SERMON FOR FEBRUARY 23, 2020
CHANGING
Text: Exodus 24: 12-18; Matthew 17: 1-9.
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Tranfiguration Sunday is what this Sunday is called – the Sunday that comes before Ash Wednesday – the start of the season of Lent. Even among professing Christians who attend church more or less regularly, I doubt that many disciples would be able to explain what Transfiguration Sunday is, or tell you when it is observed, or relate why the early church leaders thought it was important for this story to be read at this time of the year. What was the Transfiguration, and what does the Transfiguration have to do with us? If we were to rename Transfiguration Sunday as: “Changing Sunday” – or – “Shake It Up Sunday” – or - “Blow Up Our Expectations Sunday” – maybe that would help. Even for me, after delivering sermons on the story of the transfiguration on this Sunday for over thirty years, still – I, too, have to wrestle with its meaning and significance.
If the words and ways of our Lord and Savior were important and intentional, meant to teach and show and reveal to us invaluable spiritual truth, truth that we might not have really grasped had Jesus not made it abundantly clear – then we need to look at this unusual biblical story from as many angles as possible to see if we are missing anything.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus regularly has to redirect the disciples’ foundational beliefs and reactions to His ministry because they do not really grasp what Jesus is saying and doing. Much the same is true for us and for other disciples, even after two thousand years of concentrated and disciplined efforts to understand and integrate the life and teachings of Jesus in our daily lives. Jesus is changing the world as the disciples know it – as we know it – and change is hard. We resist it. We default to the familiar. We relate stories of “the good ole days” – when life was simpler and easier – and we pine for the past. We are creatures of habit, after all, some of which serve us well – others – not so much.
Here are some of my takeaways from the story of the Transfiguration.
Jesus does not blow up the legacy of the past – the foundational faith of the disciples. Moses and Elijah stand with Jesus – representing the law and the prophets. Peter, James, and John see the three of them talking together – if only that conversation were known! We can deduce some things though, corroborated by other things that Jesus taught. The three pillars of faith were not arguing among themselves. Moses and Elijah stand with Jesus as confirmation that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets – the One who integrates, synthesizes, and transforms God’s law and prophetic Word in His life, teachings, and miracles in order to get us all back on the right path – God’s path of righteousness – the holy highway of love and justice. Love and justice go together – hand in hand. We need both.
When Peter, James, and John witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus, God blessed them with a profound mountaintop experience – a transforming moment that they shared with the other disciples when they came down from the mountain. Perhaps it radically changed their understanding of what Jesus was all about, what He was doing, preaching, and teaching, such that their perspectives on faithful living were transformed. It is hard to say what impact the transfiguration had on their lives. No doubt the impact was greater than on our lives, I would suggest. I have yet to hear anyone relate that this is one of their favorite Bible stories or that it significantly contributed to their spiritual growth and development. Well, why not?
Because we are human, more like Peter, James, and John than we care to acknowledge. Like them, our impulse would be to say, “let’s erect three monuments here – one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” – to memorialize the event with one or more monuments, or create a museum with interactive displays about it, or make the place the site of a spiritual pilgrimage with gift shops chock full of souvenirs. We like tangible markers and momentos to remind us of important events; that is our human nature. Notice that Jesus does not shame the three disciples, nor us, for having such all-too-human impulses and desires. Instead, Jesus continues to redirect our attention to what is most important for God’s kingdom purposes – ministry in the valley below – where thousands of people await the healing love and transforming justice of Jesus Christ. There was, is, and ever shall be – so many people in need of experiencing the love of God.
So – why do we hear this passage right before Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent – after the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany? Maybe the early church leaders well understood that given our nature, we would prefer to jump directly from Christmas to Easter – from one spiritual high to the next. Recalling clear signs of God in our lives, stories about times when the Lord of the universe broke through the ordinary boundaries of time, space, and matter to change our lives – these miracles we like to revisit and retell. They are important for encouraging, inspiring, and teaching us about the power of God that can and does literally change our lives. We all need to hear such faith stories – so let me encourage you to write them down and talk about them with others if you have yet to do so. My grandmother shared personal faith stories with me when I was a child, and I have no doubts that they had a profound influence on my faith formation. If my grandmother had not shared such experiences with me, who knows what the trajectory of my life might have been.
