THE Rev. David Goodall of Trinity Methodist Church comments on Luke 9:28-36:

“Whenever I drive home to Hexham I am amazed by the beauty of the countryside in the Tyne Valley.

“Whichever way you approach the town you cannot miss the beauty of the river, the rolling hills, the trees and the animals which form the landscape of this beautiful place.

“Many of us enjoy the countryside and find space to pray among the beauty of His creation.

“In the Bible reading for Sunday three of Jesus’s disciples – Peter, James and John – go with Him up a mountain to pray, just as many people do here.

“As they prayed they had a very specific experience of God when two great people of faith from the Old Testament – Moses and Elijah – appear alongside Jesus.

“These great people of faith talked with Jesus about what was going to happen to Him in Jerusalem; they were discussing and preparing for His death and resurrection just as we are as we walk through Lent to the great celebration of Easter.

“The disciples responded to this great moment by wanting to do something practical – to build a shelter for these three great people of faith.

“As they were being practical they nearly missed the moment when God spoke to them proclaiming ‘this is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.’

“As we enjoy the beauty of the place in which we live, may we make sure we don’t jump in to practical action, or walk past too quickly and miss that special moment when God speaks to us of great things.”