So, you’re sitting around one day with your buddies talking about all the things you have seen and heard since you became a disciple of Jesus. You’ve witnessed many miracles. You’ve heard him defy the religious authorities. It’s exciting, mysterious and a little frightening. And as you contemplate all that has happened, Jesus calls to you, Peter, and to the brothers James and John to go with him high up a mountainside…….Well, you know the rest of the story. I just read it to you.

As Roy said last week, some texts are so rich, it’s hard to know where to put your focus. It seems, though, that every time a Scripture comes up in the Lectionary cycles, one theme becomes more significant than others. For me, this time it was what happened to the disciples after this amazing experience.

It is said that, in the bible, whenever someone goes up a mountain, it’s a "pay attention" moment. This is the ultimate "pay attention" moment for Peter, James and John because God speaks directly to them.

We’ve all had life-changing moments – our own mountaintop experiences – but as important, or perhaps even more important, than the actual experience is what we do with it. What happens the morning after?

For these three disciples, the morning after led directly to confusion, denial and betrayal as Jesus suffered and died. Peter, the favoured one, faltered for a time and abandoned Jesus.

But the morning after also brought redemption and renewed faith and hope as Jesus fulfilled his promise to rise from the dead.

Peter’s mornings after were filled with healing, preaching, times of imprisonment, along with a miraculous release from prison and there were challenges to government authorities, as he lived his faith and commitment to spread the Good News.

James’ mornings after were cut short when he went with the other apostles to Jerusalem where he was executed by Herod. Brief though his ministry was, he remained faithful to the end.

John had a long and dramatic morning after. It is believed that it was John who stood next to Mary, the mother of Jesus, at the crucifixion and who cared for her afterward. Some biblical scholars say that John became Bishop of Ephesus and died there in his old age, after many years of faithful service to God.

Think of a time when you’ve had a mountaintop experience. Think of something that changed you and transformed you – something that altered your life path.

Before you say you’ve never had one, remember this. Not all mountaintop experiences call for a person to embark on a life of professional service in the church. We ARE called to preach the Gospel but we do that best by the way in which we live our lives, by the manner in which we treat others.

So – what have been your mountaintop experiences? What has changed your life?

For a parent it may be the birth of a child.

For a teacher it could be when, after weeks or months of trying to find a way to reach a difficult or struggling child, one day you see the light go on and you know that you’ve broken through.

Not all mountaintop experiences are "highs". Sometimes they occur when you’re sunk in the pits of darkness. When your life seems to be at its worst. Your mountaintop may be at the bedside of a dying loved one or in a doctor’s office when you hear the frightening word "cancer".

Each of these experiences will transform you. But what you do the morning after is the measure. And we must remember that a morning after lasts a lifetime.

You may celebrate with joy the birth of a child but you can’t stay in that moment. There are years of joy, heartache, sleepless nights, celebrations, and lots of dirty diapers ahead of you. And you must face them all. Your job is to do your best to teach that child to live a responsible and faithful life. God has given you a wondrous gift and you are charged with the care and nurture of that gift. It is an awesome responsibility but with God’s help, you can- and will – do it.

A teacher may bask in the relief and satisfaction of knowing that the child you have helped will have a better chance at success in life because you didn’t give up on her. But – the morning after there will be another child – and you may or may not be as successful with this one. You cannot despair however when a child is unreachable nor be too prideful when he or she is. God expects you to keep on doing your best for the children entrusted to your care. Your ministry shapes the world and God will enable it.

Every opportunity to change, to do something worthwhile must be grasped. Each one is a "pay attention" moment.

And then there are the deep, dark mountaintops of pain and suffering. These, too, are times of transformation.

Picture for a moment a large, beautiful lake nestled amidst hills and volcanoes. Wrapped around one end of that lake is a city of 800,000 people. In between the lake and the city, though, is the city dump – a rotten, smelly, scavenger-infested heap of pollution draining into and poisoning that lake. But possibly even worse than the dump is the little community that serves as a bumper zone between the city and the dump. This is the Acaluahinca Barrio, and it truly is hell on earth.

This was my mountaintop.

On a hot, sticky February afternoon, I walked with my friends along the dirt road that wound between the homes, picking my way carefully over the stream of raw sewage that ran down the street. The houses were no bigger than a one-car garage and made of all sorts of scraps cobbled together. I stopped beside one and part of its wall was a corrugated metal garbage can that had been cut open and pounded flat. Painted in large red letters on it in Spanish were the words "Put Garbage Here".

No voice boomed from the heavens but as hot tears flowed down my cheeks, I heard God whisper "these are my beloved children; listen to them."

The morning after is even more difficult than the actual experience. That place – those words – and the faces of the people – haunt me. This is my "pay attention" moment. God has spoken and I must find a way to respond faithfully.

But I cannot change the lives of the people of the Acaluahinca Barrio and so I tell their story, I pray for them, and I support the M&S fund because through it, our United Church works in partnership with Nicaraguan churches to improve the life of the poor in that country. My efforts seem a mere drop – not in a bucket but in an ocean – of misery.

I continue to struggle with my morning after.

In our own way we each struggle.

But that is our calling as Christians.

Thanks be to God.

Amen