Transfiguration Sunday, February 3, 2008
By pastor John Jorgenson
God’s continuing concern for us takes a special focus on Transfiguration Sunday. We are moved away from our usual every day concerns about survival and getting the most for our efforts. On this day our hearts and minds are drawn up to see what God has planned for us that goes far beyond our imagination.
In doing this we are introduced to a new and renewed way of living. God’s values are far beyond our imaginations. This action of transfiguration, this change in the manner of thinking about the relationship we have with God that began with Peter, James and John was about to spread worldwide and that thinking continues to spread across the world even yet today, two thousand years later.
On the one hand as we read the Old Testament and the other history texts, we observe the ugly, selfish, greedy, violent acts of hatred and pride that were present at the time of Jesus. We also observe the awesome reactions of Peter, James and John as they became aware of who Jesus actually was, what was intended for His life here on earth and what the ultimate impact that Jesus Christ was to have on them as well as their community, and eventually on the world. They were certainly overcome with and by what they saw happening and its potential along with their role in what was happening.
It is no surprise to me that they were astounded when they considered the effect Jesus had on changing their lives, going from being good, competent small business owners, providing quality fresh fish every day to their customers to being asked to provide a new approach to life to their customers that was of really Top Quality with an eternal aspect unheard of before this in its simplicity and requirements.
I can just see practical old Peter coming out of his feelings and having a very practical suggestion. “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 Peter was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him!’”
I can just see Peter trying to make sense out of this experience and coming to his senses along with James and John getting rather frightened as they thought of themselves as experienced fishermen who now were expected to be equal to the leaders of their community and to the leaders of the world. They were to be responsible for sharing a message about Almighty God that was far more intensive than grilling fish! I am sure their imaginations were surging with the frightening implications of being agents of change that threatened the lifestyle of friends and strangers alike.
The text tells us, “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 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.’”
Jesus was telling them about His going to Jerusalem to present this new challenge to life in this world and that this would require giving up His life eventually because of the challenge this new way of thinking about God presented to people who were comfortable with the way they were dealing with the relationship they had with God. This relationship the people knew and were comfortable with suggested that they could manipulate God into doing whatever they wanted if they simply went through the traditional means of prayer and worship they had used for decades and generations already. They did no see any reason to change, at least that was the thinking of the priests, religious leaders, Pharisees, Sadducees and others at the time.
Peter, James and John were facing the difficulty of reconciling this new idea with this past. How in this world could they do that? Peter wanted to build three places for worshipping Jesus in terms of this new idea. Peter, being the fisherman in the midst of a huge number of resources wanted to stay put and enjoy the harvest. This was in effect a real mountain top experience for them all!
But life calls us to go on back down. The mountain of Transfiguration is given to us as a special event to give us the ability, the wisdom, the strength to carry on our every day ministry with its peculiarities, its difficulties, its risks and its dangers.
Susanna Wesley, our Methodist friend, used this prayer. “Help me, Lord, to remember that religion is not to be confined to the church or closet, nor exercised only in prayer and meditation, but that everywhere I am in your presence.”
Finally, in this lesson from Transfiguration Jesus teaches us that the way of God and of serving God is not by destruction, but by inviting people through sacrificial love. This is what Peter, James and John had to learn and we must do the same. Lives are being lost every day for little or nothing. Life is God’s gift to us to be used in His service expressing the fundamental love God has for all and the reason Jesus went to Jerusalem to invest His life that you and I might be transfigured also and live as God intended.
I suggest this hour we spend each week together is our regular transfiguration where we learn and are motivated to live as God intends us to live. This we shall do. So help us God. It is really good to be here!
Amen.