If we were to read through the Gospel according to Mark up to this point, it would have felt as though we were on a sprint to Jerusalem. Mark’s favorite word is "immediately." From the time Jesus came out of the waters of baptism, everything is done "immediately." Immediately Jesus is driven into the wilderness to be tempted. Jesus calls his disciples and immediately they drop what they are doing and follow him. They go to the synagogue in Capernaum and immediately a man appears with an unclean spirit. A leper calls out to Jesus for healing and immediately he is healed. And it keeps on going from there.

All of these immediately’s make for poor English so most of the English translations chose from a variety of other terms. Sometimes it is "immediately" other times "just then" and yet other times "suddenly." But if we were to look at Mark in the Greek, the same word is used in most of these instances. There is a constant rhythm of "immediately this" and "immediately that." It is like a drummer beating out time for a relentless march. And we know where this march is heading – Jerusalem.

Immediately preceding the passage we read today, Jesus revealed to his disciples what awaits him in Jerusalem. Suffering and death await him – but that’s not all. Even in the prediction of suffering and death, Jesus speaks of the resurrection. But the disciples seem to be so caught up in the suffering and death they are unable to see the glimmer of the resurrection in the distance.

That’s when Jesus takes three of his closest disciples up the mountain with him. All of a sudden the breakneck pace of the rest of the gospel slows down. The descriptions thus far in the gospel have been mainly concerned with telling a story and not worrying so much about the details. But here we have a detailed description of the events on the mountaintop. It’s kind of like the camera technique made popular in the Matrix movies where the action dramatically slows down so that every detail is noticeable. In this passage from Mark, we slow down and see in detail the amazing transformation that takes place on the mountaintop.

Peter senses this change in pace and offers to make the mountaintop a place of worship and rest. He wants to slow things down a bit. He wants to create three structures on the mountaintop so that they can stay up there a while. After all, what awaits them below is suffering and death. The road to Jerusalem awaits below and that way is not all that appealing to the disciples. After all, "put up a tent and rest with me" sounds a whole lot more appealing than "take up your cross and follow me."

No sooner has Peter opened his mouth than a voice from a cloud calls the disciples to listen to what Jesus has said. Then it starts all over again. Suddenly Elijah and Moses disappear. The cloud moves away and suddenly Jesus is there alone with the disciples. And the drumbeat starts up in the background and down the mountain they go to continue the march to Jerusalem.

This Wednesday, we will begin a new season in the church – the season of Lent. When I was growing up this was not my favorite season. It wasn’t like Advent where we decorated the house in anticipation of Christmas. There isn’t really a buzz in the air. During Lent we are preparing for Easter but the only way to get to Easter is to go through the crucifixion.

I can understand Peter wanting to stay up on that mountaintop. Something amazing had happened there. They had seen Moses and Elijah! They had heard the voice of God! Who would want to go down the mountain after that? Who would want to go down the mountain knowing that suffering and death await below? It’s messy down the mountain. There are responsibilities and expectations down the mountain. Why not stay up there and simply bask in the presence of God? Who wants to go through Lent to get to Easter? Why can’t we skip Good Friday with the dreary scene of crucifixion and leap straight into Easter Sunday?

But the disciples don’t stay up on the mountain. At the close of the passage we see Jesus and his disciples going down the mountain to all that awaits below. But as they go down the mountain, Jesus again gives the disciples a glimmer of the resurrection. He instructs them not to tell anyone about what they saw until the Son of Man has risen from the dead. They are not to tell about what they experienced up there on the mountain until after the resurrection. The resurrection is a given – it will happen.

Even with that glimmer of the resurrection and even though these disciples have seen just a hint of what is to come, they still have their moments when they would rather avoid all the suffering and just skip to the resurrection. It’s like reading a novel and in the midst of the climax you want to flip ahead a few pages to see how it all turns out. Let’s skip over the hard scenes and just get to the fun parts.

But the question still lingers in my mind: Why in the world would anyone want to go down the mountain to what awaits them below? What would possess the disciples to go down the mountain? Why not stay up there and bask in how things used to be? When the Sunday school rooms were bursting with kids and there were fewer things vying for our time. Why can’t we live in the "good ole days" when everyone came to church on Sunday? Can’t we just bask in that glow a little longer?

Peter wanted to stay up on the mountain. He didn’t want to have to move forward to the next chapter in following Jesus. Can’t we just stay here a couple more days? Jesus answers the question by going down the mountain. Jesus went down the mountain and if we want to call ourselves disciples then we have to follow Jesus down the mountain too. Jesus entered into the messiness that waited at the foot of the mountain. He kept on walking forward knowing that through suffering and death – the resurrection awaits.

God doesn’t want us to stay up on the mountain. We can’t follow Christ down the mountain if we are too busy gazing at the sight on the mountain or in the past. We cannot live only on the mountaintop experiences we have. The journey of discipleship has not promised to be easy. Jesus didn’t mince words when he told his disciples where the journey would lead. There will be difficult times but that is not the final word. There will be death but that is not the end.

This church cannot stay on the mountaintop forever. As disciples we cannot spend our time basking in the glow of the past. Certainly the past is a part of us and helps to form who we are but the future lies ahead. The road ahead will not be all smoothly paved. There may be some potholes and wrong turns along the way but if we keep our eyes open and our ears attentive, glimmers of the resurrection will surround us.

God loves us too much to keep us isolated on the mountain. God calls us to follow Christ down the mountain on a journey that may lead to uncomfortable situations and difficult conversations – but with our eyes on the future we can follow the path that Christ has laid out before us.