Matthew 17
The Transfiguration
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’
SERMON
Transfiguration Sunday.
There is something predictable about Transfiguration Sunday. It happens every year about this time...
And our culture has even grabbed onto the concept and makes constant reference to ‘mountain top experiences’ which is a deeply rooted Jewish concept as well. So naturally Moses goes up for 40 days and nights and comes down with tablets containing the 10 commandments... because on the roaring mountains... there is God.
Time just keeps rolling along... the rhythm of life turns and turns...
Just 11 weeks ago the tinsel was hung, the stockings were anticipating gifts, the evergreen trees and houses were glowing with lights... it was Christmas - and in the traditional way we celebrated God’s gift to the world in the form of a tiny baby.
Just 8 weeks ago we relived the story of Jesus baptism... We had an Epiphany! Jesus goes down into the waters as John baptizes him. And as he comes up out of the waters, “suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." And of course... we claim this same promise for all the baptized... adopted sons and daughters of God... named and claimed in the water.
And for 8 weeks we have heard bits of the sermon on the mount and heard Jesus rallying call to discipleship, Jesus call to live into the Kingdom of heaven, and Jesus just keeps challenging the disciples and through the stories past onto us.. Jesus keeps challenging us to look at life in new ways... to live life in new ways.
And... the more we think of these stories as just stories... as they come at us in predictable ways... they become easier to manage... to keep them at arm’s length...
Same as the church year really... Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost... held at arms length and experienced in predictable ways.
In fact, as you read through the 4 gospel accounts of Jesus life and death, as you read the rest of the bible you can see that writer after writer has made attempt after attempt to internalize these teachings. To live into these revelations of God.
---
I overheard in a coffee shop this week “That was a good work out, that was a good coffee, I’m so blessed. I’ll meet you at the church.” ...This is the grand adventure? This is the life of a Christian?
Life codified. Life understood and calm. Life rooted in predictable things and good coffee?
---
Through years of tradition, years of experience, years of synodical studies, 1000’s of books and University degrees, repeated trips through the three year lectionary cycle... living in this place where at the very least you could say we are doing so much better than so many others...
it becomes easy to rest easy in the church and as the church...
it becomes easy to see the church as if the church were something we built... as if the church were stationary and solid and unmoving.
As if God is resting with us in the church... unmoving and unchanging...
There is comfort in solid and stationary and unmoving predictable God...
There is comfort in the God who stays in the tent until called upon.
And lets face it... we’ve come so far as a Canadians, we’ve worked hard to get where we are, ... and so let us build solid warm houses and live here now... for it is good for us to be here.
---
And so... Peter follows Jesus up on a mountain. And all heaven breaks loose.
Jesus’ divinity starts to break through the thin veneer of his human life. The thin divide between the sacred and the secular is shown to not really exist.
And Peter... good ol’ brash Peter knows what to do. Maybe for the first time since he started following Jesus he finally gets a chance to interpret and understand what is going on...
Peter babbles on...
What have my people done in the past? What would Abraham or Jacob or Issac do? I’ll do that again now. I’ll build a tent and Moses and Elijah and God can live here... maybe this will be the new Temple because we all know that God needs a place to live right? A foot stool on earth right?
And what is Peter excited for? Is he really excited that he has found God and now he can put God in a tent and... bring him out on special occasions? Invite his friends over to meet God when they have time? Maybe he can use God to win arguments on how we should live life... he can invite all the holy people over and show them that he has God on his side. It’s sortof like having God’s revelations on tap --- you’re own personal 24/7 Mt. Sinai.
Peter is suddenly busy and thoughtful and babbling because this is the most important thing he has ever seen.
And God interrupts... God suddenly interrupts... and the words that were spoken 8 weeks ago at Jesus baptism are repeated with a new addition:
‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’
Or... a much looser translation might be:
“Hey... shut-up... enough of religion already... listen to HIM!” (((WIll WIlloman)))
---
Listen to Him...
Listen to Him...
----Climb Ladder----
Peter saw prophets and he thought he understood what was happening and what to do next.
Peter’s vision only went as far as the mountaintop.
God was supposed to be distant and yet... listen to Him!
As it turns out... the most important thing is not the light show on the hill... it is that Jesus came down off the mountain and walked with us...
