Sermon for Transfiguration Sunday
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Year C
RCL |
About eight days after Peter
had acknowledged Jesus as the Christ of God, Jesus took with him Peter and John
and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the
appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly
they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and
were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had
stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as
they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to
be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for
Elijah"--not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came
and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then
from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen
to him!" When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept
silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
[On the next day, when they
had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just then a man from
the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only
child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses
him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I
begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." Jesus answered,
"You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you
and bear with you? Bring your son here." While he was coming, the demon
dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit,
healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the
greatness of God.]
Today is the last Sunday
after the Epiphany. This is the last
Sunday before we start Lent. If you are
an alleluia person better get it out of your system now. After Tuesday we the church will not sing out
with alleluia until Easter. Every year
the church ends the season of Epiphany with the story of the
transfiguration. Unlike some preachers
who seem to agonize over what to do with this story I actually like it. I find that the transfiguration can provide a
wonderful lens on how we see our ministries in this world. For many the story of the Transfiguration is one of those
stories that leaves us wondering what to do with it. Is this the end of
Epiphany? Is it a foreshadowing of Easter when we will see Christ's glory revealed?
Is it an entry into lent which starts in
just a few days? I think the answer is yes. It can be all of these things but
the importance is not what it is but how we use the transfiguration in our
lives. How can we be transfigured or transformed? For me the transfiguration is
a lens through which to see our ministries.
But before I go into using
the transfiguration as a lens for our ministries I find it useful to put the
story into context within the larger Gospel Story. In the Gospel of Luke this story happens
right after the story of Jesus asking the disciples who do people say that he
is, and perhaps more importantly for the story who do the Disciples think that
Jesus is. It is at that point the Peter,
that wonderful disciple that, like us, can run hot and cold, blurts out that
Jesus is the Messiah of God! Peter gets
it!
After this Jesus takes Peter,
John and James up onto the Mountain to pray.
I love the narrative here because in my minds eye I can see what
happens. The dialogue is so rich that it
paints wonderful Technicolor pictures. I
can picture the event in my minds eye! While
on the mountain suddenly Jesus is transformed.
His whole body including his clothing is transformed – Jesus is
gleaming. Whiter than anything. And suddenly Moses and Elijah are there
talking with Jesus.
And what to the disciples
want to do? They want to freeze that
moment. They want to build three
dwelling or tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.
The disciples do not want this to end.
Can you blame them? It had to be
both awe inspiring and frightening all at once.
We do the same thing. When something wonderful happens to us or in
our communities we want to freeze time.
We want to build dwellings that will preserve the moment. At a minimum we use technology to take
pictures or videos of the moment. But
really we can’t freeze time. After
awhile the captured moment no longer has the same effect. It can be a little like going to a zoo to see
the animals. Yes the animals are magnificent,
and for many of us that is the only place we will encounter some of these
marvelous creatures. But no matter how
good the setting – how good the scenery has been built - part of us knows that
it is not real. The zoo animals are
captive. The experience is a mere shadow
of what it must be like to encounter them in the wild. In our own lives we have to savor the moments
but we also have to let them go. I’m not
saying that we should not memorialize wonderful events but that those events
need to be used as building materials for the next event.
The next thing that happens
in the story is one of those rare occurrences in our bible. We hear God speak directly. This doesn’t happen very often. Usually we hear God speak through others not
directly to the disciples. One of the
other times we heard God speak directly happened right after Christmas – when
we remembered Jesus Baptism we also heard God Speak. This time God speaks not to Jesus – but to
the disciples. “This is my Son, my
Chosen; listen to him!” After which Moses and Elijah disappeared and they were
alone with Jesus again. Not the shining
neon white Jesus but the Jesus they had gone with to pray.
In this story the disciples
encountered not only the Messiah but God the father also spoke directly to the
three disciples. For Peter, John and
James they probably thought that this was the beginning of the Messiah that
they expected. The one who was going to
overthrow the Roman Empire that was oppressing the Jewish state. After all God was there. They witnessed the wonderful glory of God
manifested in Jesus. They heard God
speak! But that was not to be.
What is remarkable for me is what come next in the story. When they come down off of the mountain Jesus does not confront the occupation forces. The disciples do not go around bragging that they had seen the glory of God revealed on the mountain. No. They go back to the work they have been doing. Healing the sick. In the next part of the story Jesus confronts a demon who possessed a boy and heals him. The healing brings the whole story into focus. It gives us a lens for our ministry.
If we look at our ministry
through the lens of the transfiguration we are confronted with both the Glory
of God and a call to help cast out the demons in our world. When we encounter God we are not called to
stay in that moment. Our encounters with God are meant to propel us out into
our world. Our encounters with God are
fulfilled when we go out from them and work to bring God’s wonderful healing
love into our world. When we encounter
God we too are transformed. We are
transformed to do the work of a disciple.
We are called to fulfill the great commandment to love God and love our
neighbors as ourselves.
Ultimately I believe the feast of the transfiguration is a
feast about unveiling. The disciples see the glory of God unveiled in the
transformation of Jesus on the mountaintop just as Moses was transformed in his
encounter with God. Just as we can be transformed in our encounters with God.
We too can be transfigured but we need to be open to God’s transforming power
in our lives. We need to listen for what God is saying to us. What does it mean
for you to listen to God? Where do you see God in the world about us? How do
you respond to God and what does in mean for your identity? What does it mean
for your mission in this world and what does it mean for the mission of the
church?
For me every time I come to church there is the opportunity
for the mountain top experience. There is the opportunity, if I am open for it,
to see the veil lifted and glimpse the Glory of God. Those moments that I glimpse
the Glory of God - be it in the sacraments, in the music, or in observing and
being part of you the people of God - those moment strengthen me and empower me
to go out into the world and work to share the Glory of God in the world. To
work to bring God’s ultimate loving reign to earth. I see that in you – the Good People of St.
Matthew’s. In my short time with you I have
been amazed at the work you do to bring God’s love to all people. I truly believe that you are people of the
transfiguration.
As we enter into Lent I would invite all of us to look and
see where we can be transfigured. Is
there something that can open us up even more to see and hear the glory of God
in our lives and in the lives of each other?
Are there practices that we can take up – or stop doing that will allow
us to see our ministry and our lives through the lens of the transfiguration?
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