First Thoughts: The drama of this passage makes it compelling and intriguing. There are so many aspects of this event that we could examine. But this morning I'd like to focus our attention on the action of the disciples. Here they are, encountering this profound mystery, receiving a vision of a glorified Christ. Peter responds by saying they should stay on that mountain and build temples to commemorate their experience. Any of us who have had mountaintop spiritual experiences can understand this instinct; we want to hold onto it as long as possible, to build a permanent dwelling where we can visit whenever we want. But we can almost hear a rebuke in the voice that comes from the heavens, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" It seems the purpose of this experience wasn't to give the disciples a place to live, but to strengthen and renew them to follow Christ obediently in the days ahead. The same is true for us as well. Using the terminology of Saint Ignatius, we are given periods of consolation in our lives, times when we feel close to God and are confirmed in our faithfulness. But these periods of consolation are always followed by desolation, when we feel lost or empty, and when it seems to us our faith is the height of foolishness. We are to receive the consolation as the gift it is and allow it to feed us, fully understanding that we will soon experience famine and will need that strength to carry on. In preparation for your time with the children, think about your own experiences of consolation and desolation, how they have strengthened you and deepened your compassion. Thank God for the highs and lows in your life. Carry your gratitude with you in your time with the children.
Teaching On Your Own: (with hat on) Hey everybody. See my party hat? I've been wearing it for a whole week. You know why? Cause my friend had such a great birthday party last week. We played lots of games and had some really yummy cake. I thought if I wore this hat from the party I could keep the party going on forever. Great idea, huh? Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be working. No matter how hard I try I just can't hold onto that party feeling. Have you ever wanted to hold onto a fun time forever? Could you do it?
You know, it reminds me of Peter in our story today. Peter also wanted to hold onto an exciting time in his life and to live in it all the time. But he couldn't do it. Do you want to know what happened to Peter? It was late one night and Jesus invited Peter, James, and John to go with him to the top of a mountain. Once they got to the top they saw something wonderful: as Jesus prayed his face lit up and his clothes began to glow, and then the prophets Moses and Elijah showed up and began talking with Jesus. Now Elijah and Moses had been dead a long time before Jesus came onto the scene, so you can imagine how surprised Peter, James, and John were to see them. Peter told Jesus that he wanted to build three temples: one for Jesus, one for Elijah, and one for Moses. Why do you think Peter wanted to do that? Maybe he just wanted to hold onto that experience, to capture it forever. But at that moment God spoke out of the sky, and told Peter, James, and John to listen closely to what Jesus told them, and do what Jesus said to do. And you know what Jesus told them to do? Get down off the mountain and get to work helping people. (glumly) Back to boring old business as usual. But you know what? It's nice that God gives us those times of great excitement and fun to help us go back to our normal living, isn't it? When we're feeling really down or discouraged, we can remember those times and know that, just as we've been inspired and had fun in the past, we're going to have more of those times in the future. (takes off hat) Guess I won't wear the hat anymore. (smiles) But I think I'll keep it in my room anyway -- to help me remember the fun times. And who knows when I'll get to use it again, right?
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 has the hat on)
Leader 1: Hey (name), I see you're wearing a party hat. Are you going to a party this afternoon?
Leader 2: Oh no. This hat is from my friend's birthday party last week.
Leader 1: Last week? Why are you still wearing it?
Leader 2: It was such a great party. We played lots of games and had some really yummy cake. I thought if I wore this hat from the party I could keep that feeling going on forever.
Leader 1: And how's that working out for you?
Leader 2: Not so good. It doesn't work. No matter how hard I try I just can't hold onto that party feeling.
Leader 1: You sound a little like Peter from our lesson today. Peter also wanted to hold onto an exciting time in his life and to live in it all the time. But he couldn't do it.
Leader 2: What happened to Peter?
Leader 1: It was late one night and Jesus invited Peter, James, and John to go with him to the top of a mountain. Once they got to the top they saw something wonderful: as Jesus prayed his face lit up and his clothes began to glow, and then the prophets Moses and Elijah showed up and began talking with Jesus.
Leader 2: But I thought Elijah and Moses were dead when Jesus was alive.
Leader 1: They were. That's what made it so amazing! Peter told Jesus that he wanted to build three temples: one for Jesus, one for Elijah, and one for Moses.
Leader 2: Why did Peter want to do that?
Leader 1: Maybe he just wanted to hold onto that experience, to capture it forever. But at that moment God spoke out of the sky and told Peter, James, and John to listen closely to what Jesus told them, and do what Jesus said to do. And you know what Jesus told them to do?
Leader 2: What?
Leader 1: Get down off the mountain and get to work helping people.
Leader 2: (glumly) Back to boring old business as usual.
Leader 1: That's right. But isn't it nice that God does give us those times of great excitement and fun to help us go back to our normal living? When we're feeling really down or discouraged, we can remember those times and know that, just as we've been inspired and had fun in the past, we're going to have more of those times in the future.
Leader 2: (takes off hat) Guess I won't wear the hat anymore. (smiles) But I think I'll keep it in my room anyway -- to help me remember the fun times when I'm not feeling so great.
Leader 1: That's a smart idea.
Closing Prayer: Loving God, who meets us on the mountain and calls us into the valley, help us to seek your face in every part of our lives. Help us to celebrate when it's time to celebrate, and do your work in the world when it's time to work. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this message in a home or classroom environment, revisit the scripture story again. Invite the children to imagine how they would feel if they were Peter, James, and John. Fear? Excitement? Wonder? Ask them to express those emotions on their faces. Then ask them if they've ever felt that way before in their own lives and invite them to tell their stories. Finally, ask them if they've ever had an exciting encounter with God -- maybe having a prayer answered, a great time at church camp, singing a song, or making a craft they loved. Ask them how it felt when that feeling went away. Tell the children that sometimes when we're so concerned with holding onto an experience, we have a hard time really enjoying it when it's happening. Give an example of someone on vacation seeing amazing sights, but they're so concerned with getting good pictures that they don't really see the sights. It's important for us to really appreciate the gifts God gives us, but we can only do that if we're willing to let them go as well. We can't live in an experience forever, but that doesn't mean we have to forget it. We can keep something from that experience to remind us of it, to give us encouragement when we need it.
For a craft idea, give each child an unglazed ceramic tile (any color, any material). Ask the children to think of a special event or memory they want to remember. They might even have a person in mind. Give them permanent markers and ask them to draw something that will remind them of that time or write a word that connects to that memory. Finish the craft by adding magnet strips to the back of the tile, so the picture can be displayed on a refrigerator. (Make sure you check the craft on a metal surface to make sure you have enough magnets to support the piece.) Close with prayer, thanking God for these special events, and asking God to use them to give us encouragement and support when times are hard for us.
