Until the resurrection, the road Jesus will take his disciples on will be all downhill, going from bad to worse. We all experience moments of transfiguration. The feeling is eternal, it will never end, we will never have to return to the ordinary. How good it is for us to be here. But mountain air can be heady, giddy and even dangerous.
Reality is earthbound and everyday.
After the honeymoon the garbage has to be taken out, the diapers changed, bills paid, parents visited in nursing homes, integrity maintained, long-suffering kindness nurtured, sickness endured, the poor at our doors, the overwhelming social issues and the scandals in our churches. Today we turn to our religious celebration in the midst of all this. The readings today keep us hopeful, but sober. There are no quick fixes, no guaranteed remedies for the doldrums and the struggles, just the ongoing reminder that our faith is in the One who walked our path, all the way down the mountain to death. But his fidelity to God's way, even unto death, was crowned by God's raising him from death.