And I wonder... is this (the top, the banner) where we think it ends? Is this the height of Christianity? Climbing up to some point of Halleluijah... as if all of life is going to be sitting on a mountaintop with Jesus and friends...
Do we think that this is the end point... because... when you climb a mountain... or a ladder... and you get to the top... you’re really only half way done...
But Jesus has a different vision...
Jesus doesn’t stay on the mountain tops... Jesus comes down into the valleys.
Jesus is the height of hallelujah. And is shown to be the most amazing Hallelujah...
But then... picking up and dusting off his disciples... Jesus takes them down into the important reality... the rest of life.
--- CLIMB DOWN ----
Today we stand on the precipice of the Christian season of Lent... the season thinking penitently and the giving of Alms... but we must also hold that this is a 40 day baptismal preparation time for the Easter... a celebration that in facts pre-dates the collecting of the books of bible.
40 days set aside to prepare... 40 days set aside to look at your life... 40 days to take on a challenge to see if God is speaking.
Easter is central to our identity as Christians... central to God’s saving action.
And it is good to be there... but also good to do Lent together... it is good that we will travel 40 days through Lent with-out our Hallelujah banner... and the hallelujahs on our lips stowed away as is our tradition.
It’s not about climbing the mountain... it’s about being with God who comes down... with Jesus entering our reality. With Jesus who pulls us down into the waters of baptism.
---
This is how God works... and is working...
God has a vision that is so much more than half way...
This is our baptismal calling in life... Drowned in the water... dead in our sins... raised again to new life which means walking to mountain heights but more importantly, see God come with us into the darkest valleys. For Christ comes into our reality.
But... Through life... through death... through resurrection and ascension. With a vision and a love bigger and better than anything we could imagine - Jesus is with us.
And so... on this Transfiguration Sunday... on this last Sunday before Lent... Listen to Him!
Jesus says... ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ And then Jesus leads into the rest of life.
Look up and see more than just hallelujahs and mountaintops... see and know... taste and see, that the Christ has come down, and is in all things.
Amen.
The Transfiguration
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’
SERMON
Transfiguration Sunday.
There is something predictable about Transfiguration Sunday. It happens every year about this time...
And our culture has even grabbed onto the concept and makes constant reference to ‘mountain top experiences’ which is a deeply rooted Jewish concept as well. So naturally Moses goes up for 40 days and nights and comes down with tablets containing the 10 commandments... because on the roaring mountains... there is God.
Time just keeps rolling along... the rhythm of life turns and turns...
Just 11 weeks ago the tinsel was hung, the stockings were anticipating gifts, the evergreen trees and houses were glowing with lights... it was Christmas - and in the traditional way we celebrated God’s gift to the world in the form of a tiny baby.
Just 8 weeks ago we relived the story of Jesus baptism... We had an Epiphany! Jesus goes down into the waters as John baptizes him. And as he comes up out of the waters, “suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." And of course... we claim this same promise for all the baptized... adopted sons and daughters of God... named and claimed in the water.
And for 8 weeks we have heard bits of the sermon on the mount and heard Jesus rallying call to discipleship, Jesus call to live into the Kingdom of heaven, and Jesus just keeps challenging the disciples and through the stories past onto us.. Jesus keeps challenging us to look at life in new ways... to live life in new ways.
And... the more we think of these stories as just stories... as they come at us in predictable ways... they become easier to manage... to keep them at arm’s length...
Same as the church year really... Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost... held at arms length and experienced in predictable ways.
In fact, as you read through the 4 gospel accounts of Jesus life and death, as you read the rest of the bible you can see that writer after writer has made attempt after attempt to internalize these teachings. To live into these revelations of God.
---
I overheard in a coffee shop this week “That was a good work out, that was a good coffee, I’m so blessed. I’ll meet you at the church.” ...This is the grand adventure? This is the life of a Christian?
Life codified. Life understood and calm. Life rooted in predictable things and good coffee?
---
Through years of tradition, years of experience, years of synodical studies, 1000’s of books and University degrees, repeated trips through the three year lectionary cycle... living in this place where at the very least you could say we are doing so much better than so many others...
it becomes easy to rest easy in the church and as the church...
it becomes easy to see the church as if the church were something we built... as if the church were stationary and solid and unmoving.
