Transfigured by Love
Date: February 11th, 2024
Canvas: 24” x 30”
Cost: $500
Scripture: The Transfiguration in Luke 9:28-36
Last night, I meditated on the Transfiguration story then woke up this morning transfixed by the dream I had had: two good friends and I were climbing a steep mountain that vibrated with color…it had an electric feel that infused the rocks, plants, and sky. Cool, I thought, ‘So we are Peter, John, and James,’ but I wasn’t sure how to place all the characters into the composition. So, I just calmly listened and waited…and waited.
Meanwhile, Doug talked about how “the Law and the Prophets,” symbolized by Moses and Elisha, functioned like moonlight and stars to illuminate the path forward for Israel, yet sadly many blind spots remained and Israel continued to stumble. But, Doug said, when Jesus came, he was like the morning sun rising. In fact, Luke writes in verse 29, ”his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” Like Jesus’ disciples early on, Doug told us about his own past misunderstandings of God because of fiery accounts of Old Testament justice, (and I have fallen into this trap too!) but clarified, “What God has to say is… Jesus.”
Suddenly, I got the vision! If you look closely at the clouds you will see the face of the Father anguished by our suffering; he lowers his head and turns his cheek to us in vulnerability, opens his mouth to speak and…lightning blasts out! But, it’s not the terrifying kind like on Mount Sinai. This time, the lightning is…Jesus, bright as the sun, he fully illuminates our God of Love. Jesus (mirroring the Father, as always) looks tenderly at his creation caught in darkness as he embraces the cross, takes all our sin (and us) into himself, and then sits on his throne of mercy atop Mount Zion. As Doug said, Moses and Elisha–the Law and the Prophets–have disappeared into Jesus because he fulfilled them. In doing so, Jesus, reconciled all creation to himself, so no one else is visible in the painting, because everyone is inside Jesus. All have been given the chance to be transfigured by Love and become lightning bolts in the sky!