Years ago, I attended a commencement ceremony at which the speaker said words that I will always remember: “To leave this place is sad. To remain in this place would be tragic.” So true! Those pivotal moments in life like graduations (or weddings, or the birth of a child, etc.) make us realize how quickly time passes. As much as we may want to hold onto that moment and not let it go, life calls us to move forward into what is next. It goes without saying, but if you’re reading a book and you want to see what happens next, you have to turn the page. More pages and chapters will follow what you’ve already read, but you do have to turn the page. That becomes a metaphor for life: we have to turn the page and move forward.

The fall season is about turning the page as school starts up and people return from summer travels. For some people, turning the page means adjusting to life after a loved one has passed. For others, it means facing a move from a beloved home of many years to a smaller, more manageable place that is part of the aging process. For others, it’s navigating what it means to be an empty nester now that the children have grown and moved away from home. At such times, we may ask ourselves: “What do I do now? This is all unfamiliar territory to me.”

In times of great upheaval and transition in life, the temptation is to follow Peter’s example on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13 ESV - The Transfiguration - And after six - Bible Gateway; Mark 9:1-13 ESV - And he said to them, “Truly, I say to - Bible Gateway; Luke 9:28-36 ESV - The Transfiguration - Now about eight - Bible Gateway). Peter saw Jesus in his transfigured glory there on the mountain top. He heard the Father’s voice declaring Jesus to be his own beloved Son. He saw Moses and Elijah there with Jesus. And because all of this was so amazing and wonderful, Peter said to Jesus: “Lord, it is good to be here. Let us make three booths: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Peter wanted to hold onto that moment and not let it go. He wasn’t willing to turn the page to see what was next, and sometimes neither are we. Truth be told, there’s more than a little Peter in all of us. A hymn for Transfiguration Sunday that we sing each year reminds us:

            ‘Tis good, Lord, to be here!

            Yet we may not remain;

            But since Thou bidst us leave the mount,

            Come with us to the plain (Lutheran Service Book #414, stanza 5).

If that page hadn’t been turned there at the Mount of Transfiguration, then Jesus would never have come down to face what was next: his steady movement toward Jerusalem and his own suffering, death, and resurrection. Scripture doesn’t record whether Jesus was tempted to take Peter’s advice and just hang out on the mountain top, avoiding all the pain and ugliness of what was to come. But Jesus did turn the page! He did go down the mountain and on to what was next in his earthly life and ministry – all to fulfill the Father’s will and purpose for him. He came down one mountain only to climb another: down the Mount of Transfiguration and up Mount Calvary, where he would give his life on the tree of the cross for us and for our salvation.

Knowing and trusting that Jesus did all this for us means that he will be there with us every step of the way ahead. As we turn the page from one chapter to another in life, Jesus promises that he will be with us always, even to the end of the world (Matthew 28:20 ESV - teaching them to observe all that I - Bible Gateway). Even when we are feeling anxious and uncertain about that new chapter in life, we don’t walk alone. The Lord Jesus himself, together with fellow believers, are our traveling companions along the road of life.

Fall is a great time to start a new chapter in our faith life. New Bible studies are starting up and there is no time like the present to come together and be blessed through Bible studies, small group huddles, and missional communities. Check out what’s happening at St. John's Lutheran Church: Alexandria, VA > Fall Sunday Morning Schedule (sjlc.com). Consider this your personal invitation to turn that page and begin a new chapter in life!