As if God is resting with us in the church... unmoving and unchanging...
There is comfort in solid and stationary and unmoving predictable God...
There is comfort in the God who stays in the tent until called upon.
And lets face it... we’ve come so far as a Canadians, we’ve worked hard to get where we are, ... and so let us build solid warm houses and live here now... for it is good for us to be here.
---
And so... Peter follows Jesus up on a mountain. And all heaven breaks loose.
Jesus’ divinity starts to break through the thin veneer of his human life. The thin divide between the sacred and the secular is shown to not really exist.
And Peter... good ol’ brash Peter knows what to do. Maybe for the first time since he started following Jesus he finally gets a chance to interpret and understand what is going on...
Peter babbles on...
I mean... what do you do when you actually encounter God in a way that removes all your defences? When it’s so real and tangible you can feel and see it. Peter always believed in God... and now Peter is trying to do what is right... Peter is overwhelmed with thoughts and choices...
What have my people done in the past? What would Abraham or Jacob or Issac do? I’ll do that again now. I’ll build a tent and Moses and Elijah and God can live here... maybe this will be the new Temple because we all know that God needs a place to live right? A foot stool on earth right?
And what is Peter excited for? Is he really excited that he has found God and now he can put God in a tent and... bring him out on special occasions? Invite his friends over to meet God when they have time? Maybe he can use God to win arguments on how we should live life... he can invite all the holy people over and show them that he has God on his side. It’s sortof like having God’s revelations on tap --- you’re own personal 24/7 Mt. Sinai.
Peter is suddenly busy and thoughtful and babbling because this is the most important thing he has ever seen.
And God interrupts... God suddenly interrupts... and the words that were spoken 8 weeks ago at Jesus baptism are repeated with a new addition:
‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’
Or... a much looser translation might be:
“Hey... shut-up... enough of religion already... listen to HIM!” (((WIll WIlloman)))
---
Listen to Him...
Listen to Him...
----Climb Ladder----
Peter saw prophets and he thought he understood what was happening and what to do next.
Peter’s vision only went as far as the mountaintop.
God was supposed to be distant and yet... listen to Him!
As it turns out... the most important thing is not the light show on the hill... it is that Jesus came down off the mountain and walked with us...
And I wonder... is this (the top, the banner) where we think it ends? Is this the height of Christianity? Climbing up to some point of Halleluijah... as if all of life is going to be sitting on a mountaintop with Jesus and friends...
Do we think that this is the end point... because... when you climb a mountain... or a ladder... and you get to the top... you’re really only half way done...
But Jesus has a different vision...
Jesus doesn’t stay on the mountain tops... Jesus comes down into the valleys.
Jesus is the height of hallelujah. And is shown to be the most amazing Hallelujah...
But then... picking up and dusting off his disciples... Jesus takes them down into the important reality... the rest of life.
--- CLIMB DOWN ----
Today we stand on the precipice of the Christian season of Lent... the season thinking penitently and the giving of Alms... but we must also hold that this is a 40 day baptismal preparation time for the Easter... a celebration that in facts pre-dates the collecting of the books of bible.
40 days set aside to prepare... 40 days set aside to look at your life... 40 days to take on a challenge to see if God is speaking.
Easter is central to our identity as Christians... central to God’s saving action.
And it is good to be there... but also good to do Lent together... it is good that we will travel 40 days through Lent with-out our Hallelujah banner... and the hallelujahs on our lips stowed away as is our tradition.
It’s not about climbing the mountain... it’s about being with God who comes down... with Jesus entering our reality. With Jesus who pulls us down into the waters of baptism.
---
This is how God works... and is working...
God has a vision that is so much more than half way...
This is our baptismal calling in life... Drowned in the water... dead in our sins... raised again to new life which means walking to mountain heights but more importantly, see God come with us into the darkest valleys. For Christ comes into our reality.
But... Through life... through death... through resurrection and ascension. With a vision and a love bigger and better than anything we could imagine - Jesus is with us.
And so... on this Transfiguration Sunday... on this last Sunday before Lent... Listen to Him!
Jesus says... ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ And then Jesus leads into the rest of life.
Look up and see more than just hallelujahs and mountaintops... see and know... taste and see, that the Christ has come down, and is in all things.
Amen.
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