What's Worth Fighting For
“Our Transfiguration” A Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Hilary Barrett Preached at Pleasantville UCC, February 26, 2017 Matthew 17:1-9 “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.” (Matthew 17:1-2) The last week in the season of Epiphany is marked by a day the Church calls, “Transfiguration Sunday” – and we are in it. It’s a final burst of brilliant light before we enter the darkness of Lent. You’ve probably noticed how the Christian Year is punctuated by seasons of darkness and light. How, in Advent, we journey deep into the night by lighting more and more candles with each passing week – candles to symbolize the Light of Christ coming into the world to save us from the darkness within and without. The season of Epiphany has been a season of ever widening circles of light, as we learn more and more about the ministry of Jesus. Epiphany – from the Greek word meaning “to reveal” – this season reveals who Jesus is and what he has come to do: the star; the manger; the Magi; the Lamb of God; the Fisher of Men; the Teacher of all Righteousness calling his followers to be Salt and Light in the world. You’ve probably noticed how the winter light has been changing. How the days are getting longer and the sun is setting later. Yet, in this season of ever-increasing light, we in the Church now – paradoxically – begin our holy descent into the darkness. We begin our descent into the season of Lent. After today, we will come down off of that Mount of Transfiguration – where Jesus shone like the sun – and by the time we get to this coming Wednesday we will have begun to make our way into the valley of the Shadow, to accompany Jesus as he enters the Lenten wilderness. Light and darkness. Sunshine and shadow. Triumph and tragedy. Longing and struggle and suffering and redemption. You’ve probably noticed how these themes keep coming up in the sacred stories of our people. You’ve probably noticed how these highs and lows; these places of sunshine and shadow keep coming up in your own life as well: Babies are born.
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Loved ones die. We fall in love. That job we thought would save us doesn’t turn out the way we’d hoped. Sometimes the good guys really do win. Sometimes, the rejection letter comes in the mail. These are the realities and struggles of what it means to be human. These are the highs and lows of the spiritual journey. And we are about to enter a season where those contrasts are made real and vivid in the triumphs and struggles of Jesus’ own journey. We take our lesson this day from one of the very high moments in the Savior’s life: the Mount of Transfiguration. It’s a heady story we hear and tell every year at this time. Before we enter the long hard journey of Lent, we pause to remember this moment of triumph in Jesus’ life – this moment when Jesus takes three of his disciples up a high mountain apart and is transfigured before their eyes; this moment when “His face [shines] like the sun, and his clothes [become] dazzling white”; this moment when he takes his place alongside Moses and Elijah; this moment when the voice of God is heard speaking from the heavens and saying: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him.” It’s always struck me as odd that, when God’s voice booms out from the heavens that day, God says something as ordinary as, “listen to him.” You would think those instructions wouldn’t be necessary – Jesus being God’s beloved Son and all; the Word Made Flesh; the Prince of Peace. But, that’s what’s happening here. “This is my Son, the Beloved….Wake up! Pay attention!” You’d think we would. You’d think they would – those disciples who got the chance to hang out with Jesus, to walk with him along the dusty trail; to break bread with him and hear his stories – the stories that didn’t make it into the gospels, I mean. But God knows us better than we know ourselves – and we are being reminded to wake up and take note; to see the things that shimmer and shine with holy light; to pay attention to the prophets and angels in our midst. For the world is shining like the sun and the faces of our loved ones glow with dazzling light and our enemies are transfigured before our eyes … if only we would only wake up! -2-
and pay attention! And listen to Him! We’ve been making our way through some heavy teaching in recent weeks. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is the deep end of the pool for Christians. Jesus enjoins us to love our enemies; to consider the deeper impact our behavior has upon others; to wrestle with the ways even our thoughts need to be reined in because of how they lead to actions. He challenges us to be salty witnesses of faith. To be ablaze with holy Christ-filled love – even in a world such as ours. He pronounces us blessed and reminds us to embrace “our Godgiven identities”. He is transfiguring us. That’s what we’ve been about these last few weeks: transfiguration. Through the message and ministrations of the Savior, God has been transfiguring us into the people God wants us to be: disciples of Jesus, those called and sent to be salt and light in the world.1 That’s what this story is really: it’s a call story; a summons; a Divine wake up call. We are like those disciples – there atop the high mountain – privileged to see the light and hear the voice, strangely blessed to have our plans and schemes interrupted by the growing awareness that there is nothing we can do so important as simply drawing close and listening to Him. That while the world may try to seduce us with its many empty promises, more and more we find ourselves listening for His voice and longing for moments of communion with Him. And we’re going to need those moments of communion to strengthen us for the work of being Salt and Light in the world. Because, while our moments of devotion may leave us changed, we return from them to a world that is largely unchanged. A world desperate for us to care. A world