standing atop a mountain becomes an experience of the divine, a moment of holiness and spiritual connection.
Scripture often depicts mountains as places of God’s self-revelation: Moses receives the Jewish Law on Mount Sinai; Elijah communes God in silence on Mount Horeb.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a mountain to pray. There, the disciples witness Jesus transfigured – his face changes, and his clothes become dazzling white. In this moment, the ordinary human Jesus is revealed in extraordinary, angelic radiance.

Similar transformations appear in Hebrew scripture: Moses’ face shines after speaking with God on Mount Sinai in Exodus, the Son of Man is described as dazzling white in Daniel; a divine figure is described with a face shining like the sun in Revelation. In each of these moments, the mountain becomes a sacred threshold, where human and divine meet, where the veil between heaven and earth is momentarily lifted.

Now, suddenly, Moses and Elijah appear, speaking with Jesus about his coming death in Jerusalem. In this overwhelming moment, Peter reacts by offering to build three dwellings – one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus – desperately wanting to hold onto this sacred and mystical experience on the mountaintop.

This response isn’t random. According to Jewish tradition in the book of Zechariah the prophet, many believed that God would bring about the new age during the Feast of Booths, or the Feast of Tabernacles. This God- commanded festival, celebrated for centuries, was seen as a possible moment for God to take control of creation and bring about the age of shalom.

So, Peter’s offer to build tents is neither foolish nor mistaken. In fact, Luke is showing us that just as Moses represents the Law and Elijah the Prophets, Jesus is now the one who will bring forth God’s reign.

But then, a cloud appears, and overshadows them. In Hebrew scripture, clouds often symbolize God’s presence. From within the cloud, a voice speaks: “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the cloud lifts, Moses and Elijah are gone, and only Jesus remains. Through this moment, Luke is telling that Jesus is the divinely chosen one, the one who will bring forth God’s kindom on earth.

Now, let’s look at the second part of today’s reading. After the transfiguration, Jesus and the disciples descend from the mountain, and they meet a great crowd. In the valley below, everyday life awaits, broken and full of suffering. Among the crowd is a boy possessed by an unclean spirit, and Jesus heals him.

Here, Jesus shows us that his ministry is not meant to remain on the mountaintop but must be lived out in the world. His mission and presence are for us and for the world. Faith becomes meaningful only when it is lived out in our daily lives. We may seek our own mountaintop experiences, moments of deep spiritual awakening, but we are always called to return, renewed in spirit, ready to do the work we are meant to do.

Like Peter, we may be reluctant to come down, hesitant to face the brokenness of the world. But faith is not meant to stay on the mountain. It is meant to be lived in the valleys, in real life. This means God’s presence and the world’s pain cannot be separated. Spirituality without action is empty. If we ignore those suffering at the edges of the valleys, our piety and even our most sound theology become meaningless.

In that sense, true transfiguration is not just about belief – it is about the path we choose and the responsibilities we embrace in this world.

(The Transfiguration by Raphael)

I want to show you a painting titled Transfiguration, by the Italian painter Raphael. In this artwork, we see both parts of today’s Gospel reading: transfiguration above and the healing below.

At the bottom of the mountain, a group of agitated people surrounds a boy possessed by an unclean spirit. In the centre stands a woman. Some people say that the woman represents the Church, the Bride of Christ, pointing to the world’s urgent needs.

Perhaps this Church represents First United in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, reaching out to those whose lives are shattered by reality. Or a congregation fundraising for a refugee shelter, a place of healing situated at the foot of a mountain.

What does this setting symbolize? Perhaps it tells us that we do not need grand monuments to see Christ’s glory – God’s presence, power, and love in our midst. Perhaps it reminds us that Jesus does not remain on the mountain but comes down to continue his mission – and calls us to do the same.

In Raphael’s painting, the distance between the Transfiguration and the healing below doesn’t seem too far. This may indicate that even in our suffering, healing is possible. By caring for one another, we experience God’s glory in our midst.

We can live in the kindom of heaven if we act with grace, work for justice, proclaim the good news, and love our neighbours.

Jesus came down from the mountain to be with us. Just as he faced great challenges with confidence in God’s love, we, too, face life’s struggles, assured that God walks with us. And so, we say, “Thanks be to God for the assurance.” “Praise be to Jesus.” Amen.