Changed

Luke 9:28-36
The Transfiguration 
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%209%3A28-36&version=NRSVUE 
 
Has anyone ever asked you, “Why do you pray? Prayer doesn’t change anything.” I had a pastor once who always prayed for world peace. Another parishioner asked him why he always prayed for world peace because prayer wouldn’t change the conditions in the world. My pastor said, “Maybe not, but prayer changes me.” The Transfiguration shows us how prayer changes us. Verse 29 says, “While [Jesus] was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” Jesus experienced a physical transformation to reveal the spiritual power within him. The glory of God was revealed through Jesus. We receive the same power that Jesus did when we pray. People should be able to see a change, God’s light, within us when we are transformed as disciples.

What were the three disciples, Peter, James, and John, doing during Jesus’ transformative spiritual experience? Sleeping. Jesus prayed. They slept. The NRSV translation phrased it as they were “weighed down with sleep” (v.32). The CEB translation said they were “almost overcome by sleep.” The Message said they were, “slumped over in sleep.” The disciples were not having a little power nap after their mountain climb. They slept deeply and almost missed God’s glory shining through Jesus.

This seems to be a trend with them. They slept again in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus takes them there to pray prior to his arrest. Jesus prayed so fervently that he changed again: “his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground” (Luke 22:44). Yet, the disciples missed this transformation too because instead of praying, they slept. Again, they had not just nodded off, as we might do in church while the pastor prays. They entered a deep sleep brought on by something. In this case, it was grief (v.45). Perhaps they were so overcome by grief that they could not bring themselves to pray.

When Jesus found them sleeping, “he said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray…’” (v.46). From his own experience, Jesus knows that prayer changes us. It may not change the outcome of our situation. Jesus was still arrested and killed. But prayer changed his heart to be able to make it through his suffering. Whatever caused the disciples to be “weighed down with sleep,” prayer can change them.

Jesus consistently prayed throughout his time on earth. His physical appearance didn’t change every time he prayed, but over time, he transformed. God’s light visibly shone through him, and people around him saw a difference in him. People should be able to see a difference in us as disciples. When we are in times of trial, we don’t just sleep through them. We pray fervently for God’s strength and perseverance. When the people around us are suffering, we’re not slumped over or weighed down by what is happening to them. We pray for them. God’s light shines through our prayers and makes a difference.

The Transfiguration was important because through Jesus’ transformation, our own transformation is possible. Our transformation is an ongoing process of listening and receiving strength through prayer. People will notice a difference in us, as we carry out the work God has called us to do. Prayer changes us because God’s light changes us when it shines through us. 
 
Reflection Questions:
Do you feel that prayer changes you? 
Can people see a difference in you because of your faith? 
Have you ever been sleeping when you should’ve been praying? 
Jesus shines with God’s glory, and then gets back to his work of healing. How might God transform you to sustain you in your calling?
 
Pray:
Transform our hearts, Lord, to shine your light. Help us to make a difference by shining your light.

Action:   
Make an intention to pray fervently every day this week. (Resist the urge to fall asleep!)
 
*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.