Many people love both movies and plays.  And at some point they probably wonder to themselves if they could ever have the nerve or ability to do what professional actors do --- get up in front of an audience or camera and inhabit some other character.  Would we be good at doing the “acting” thing, be good at being someone other than ourselves.

“While he was praying his face changed in appearance

and his clothing became dazzling white.”

We know the story of the Transfiguration.  We know from hearing this story over and over again that Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mountain and something remarkable happened.  Jesus suddenly looked unlike he had ever looked before.  And on top of that he was standing with two of the true giants of the Jewish faith (both long-gone from the earth) --- Moses and Elijah.  (If you are wondering how Peter, James, and John knew who they were, feel free to keep wondering --- but don’t let that get in the way of the story!) 

And then something happened that we almost certainly are not able to grasp or fully understand --- Jesus’ appearance changed as he allowed those three friends of his to see a fuller expression of who he was --- a kind of “completeness” that had been hidden up to this point. 

I guess you could say that the plainly visible, authentic Jesus was on display for their benefit --- to maybe bring some clarity to things they had simply been wondering about.

We often use these sorts of other-worldly Scripture stories to illuminate (pun intended) things about our Lord --- to help us come to some greater understanding, appreciation, and love for the person we have dedicated our lives to.  And the question that probably arises most often in our minds after hearing or reading passages in which Jesus does something incredible is, “What does this say about Jesus?”

It’s an important question.  But (in faith) we reflect on these stories not simply to “know” more about Jesus, no matter how important that may be.  We also reflect on these stories to “know” more about ourselves --- to know what it truly means to be a disciple, to be a child of God, to be a son or daughter created in love and in God’s image.  And so, another (similarly important) question we should probably be asking ourselves today is, “What does this story say about me?”

It goes without saying that what we know about Jesus (in both his humanity and divinity) is meaningful to our individual journeys, our place in the world, only by analogy.  Not one of us is going to grab a few friends and start glowing dazzling white in their presence.  And for sure, we won’t have some deceased famous people standing alongside of us here on earth. 

Yet, in a very real sense, every time we are in someone’s presence, every time we utter a word or write a sentence, every time we make either big life decisions or small day-to-day decisions we are saying something, communicating something --- we are showing other people a face. But is that face ours?

I think we like to think so --- like to think that we are honest and authentic and genuine.  We presume that others know the real us, that others are seeing the true person standing before them.  But is that always true?  Is it ever true?  Or is each one of us just playing a part, just putting on the face we think others want to see --- a face that is neither the face of God nor the face of the beautiful person God created us to be?

The truth is, for many of us, this sort of “acting” is right in our wheelhouse, a part we have been playing as far back as we can remember.  Yet, God doesn’t want us to play a “part”.  He just wants us to be our true selves, our authentic selves.  And he knows who that person is, what that person is capable of --- knows the capacity for love that each of us has been imbued with from the moment of our conception.  Are we willing to show that face?

The incredible thing is that the “face” we are called to show others comes into sharp focus, and shines with a dazzling white light for the world to see, when God’s face and our face become superimposed on one another, become (in a sense) one. 

That’s the face of true compassion and mercy.  That’s the face of deep love and overflowing generosity.  That’s the face of unconditional forgiveness and radical other-centeredness.  That’s the face of God.  And that’s the face that also is the most “us” --- the face on display when we are being the people God calls us to be.

We might have no idea whether or not we could ever be good at trying to act.  Pretending to be someone else might not be in our reach when it comes to the stage or the screen.  But at times we know that we sometimes find ourselves playing a part in the real world --- a part we have no business playing. 

And yet we should never doubt that each of us has the ability to be exactly who God made us to be, wants us to be, and died for us to be.

And that’s who the world needs to see.