Jesus is transfigured before his inner circle disciples’ eyes and is met by Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets, the story and witness of scripture. In Jesus’ preparation for his darkest hour, he chose to surround himself with the great story of God’s Promises in Scripture and with his closest friends. Even in our moments of fear or vulnerability, Jesus models the importance of surrounding yourself with Good News and good friends to support you, instead of going it alone. We are the stories we tell ourselves and we become the people with whom we surround ourselves.
"The Courage to Be" - Jeremiah 17:5-10
Jeremiah and the Hebrew Prophets preach against three sins of the people: idolatry, ritualism, and social injustice. These three sins are all rooted in giving people a false sense of security, but true trust in God come from the courage (from the Latin cor meaning “heart”) to be authentic, vulnerable, and honest with ourselves, with others, and with God. The Christian practices of confession and repentance protect us from the temptations to live under the weight of legalism and perfectionism which drive us to destructive choices, but Jeremiah tells us that those who trust in the Lord will be like trees planted by water.
Keywords: Courage, vulnerability, authenticity, repentance, honesty, confession, Baptists, Mister Rogers, truth, trust, faith