waiting for us to recognize Jesus in all His distressing disguises – in the vulnerable and the poor; in the imprisoned and the hungry; in the faces of children everywhere; and in those who are longing to find a home. The Risen Christ – in all His shining glory – demands that, as transfigured disciples, we “Wake up! Pay attention! And listen to Him!” Following the way of Jesus is more important than admiring him.2 Because this thing we do here – this life we share with one another in this place – is nothing, really, if it does not make us better, more compassionate people; if it does not teach us how to love one another; and if it does not help us recognize that we are all – daily –being transfigured by God’s grace. May it be so. Amen. 1 David Lose, “The Transfiguration of Peter”, http://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=1524 2 Carl Gregg, “Practicing Transfiguration”, http://www.patheos.com/blogs/carlgregg/2011/02/lectionary-
commentary-practicing-transfiguration-for-march-6-2011/
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Loved ones die. We fall in love. That job we thought would save us doesn’t turn out the way we’d hoped. Sometimes the good guys really do win. Sometimes, the rejection letter comes in the mail. These are the realities and struggles of what it means to be human. These are the highs and lows of the spiritual journey. And we are about to enter a season where those contrasts are made real and vivid in the triumphs and struggles of Jesus’ own journey. We take our lesson this day from one of the very high moments in the Savior’s life: the Mount of Transfiguration. It’s a heady story we hear and tell every year at this time. Before we enter the long hard journey of Lent, we pause to remember this moment of triumph in Jesus’ life – this moment when Jesus takes three of his disciples up a high mountain apart and is transfigured before their eyes; this moment when “His face [shines] like the sun, and his clothes [become] dazzling white”; this moment when he takes his place alongside Moses and Elijah; this moment when the voice of God is heard speaking from the heavens and saying: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him.” It’s always struck me as odd that, when God’s voice booms out from the heavens that day, God says something as ordinary as, “listen to him.” You would think those instructions wouldn’t be necessary – Jesus being God’s beloved Son and all; the Word Made Flesh; the Prince of Peace. But, that’s what’s happening here. “This is my Son, the Beloved….Wake up! Pay attention!” You’d think we would. You’d think they would – those disciples who got the chance to hang out with Jesus, to walk with him along the dusty trail; to break bread with him and hear his stories – the stories that didn’t make it into the gospels, I mean. But God knows us better than we know ourselves – and we are being reminded to wake up and take note; to see the things that shimmer and shine with holy light; to pay attention to the prophets and angels in our midst. For the world is shining like the sun and the faces of our loved ones glow with dazzling light and our enemies are transfigured before our eyes … if only we would only wake up! -2-
and pay attention! And listen to Him! We’ve been making our way through some heavy teaching in recent weeks. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is the deep end of the pool for Christians. Jesus enjoins us to love our enemies; to consider the deeper impact our behavior has upon others; to wrestle with the ways even our thoughts need to be reined in because of how they lead to actions. He challenges us to be salty witnesses of faith. To be ablaze with holy Christ-filled love – even in a world such as ours. He pronounces us blessed and reminds us to embrace “our Godgiven identities”. He is transfiguring us. That’s what we’ve been about these last few weeks: transfiguration. Through the message and ministrations of the Savior, God has been transfiguring us into the people God wants us to be: disciples of Jesus, those called and sent to be salt and light in the world.1 That’s what this story is really: it’s a call story; a summons; a Divine wake up call. We are like those disciples – there atop the high mountain – privileged to see the light and hear the voice, strangely blessed to have our plans and schemes interrupted by the growing awareness that there is nothing we can do so important as simply drawing close and listening to Him. That while the world may try to seduce us with its many empty promises, more and more we find ourselves listening for His voice and longing for moments of communion with Him. And we’re going to need those moments of communion to strengthen us for the work of being Salt and Light in the world. Because, while our moments of devotion may leave us changed, we return from them to a world that is largely unchanged. A world desperate for us to care. A world waiting for us to recognize Jesus in all His distressing disguises – in the vulnerable and the poor; in the imprisoned and the hungry; in the faces of children everywhere; and in those who are longing to find a home. The Risen Christ – in all His shining glory – demands that, as transfigured disciples, we “Wake up! Pay attention! And listen to Him!” Following the way of Jesus is more important than admiring him.2 Because this thing we do here – this life we share with one another in this place – is nothing, really, if it does not make us better, more compassionate people; if it does not teach us how to love one another; and if it does not help us recognize that we are all – daily –being transfigured by God’s grace. May it be so. Amen. 1 David Lose, “The Transfiguration of Peter”, http://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=1524 2 Carl Gregg, “Practicing Transfiguration”, http://www.patheos.com/blogs/carlgregg/2011/02/lectionary-
commentary-practicing-transfiguration-for-march-6-2011/
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