“Peter said to him (Jesus), Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters — one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” —  Luke 9:33 (NIV).

On Sunday, a majority of Christians will hear the story of the transfiguration. The Greek word for “transfigure” is the same word from which we get metamorphosis, the word we use to describe the change that takes place inside a cocoon as a caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly.

Jesus went up on a mountain to commune with his heavenly Father. As Jesus was praying, his face was changed (transfigured), and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two great figures from the Old Testament, also adorned in glorious splendor, appeared along side Jesus — Moses, the deliverer of the Law, and Elijah, the greatest among the prophets.

The disciples Peter, James and John sensed they stood on “holy ground.” But, how much was understood as to what they had witnessed? For whatever reason, Peter wanted to freeze the moment by erecting three tabernacles or booths or shelters in which the presence of Jesus, Moses and Elijah would remain. However, God wasn’t impressed by constructing shelters. A cloud enshrouded the mountain. From the cloud God spoke, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!” It was time to come down from the mountain.

United Methodist pastor, Robert Lyons, writes, “When the divine becomes apparent, we try to build a shelter … we think this is best for the divine (as though) God is in need of our protection.” But, that doesn’t keep us from trying. We seek to protect God under the tents of dogma, customs and explanation. Unable to live with mystery and the unknown, we construct self-centered realities in an attempt to “protect” God.

People search the Bible seeking abominations God “hates” rather than passages confirming God’s love for everyone. We point fingers at others — taking the spotlight off us — while ignoring our own sinfulness. We end up fighting one another in our faith communities attempting to defend God rather than serving as agents of his grace.

Jesus isn’t interested in shelters we would build to define and control him. Just the opposite! The Christ of the transfiguration sometimes embraces us and sometimes shakes us. At times he greets us with open arms. At other times he overturns our tables. But, his purpose is constant. We may also need to undergo a metamorphosis.

Christ’s love is a healing love. Can we insist someone else be changed and healed and transformed by God unless we are willing to be transfigured ourselves? The voice from the cloud speaks to us: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!”