Mountain Top Opportunites

A few years ago I got the opportunity to ride the world's tallest roller coaster. It was at Cedar Point, Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. This roller coaster is so high that if the wind is blowing more than 20 miles per hour then they have to shut the ride down. I remember standing in line and the building up of anticipation of riding the Magnum XL-2000. This coaster has a 205 foot drop and travels at speeds of up to 72 miles per hour. Not only was I going to ride the monstrosity of a coaster but I was going to ride in the front car. I thought now this is going to be a Mountain Top experience. After all, I am a roller coaster enthusiast and this is a world class roller coaster. Now, I must tell you this was one wicked ride but to be honest it was over in the blink of an eye. Today, we see a story of a mountain top experience, a time that was shared with Jesus' closet of friends. But it was over way to fast. It was such and experience that Peter asked if the could just pitch tents and stay there forever. You know so often life is like the story of the transfiguration or the story of my ride upon the Magnum XL-2000. But lets face it our mountain top experiences are limited and are often way to short, most of our lives are mundane and repetitive with daily chores, task and jobs. Most of the time we are far more comfortable in the routine than we are on the mountain top. Do you remember when you were growing up and you could not wait to cut the grass or to cook for the family? Do you remember when you could not wait to join the work force or to complete your degree? But you know all of those things are no longer highlights but are repetitive chores that we may even now dread doing. We worked so hard to climb the corporate ladder only to find out that it was not the rush or the pinnacle that we expected. SO often we asked the question is this all that the top has to offer. Then there are times when we receive a rush from being on top but it is short lived as we realize the responsibilities that come along with being at the top. So what did the disciples really take from there mountain top experience? What can we learn from our mountain top experience that will help us with the daily grind? Why did Jesus want them to keep this experience to themselves until after his departure? This week we will explore these questions and come to the realization that even though we can not stay at the top we can take what is learned there along with us. We will see that there is a sense of being transfigured at the top of that mountain but that some people will have to experience it for themselves to realize what it truly means.