As I have probably piqued your curiosity about my grandmother’s stories, let me share one that I recall. When my grandmother was in her mid-fifties, her husband, my grandfather who was known by the nickname Pappy, died of a heart attack at the age of 56. They had married in the early 20s and had seven children, the youngest of whom was still living at home. My father, the sixth child, was in college at the time. My grandmother did not work outside the home, and as my grandfather was the sole provider for the family, his unexpected and untimely death was a sad and serious blow to the family. He died several years before I was born, so I know him only through the stories that were and are shared about him.
My grandmother never spoke of financial hardship after her husband’s death, and I do not want to imply that she was destitute or penniless. She did not speak of financial matters at all, as it was not proper for a Southern woman to discuss money or politics or sex, especially with a child. Let me add, that having grown up with these values, I think that these topics consume far too much our public discourse nowadays. My grandmother always had ice cream, candy, and good food to share with me and her other grandchildren, and I was not aware of any financial challenges.
Every day my grandmother read the Bible and a devotional, and she would read these to me when I stayed overnight. One day I recall her telling me about how the Lord comforted her when she was grieving the death of her husband. In the midst of her sorrows, she had a vision of the Lord Jesus appearing to her as the Good Shepherd. It was not a dream; she said that she looked up and saw Him – kind of above her – looking down upon her – with love and grace – assuring her that He would be with her to comfort and guide her throughout life. The words of the 23rd Psalm were very real for her, words which she knew from memory and made sure that I memorized, too. This vision of Jesus as the Good Shepherd helped her to cope and gave her the strength to press on in faith and life without her husband by her side. It cannot really be called a mountaintop experience. Nevertheless, in the valley of the shadow of death, it gave her hope and direction. Perhaps it transfigured her grief. For decades afterward, my grandmother continued to pour the love of Jesus into her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Transfiguration Sunday – changing Sunday – shake it up Sunday – blow up our expectations Sunday. However you want to frame it – it is time for us to enter the season of Lent this week and consider anew what the Lord calls us to do given what He sacrificed for us and for our salvation unto eternal life.
May you and yours have a Holy Lent. Amen.
Text: Exodus 24: 12-18; Matthew 17: 1-9.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tranfiguration Sunday is what this Sunday is called – the Sunday that comes before Ash Wednesday – the start of the season of Lent. Even among professing Christians who attend church more or less regularly, I doubt that many disciples would be able to explain what Transfiguration Sunday is, or tell you when it is observed, or relate why the early church leaders thought it was important for this story to be read at this time of the year. What was the Transfiguration, and what does the Transfiguration have to do with us? If we were to rename Transfiguration Sunday as: “Changing Sunday” – or – “Shake It Up Sunday” – or - “Blow Up Our Expectations Sunday” – maybe that would help. Even for me, after delivering sermons on the story of the transfiguration on this Sunday for over thirty years, still – I, too, have to wrestle with its meaning and significance.
If the words and ways of our Lord and Savior were important and intentional, meant to teach and show and reveal to us invaluable spiritual truth, truth that we might not have really grasped had Jesus not made it abundantly clear – then we need to look at this unusual biblical story from as many angles as possible to see if we are missing anything.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus regularly has to redirect the disciples’ foundational beliefs and reactions to His ministry because they do not really grasp what Jesus is saying and doing. Much the same is true for us and for other disciples, even after two thousand years of concentrated and disciplined efforts to understand and integrate the life and teachings of Jesus in our daily lives. Jesus is changing the world as the disciples know it – as we know it – and change is hard. We resist it. We default to the familiar. We relate stories of “the good ole days” – when life was simpler and easier – and we pine for the past. We are creatures of habit, after all, some of which serve us well – others – not so much.
Here are some of my takeaways from the story of the Transfiguration.
Jesus does not blow up the legacy of the past – the foundational faith of the disciples. Moses and Elijah stand with Jesus – representing the law and the prophets. Peter, James, and John see the three of them talking together – if only that conversation were known! We can deduce some things though, corroborated by other things that Jesus taught. The three pillars of faith were not arguing among themselves. Moses and Elijah stand with Jesus as confirmation that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets – the One who integrates, synthesizes, and transforms God’s law and prophetic Word in His life, teachings, and miracles in order to get us all back on the right path – God’s path of righteousness – the holy highway of love and justice. Love and justice go together – hand in hand. We need both.
