What a selfish, vengeful, adversarial world we live in!

We are so determined to demand our rights, prove our point, get what’s ours, or make sure that the person who has harmed us is punished that lawyers need never fear going hungry.

Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Who’s to blame? And especially, who is going to pay?

Does God heal today? That question took on personal significance in 1998 when my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was invasive. Cancer cells were found in all 18 of the lymph nodes that were removed.

Three weddings and eight grandchildren later, the word that had become hidden in the dark recesses of our vocabulary resurfaced. In February 2013 we were told that the breast cancer of long ago had metastasized.

Up until this point, Jesus was the only one teaching and doing miracles in his ministry. Now Jesus hands over the baton. He passes his authority on to the disciples, delegating them to take over what he’s been doing. How exciting! What pressure!

The assignment may have seemed daunting (who likes making cold calls?) and risky (going on a trip with no money?).

Throughout this entire passage we see how Jesus cared for people.

First he cared for the apostles when they came back from their first missionary trip. I can imagine they were gathered around him, talking all at once, laughing, excited, and anxious to share everything they had seen and experienced. This is what my kids are like when I pick them up from summer camp. They talk so fast their mouths can’t keep up!

There are a few experiences in life that are unforgettable and life transforming. As we journey through life and reflect back on our own story, we can all remember moments that marked our life.

Interestingly, the text we are reading today is that one experience that Peter marks out in his own experience and wrote about it in 2 Peter 1:16-18.

In Luke’s recounting the story, he places this event at a very critical moment.

Are you awake? That’s the challenging question this story asks us. Peter, James, and John certainly aren’t. Around them, incredible things are happening: Jesus, shining with glory, discussing upcoming events with long dead Jewish prophets Moses and Elijah. And they’re sound asleep! It’s almost comical to imagine them yawning and stretching and then suddenly realizing what was going on.

I like to read obituaries. It may seem morbid, but it’s a rather fascinating glimpse into lives so recently vibrant, now gone silent. Just a few hundred words to sum up lifetimes of love and loss and heartache and hope.

“We humans are only a breath,” the psalmist intones, “none of us are truly great.