Good Shepherd Lutheran

Adjust Your Attitude
Glowing face and clothes; visits from famous figures of the past; hovering clouds and heavenly voices. The spiritual pyrotechnics that happened on the mountain in Luke 9:28-36 were so extraordinary that when it was all over, Peter, James and John could never speak of what had happened until after the resurrection.
Those moments on that mountain would mark those three disciples forever and change the way they looked at everything. Mountaintop moments have a way of doing that to you. But a mountaintop experience is like dessert. You can’t wait to get to it, but if that’s the extent of your spiritual diet, you’ll be divinely undernourished. We need to feed on God’s Word and live out our shared Christianity, or else our faith won’t be healthy. We need preparation before we can truly appreciate and understand the significance and meaning of a mountaintop experience.
So, how can we get ready for our own mountaintop experience? First, make yourself available. Peter, James, and John were invited to the mountaintop because they were already in Jesus’ company. We can stand in the company of Jesus right here in our churches. But if we separate ourselves from the fellowship and teaching of the Christian faith, we’ll keep ourselves from being ready to respond to Christ’s invitation.
Second, don’t just take a seat in the pews. Learn all you can about your faith. Sadly, surveys indicate that biblical literacy is at a low ebb and still going down! Our text doesn’t tell us how Peter, James, and John recognized Moses and Elijah, but if they couldn’t recognize those figures on the mountain, that moment wouldn’t have been nearly so special. If those biblical heroes stood before us today, would we recognize them?
Third, listen to Jesus. Only twice in the gospels does the Voice of God speak. Once at Jesus’ baptism, and then again on the mountain. And God doesn’t mince words. “This is my son, my Chosen; Listen to Him.”
That’s the key. Listen to Jesus. Hear Him as you worship and study scripture. Hear Him in the voice of other Christians. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to listen to the other voices that are drowning Jesus out. Listen to Jesus instead.
And here’s one final suggestion. When you come to church on Sundays, participate prayerfully. Don’t just hum your way through the hymns. Don’t mumble your way through prayers without thinking. Don’t just sit through the sermon, let it connect with you. Walk through those doors ready to meet Jesus in a person, a song, or even just a word.
The older I get the more I realize that attitude is everything. When your attitude is right, you can finally receive Jesus’ invitation with the joy it deserves.