Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 / 2 Peter 1:16-19 / Matthew 17:1-9
This coming Wednesday, our country will be celebrating 58 years of independence.
The highlight of the day will be the National Day Parade in the evening.
As in the previous years, it will be a spectacular day with the singing of the National Anthem and other patriotic songs.
There will also be aerial displays, marching contingents, performances, fireworks and other items.
It will be a rousing celebration of national identity and unity, and we will feel proud to be Singaporeans.
For a country that is often called a “small little red dot”, we have progressed well and achieved much.
We will recall how we begin 58 years ago, how hard life used to be, and how good it is now. And we know what will be required to move onward as one people and one country.
When we reflect on the celebration of the annual National Day Parade, we may see that there are some aspects that are similar to the feast of the Transfiguration.
The Transfiguration happened somewhere in the middle of the ministry of Jesus. He had come to be known as a preacher who teaches with authority, and also someone who cures the sick and works miracles.
But Jesus was also facing mounting opposition and criticism.
He needed a so-called “recharge”, and so He brought along Peter, James and John up a high mountain where they could be alone.
There He was transfigured. He was affirmed of His identity as the beloved Son of the Father.
The presence of Moses and Elijah points to Jesus as the new Lawgiver and the Prophetic voice of God.
Indeed, the Transfiguration was a significant moment for Jesus, in which His glory and identity were revealed.
At the Transfiguration, the past was recalled, and future was foretold in the person of Jesus.
Just as in the yearly celebration of National Day in which the history of our nation is recalled and we look into the future, the Transfiguration has a similar and yet a deeper meaning.
It helps us to look at the journey of our faith with its joys and hopes, as well as the griefs and anxieties.
It also brings us deeper into the mystery of our faith, as we see Jesus in the centre of our lives.
In the Transfiguration, history and mystery are united in Jesus Christ.
The Feast of the Transfiguration reminds us that the history of our lives and the mystery of our faith are brought together in Jesus Christ.
We may have seen that TV footage from 58 years ago when the founding father of our nation, the late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, announced the separation of Singapore from Malaysia.
His face was grim, and as he spoke, his voice began to quiver, and then he broke down.
If we were watching it on TV then, we too would have felt the quiver in the spine.
Would Singapore be able to survive? What would the future be like, or would there be a future for us?
Yes, our griefs and anxieties then, and about the future were real.
But 58 years later, we would look at that same footage with so-called “transfigured” eyes and hearts.
We will be proud that we have survived that dark moment, and we give thanks for where and what we are now.
Jesus wants to transfigure the dark moments of our past by shining the light of His Transfiguration to give us hope for the future.
So, the significance of the Transfiguration happens when the history of our lives are connected to the mystery of our faith.
And in Jesus, the mystery of our faith reveals the connection of our lives with Jesus and our encounters with others.
Let us journey on in the mystery of our faith, and let us keep listening to Jesus as He reveals Himself to us.