Lent - a time for hope and prayer

The Gospel story in Church this week was Mark 9: 2-10 - The Transfiguration.

 

"After six days, Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain where they were all alone. There he transfigured (changed) before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before then Elijah and Moses, prophets from the Old Testament, who were talking with Jesus. 

Peter said to Jesus, "Teacher, it's good for us to be here..." Then a cloud appeared and covered them and a voice came from the cloud. It said, "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him." 

Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, wondering what 'rising from the dead' meant."

 

Of course, now we know what Jesus meant by 'rising from the dead', but it must have been absolutely astonishing to Peter, James and John. Think about how they must have felt hearing those words from God, seeing Jesus speaking to Moses and Elijah and and of course Jesus transforming. They knew that Jesus was special and he was going to show the world how to love one another and to be kind to one another. 

 

To celebrate the Bible reading this week, there are some activities you might like to do at home:

 

1. Make a prayer journal. Just use some paper and your brightest coloured pens or pencils or crayons. You can record your own private prayers and reflections in here. This week, you might like to draw a mountain. Try to shine like Jesus this week by doing something to show your love for someone else every day. You might like to draw or write about them in your mountain.

 

2. Make a candle from paper. Roll up some paper and stick it down. Add a paper flame to the top. Decorate your candle with symbols - I might add a heart to mine to show how much I love Jesus.  Let your candle remind you to shine with love like Jesus this week.]

 

3. Sing my Lent version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star:

Twinkle twinkle Shining bright

Jesus turns a dazzling white.

On the mountain top he shone

With Peter, James and John. 

'This is Jesus, My own Son.

Listen to him, everyone!'

 

4. Say this special Lent prayer:

Lord Jesus, You shone on the mountain to show us God's glory. May we let Your light shine from our hearts by living as you have shown us. Amen.