When Peter, James, and John witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus, God blessed them with a profound mountaintop experience – a transforming moment that they shared with the other disciples when they came down from the mountain. Perhaps it radically changed their understanding of what Jesus was all about, what He was doing, preaching, and teaching, such that their perspectives on faithful living were transformed. It is hard to say what impact the transfiguration had on their lives. No doubt the impact was greater than on our lives, I would suggest. I have yet to hear anyone relate that this is one of their favorite Bible stories or that it significantly contributed to their spiritual growth and development. Well, why not?
Because we are human, more like Peter, James, and John than we care to acknowledge. Like them, our impulse would be to say, “let’s erect three monuments here – one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” – to memorialize the event with one or more monuments, or create a museum with interactive displays about it, or make the place the site of a spiritual pilgrimage with gift shops chock full of souvenirs. We like tangible markers and momentos to remind us of important events; that is our human nature. Notice that Jesus does not shame the three disciples, nor us, for having such all-too-human impulses and desires. Instead, Jesus continues to redirect our attention to what is most important for God’s kingdom purposes – ministry in the valley below – where thousands of people await the healing love and transforming justice of Jesus Christ. There was, is, and ever shall be – so many people in need of experiencing the love of God.
So – why do we hear this passage right before Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent – after the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany? Maybe the early church leaders well understood that given our nature, we would prefer to jump directly from Christmas to Easter – from one spiritual high to the next. Recalling clear signs of God in our lives, stories about times when the Lord of the universe broke through the ordinary boundaries of time, space, and matter to change our lives – these miracles we like to revisit and retell. They are important for encouraging, inspiring, and teaching us about the power of God that can and does literally change our lives. We all need to hear such faith stories – so let me encourage you to write them down and talk about them with others if you have yet to do so. My grandmother shared personal faith stories with me when I was a child, and I have no doubts that they had a profound influence on my faith formation. If my grandmother had not shared such experiences with me, who knows what the trajectory of my life might have been.
As I have probably piqued your curiosity about my grandmother’s stories, let me share one that I recall. When my grandmother was in her mid-fifties, her husband, my grandfather who was known by the nickname Pappy, died of a heart attack at the age of 56. They had married in the early 20s and had seven children, the youngest of whom was still living at home. My father, the sixth child, was in college at the time. My grandmother did not work outside the home, and as my grandfather was the sole provider for the family, his unexpected and untimely death was a sad and serious blow to the family. He died several years before I was born, so I know him only through the stories that were and are shared about him.
My grandmother never spoke of financial hardship after her husband’s death, and I do not want to imply that she was destitute or penniless. She did not speak of financial matters at all, as it was not proper for a Southern woman to discuss money or politics or sex, especially with a child. Let me add, that having grown up with these values, I think that these topics consume far too much our public discourse nowadays. My grandmother always had ice cream, candy, and good food to share with me and her other grandchildren, and I was not aware of any financial challenges.
Every day my grandmother read the Bible and a devotional, and she would read these to me when I stayed overnight. One day I recall her telling me about how the Lord comforted her when she was grieving the death of her husband. In the midst of her sorrows, she had a vision of the Lord Jesus appearing to her as the Good Shepherd. It was not a dream; she said that she looked up and saw Him – kind of above her – looking down upon her – with love and grace – assuring her that He would be with her to comfort and guide her throughout life. The words of the 23rd Psalm were very real for her, words which she knew from memory and made sure that I memorized, too. This vision of Jesus as the Good Shepherd helped her to cope and gave her the strength to press on in faith and life without her husband by her side. It cannot really be called a mountaintop experience. Nevertheless, in the valley of the shadow of death, it gave her hope and direction. Perhaps it transfigured her grief. For decades afterward, my grandmother continued to pour the love of Jesus into her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Transfiguration Sunday – changing Sunday – shake it up Sunday – blow up our expectations Sunday. However you want to frame it – it is time for us to enter the season of Lent this week and consider anew what the Lord calls us to do given what He sacrificed for us and for our salvation unto eternal life.
May you and yours have a Holy Lent. Amen.