God's Glory Revealed

Miller’s Station UMC

February 15, 2026

Anchor verses:

Every preacher has texts that are difficult to preach and often preachers will default away from talking about the difficult or even unfamiliar in ways that take away the depth of the story. In today’s lesson, we observe two mystical experiences from the Old and New Testament and receive a witness from one of the bystanders on how this mystical experience changed his life.

The Power of Mystical Experiences – Exodus 24: 12-18 and Mathew 17:1-9

As I was preparing for today’s message and digging into Scripture, I came across a recommendation to explore an ancient text entitled “Dionysius’s The Mystical Theology.” It’s one of those writings that makes you pause and rethink how you approach God. The main idea is striking: our words and ideas just can’t capture what God is really like. Dionysius suggests that instead of constantly trying to explain or define God, we should focus on experiencing God firsthand. That means letting go of our urge to figure everything out and being open to the mystery of God’s presence.

If you think about it, this is a bit like standing outside on a clear night, staring up at the stars. You can describe their brightness, their distance, even their scientific makeup—but none of that compares to the awe you feel just standing there and soaking it in. Dionysius says that knowing God doesn’t come from facts or logic—it happens when we quiet ourselves, step into a peaceful silence, and meet God in what he calls the “darkness beyond light.” So we get closest to God not by stressing about answers or using more words, but by letting go of our thoughts and simply being present with love, awe, and surrender.

Imagine singing a song to God that isn’t about the lyrics or melody, but about opening your heart and connecting deeply with the divine. That’s the heart of Dionysius’s teaching: the nearer we come to God, the more our words begin to fail, our ideas about God fade, and only loving union remains. God is beyond anything we can grasp, and the journey is not about collecting more information, but about letting go and trusting.

I often say that God is “transrational”—meaning God goes far beyond what our minds can comprehend. Reason and logic are wonderful gifts and help us understand much of the world, but they have limits when it comes to God. God is greater than any system of thought or theological explanation we can dream up. That’s why those moments of awe—maybe in prayer, worship, or simply in silence—often leave us speechless. They open us up to a presence and love that words alone just can’t capture.

So what does this mean for us? It means we can let ourselves embrace the mystery. We don’t have to have all the answers. We can allow space for wonder, silence, and direct encounters with God. We trust that God’s truth and love are deeper than what we can ever explain. This perspective invites humility and reverence; it reminds us that God is both near and beyond, always calling us into a deeper relationship—not for mastery or control, but for surrender and connection. As we journey together, may we be open to experiencing God in ways that go beyond words, and may we find peace in the mystery.

The Spiritual Practice of Sitting with Mystery

You do not need to a prophet like Moses or the Savior Jesus to have a mystical experience. I consider my call to ministry a mystical experience. To really engage deeply with your faith means to be more intentional with your faith journey and learn to move beyond the bonds of a prescribed faith.

While I have never experienced altered states of consciousness except for a few times when I was sleep deprived in the middle of a 12- and 23-hour event, I can attest that consistent contemplative practice and the goal to understand God’s presence in my life has brought more than a few mystical experiences in my life. To be clear, I consider myself a contemplative and not mystic. There are distinct practices and experiences that bring one into a mystical union with the divine. I have had just fleeting glimpses. The spiritual practice that goes with accepting a mystical experience is the practice of mystery. When one engages in the acceptance of mystery, the word acceptance here is important. In my practice as a Christian pastor, I would often bump into people who would look down upon the idea of mystery because it felt too close to the supernatural or demonic or even Pagan. I once had a student tell me that they were not allowed to read the Chronicles of Narnia because it was not Christian! But, when one can get their head around the idea that mystery exists in our Christian faith, we come to cherish the unknown, the hidden and inscrutable aspects of our faith.

When we sit with mystery we engage in an act of becoming. It challenges us to let go of our “should’s, ought’s and musts”. It allows us to recognize the absurdity of life and deeply engage with the mystery of God’s presence, love and grace.

Peter Finally Gets it – 2 Peter 1: 16-21

I love our Peter text this morning. I feel that it captures the whole mystical experience. While we do not know who the author is of this book, we are told that Peter is an eyewitness of Christ. For the sake of imagination and conversation, let’s imagine that it is Jesus’ Peter.

Reflecting on his experience with Jesus and the other disciples on that mountain long ago (verse 18), he reports that there was an audible voice carried forth from the majestic glory saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased …” Jesus received glory in that God the Father referred to Him as “my Son” (the Son of God), and He received honor from God the Father when He proclaimed, “with him I am well pleased.”

In this encounter, we come across the term that is rendered in our translations today as “transfigured.” Digging a bit deeper into this word, we discover it originates from the Greek term metamorphoō. This is a compound word: meta means “a change of place or condition,” while morphoō signifies “to form something.”

When Peter and the other Disciples experience the voice of God, they are changed. Not only did these three disciples witness the radiant glory of the Son of God revealed before their eyes, but they also heard the revelation of the shining voice of God. This was an experience that engaged both their sight and their hearing, enveloping them in the divine glory and presence in a way that was both visible and audible. It was a profound mystical experience.

Out of this incredible experience, Peter shares three key truths:

First, Peter, James, and John actually heard God’s voice. It wasn’t just noise or a feeling—it was the living God speaking, just as God spoke to the Israelites at Mount Sinai. God gave honor and glory to Jesus right before their eyes and ears.
Second, Peter says they were truly “with Him”—with Jesus not just in body, but in heart and spirit. Being “with” Jesus isn’t just about proximity; it’s about believing, following, and obeying Him. There’s no halfway with faith—either we’re walking with Christ or we aren’t. Our faith should be real and visible, shining out just like God’s voice did on that mountain.
Third, Peter calls the place “the holy mountain.” Why? Not because the mountain itself was magical, but because God’s presence was there. Just like our church sanctuary is special—not for the building, but for God’s presence among us—any place or person becomes holy when touched by God. It’s God’s presence that transforms the ordinary into the sacred.

Peter’s story reminds us: It’s God’s presence—His voice, His love, His touch—that changes everything. Let us be people who listen, who are truly “with” Jesus, and who recognize God’s holy presence in our lives and in the places we gather. This is quite a different Peter we saw long ago at Jesus’ arrest.

To Close

The more you understand God, the less words you have to describe God. God simply is, just as God presented Godself to Moses. We must allow space for mystery, to sit with mystery. In contemplative and mystical discernment, we deepen our awareness of God’s divine touch on all aspects of the creation that stretches out before us each day. In this journey of faith, sitting with mystery becomes not merely a practice but a posture—a way of being that reorients our hearts toward the divine. It is a deliberate act of humility, acknowledging the limits of human understanding while opening ourselves to the infinite expanse of God’s wisdom. To sit with the unknown is to find beauty in uncertainty, allowing it to shape our perspectives and deepen our spiritual resilience. Through the lens of mystery, we are invited to perceive life not as a puzzle to be solved, but as a sacred tapestry woven with threads of grace, paradox, and wonder—an invitation to trust, to marvel, and above all, to remain steadfast in the presence of the unfolding divine narrative.

Benediction:

Holy Trinity—higher than all things, beyond all understanding and every good we know—guide us as your people on the path of true wisdom.

Lead us beyond what we can comprehend, beyond even our brightest insights, and help us climb to the place where your deepest mysteries dwell: simple, unchanging, and shining in silent love.

Even in the depths of unknowing, shine your overwhelming light into our lives. Where our minds cannot see, fill us with the treasures of your beauty and grace. May your presence carry us beyond words and answers, drawing us ever closer to your heart.

Amen.

Adapted from Dionysus’ The Mystical Theology