Sermon Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9 (14-20)

We love mountaintop experiences, but you have to come off the mountain at some point and the process of descent is hard, both physically and emotionally. You have to learn how to let that mountaintop experience integrate into your daily life, where it will be truly put to use for the good of others. 

The most important moment in the story for us this week is not the blinding light, the voice from the cloud, or the vision of the witnesses, it is the touch of Jesus and the comforting words, "Get up. Do not be afraid."