So what happens after the miracle?  Sometimes it seems like this is let down time for those of us who follow the lectionary texts.  You know, after the mountaintop experience of the Transfiguration, do the rest of the days seem dull?

Well after the healing miracles. two things happened.  The second one was that the people did not necessarily stay well forever.  In fact, none of the people that Jesus healed when he walked the earth are still around.  At some point they died.

But the first thing that happened was faith.  People who received or witnessed miracles came to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, that God was truly at work in the world.  That was the point of the miracles then, and that is still the point of the miracles today.

The Faith can last even though the health does not.  In fact, the faith that comes or is strengthened when these small miracles occur can help us greatly in going through the hard times and times of illness and death. 

So what of our small miracle here at my own congregation, St. Paul?  We designated a Miracle Sunday and the money came in.  Does this money that was given mean that we are done with financial problems?  Probably not.  I believe it means that God is with us and has given us what we need to do the work that God has called us to do.

But that, of course, implies that there is work to be done.  Miracles are never the end of anything. For some they are the beginning of faith, and for all of us they are the beginning of new hope and a recognition that there is more to be done. 

Even after the Transfiguration, Jesus and the disciples came down from the mountain to do the work they were called to do -- to preach and to teach and to heal.  And that in turn will mean more hands and more time and more money.

And more than that, our mission is not just to our local congregation.  Our mission as individuals is to our families and communities and world.  And that really is the mission of the church also.  If this small miracle strengthens your faith, then let it inform they way you share your time and your money.  Join us in doing what we do because God is at work in this world and we are blessed to be a part of that work.

Lord,  We give you thanks that you have blessed us and made us your own and then called us to be a part of your miraculous work every day.  Amen