Kathemerinosatos

Willibrord of York, Bishop, Apostle of Frisia-739

2 Peter 1:16-21

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Reflection

In today´s text, Peter is addressing the subject of false teachers who were denying the second coming of Christ. In the letter, Peter appeals to his personal experience of having encountered Christ´s divine manifestation at the transfiguration experience. This experience became the bedrock of Peter´s proclamation of the gospel throughout his ministry. Peter makes it clear to his audience that his testimony of Christ is not based on human wisdom or clever myths but on his personal experience of being an eyewitness to the transfiguration event. Brothers and sisters, there is no stronger gospel than your personal experience of your encounter with the resurrected Christ. Peter and his colleagues did not want to learn about Christ from elaborate theological discourses but from their personal encounters with God. Have you ever had a personal experience of Christ through the Holy Spirit? Sometimes we look for mysterious things to encounter Christ, but Christ manifests Himself to us in our daily life experiences and in our neighbors. Make it a commitment today to look for Christ in daily simple life experiences. Christ is with us and what we need are spiritual eyes to see him      

Takeaways for Today

1.      Christ is found in daily experiences and we need spiritual eyes to see Him. 

2.      The biggest sermon in our life is the testimony of our experiences with Christ. 

3.      Christ is present in those people in need and lets us remember that when we ignore such people we are missing an opportunity to meet Christ. Amen

Collect

GRANT, we beseech thee, merciful Lord, to thy faithful people pardon and peace; that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.