Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. Matthew 17:4-8 NKJV
Maybe my favorite line in this fascinating story about the Transfiguration is the end of verse 8. They saw the glory, the heard the voice of God, they fell down in awe, and Jesus touched them; then “When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.” As we head to our various gatherings today, how about we make that our goal. We want to see past the preachers, the musicians, the coffee lady, and all the other inputs that compete for our attention. We want to see the Jesus who’s standing in our midst.
I had a music minister many years ago who told me his goal was to help people move from the parking lot to the throne room, then leave them there. That’s not a bad objective. In our era of church as production, we often lose sight of the Person who is the Point. For the preachers and folks on the platform, “Lord, let folks go home remembering You, not any of us.” For those in the congregation, “Lord, take my eyes and my mind off who is doing what and how well, off the facility, and the performance, and my plans after church. Lord, I want to see You, look upon Your face. Oh, the glory, of Your presence!”
Somebody said, “Seek revival, get performance. Seek His Presence, get revival.” Sounds good. Let’s give it a try. See you on the way to the throne.
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