I often think of the progression of my life as if I am coming across a series of picture puzzle pieces. The pieces have the usual “knobs” on some sides and “cut outs” on other sides. The knobs of the experiences are places that merge with places in my own life that are blank or empty…places and experiences and people who “fill me out,” who fit into my life and make it larger and more fulfilled. The “cut outs” in the pieces are places or experiences or people that need me in order for them to be more “filled out” or larger or more fulfilled.
When I think of Transfiguration, it is a puzzle piece with both knobs and cut outs. It is a place where I can come and be fulfilled, where I can connect to others and with God…through the liturgy and Sacraments, through the music, and through the fellowship. And, it is also a place that has cut-outs. It is a place where I can contribute the gifts that I have in order to fulfill others’ lives through my teaching, my participation in the liturgy, and by means of my financial giving.
Transfiguration is a healthy parish because it is not just a place where people are fed spiritually, nor only a place that needs our involvement to flourish. It is a place that provides both the gifts that we receive and opportunities to give to others. In this way, it mirrors the relationship we all have with God, who not only gives us our lives and our experiences, but also receives from us our love, our devotion, and our worship.