Sunday, February 14, 2021

Transfiguration of Our Lord
Exodus 34:29-35
Psalm 50:1-6
2 Corinthians 3:12-13, 4:1-6
Mark 9:2-9

A cloud came, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.’

The Epiphany texts for the past few weeks have focused on the revelation of God in the life of Jesus Christ. We have been following Mark’s telling of the story of Jesus at the beginning of His ministry. We saw Him call His first disciples, drive out an evil spirit, heal many people including Simon’s mother-in-law, pray alone and move on to other towns to preach the Kingdom of God to the people, which was the work He was sent to do. We end this season with the brightest light of all, the transfiguration of Jesus. On this day we see Jesus literally glowing from within the radiant light of God’s glory in the presence of the ones whom God sent to point His people toward the Messiah: Moses and Elijah.

Some lectionaries use the story of Elijah from 2 Kings 2:1-12 for this week. This is the story of the assumption of Elijah. Elijah and Elisha were traveling through the prophetic communities of Israel so that Elijah could say good-bye. All along the way, Elijah told Elisha to stop following him. Elisha refused to leave his master, “As Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” All along the way the prophets told Elisha that he was about to lose his master. Nothing stopped Elisha; he was determined to follow Elijah every step of the way. Elijah was prepared to take this journey alone, but Elisha would not leave him.

This must have been a frightening time for Elisha. Was he ready to take on the responsibilities of being God’s prophet? Being a prophet was not a pleasant job, especially if the word God speaks is unpopular. Elisha knew that he would experience persecution and threats, but he also knew that it was where he belonged. He did not allow any fear to keep him from doing what he was called to do. At the end of the journey, Elijah and Elisha found themselves at the Jordan River. While this is the story of the passing of Elijah’s authority to Elisha, Elijah’s story is the one that matters today. Elijah was taken up into heaven suddenly in a fiery chariot, the sign of God’s blessing on Elisha’s ministry, and it is for this reason many believe that Elijah will return.

This Old Testament lesson takes us on a journey where Moses was never allowed to tread. Due to his own failings, Moses never entered into the Promised Land. Instead, the Hebrews were led across the Jordan River by Joshua as Moses watched from a hilltop. Then he died and God buried him in Moab. Joshua took the Hebrews through the Jordan, through Jericho, through Bethel to Gilgal where they were circumcised. All those who had left Egypt that had been properly circumcised had died in the desert. There, at Gilgal, Joshua restored the people to the covenant between God and His people by circumcising all the men. Elijah followed that same route, returning to the very place that the Israelites crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land. There are some who believe that Jesus was baptized in the same area of the Jordan.

In our lectionary lesson, Moses had been on the mountain for forty days and forty nights to receive the tablets of the Law. This was the second set of tablets; Moses destroyed the first set when he came off the mountain and discovered that the people had turned to false gods while he was gone. He had seen God’s glory (Exodus 33:12-23) and was changed, although he did not realize it at first. The people saw how he reflected God’s glory and they were afraid, but he called them to come to him and listen. He gave them the commands the LORD had given him on Sinai.

When he was finished talking, Moses put a veil over his face. The Old Testament lesson seems to indicate that looking upon the reflected light of God’s glory is too dangerous for ordinary people. However, St. Paul wrote that Moses put it on to hide the fact that the radiance passed away. He took off the veil when he spoke to God and then stayed unveiled when he reported what God said. They were afraid of him; the light reminded them that Moses was God’s own chosen representative. It is likely, then, that Paul has it right. The glory fades. Would the people of Israel have continued to listen to Moses if they did not see the radiance of God’s grace? Perhaps Moses wore the veil because of his own fears or insecurities.

“The Bucket List” was a movie about two dying men; Jack Nicholas played Edward and Morgan Freeman played Carter. The movie asks the question, “What would you do if you had a limited time to live?” Fortunately, Edward was an extremely wealthy businessman, so the two men had unlimited resources to embark on a worldwide vacation, trying to complete a bucket list of things they wanted to do before they kicked the bucket.

They did some incredible things such as race car driving, skydiving, and going on a lion safari in Africa. The bucket list included the desire to “witness something truly majestic.” They climbed to the top of the pyramids in Egypt, so you might think that they covered that one, but Carter didn’t think anything they did were as majestic as being on the top of a mountain. Nothing less than a mountain top experience would be enough for Carter because he believed that in the peace at the top of a mountain you can hear God in the whisper of a quiet wind. Unfortunately, they arrived at the base of an incredible mountain at the wrong time of year. They had a falling out as they waited for the right time and each returned home. Carter’s cancer got worst of him and he died on the operating table without having his mountain top experience. In his final words, Carter asked Edward to finish the list.

Edward also died and the final scene shows Edward’s assistant combining the ashes of the two men in a special container at the top of a majestic mountain. He crossed off the final thing on the bucket list and placed it in the container with the ashes of the two men then buried that canister. Edward and Carter didn’t see the top of that mountain when they were alive, but they would spend eternity overlooking the majesty at the top of that mountain.

The ending of the movie is somewhat disappointing because we wanted to see them have that mountain top experience together. Yet, we look back at the other moments of their lives together and realize that the most powerful experiences happened in the valleys of their lives. Carter realized that he had a wonderful life with a wife who adored him and that he didn’t need to get to the top of the mountain to experience the voice of God. Edward found love and joy in his daughter and granddaughter from whom he’d been estranged for many years. They both realized that life isn’t lived at the top of the mountain but in the everyday experiences with people they love.

The transfiguration must have been a most incredible experience for Peter, James and John. Not only were they on the top of a mountain, but they were there with the Messiah. They heard the voice of God at that moment, not in the whisper of the quiet wind but in a voice coming out of the clouds. The words were repeated from Jesus’ baptism, “This is my beloved Son.” Whether anyone heard that voice at the Jordan we may never know for sure, but now it was heard by Jesus’ inner circle of friends. It was a moment worth grasping forever. Peter even wanted to build permanent structures so that Moses and Elijah and Jesus would have a place to stay.

But Jesus hurried them off the mountain, back into the valley because He knew that it is in the valleys where life is truly lived. They could not stay on the top of the mountain; they had to get back to work. There were still people who needed healing. There were still demons to be cast out. There were still so many who needed to hear God’s word and learn about God’s kingdom so that they might be saved for eternity. It would not happen if they lingered on the mountain top. The real work was in the valley.

Do you ever feel like you want to go to a place far away, perhaps to the top of a mountain? Have you ever had one of those moments that you never want to end? How do you feel as you cross off experiences from your own bucket list? They might be incredible moments of your life, but that is not where we should stay. We must move on to get back into the muck and mire of real life to share the Good News with others so that they too might hear the voice of God.

My dad was a very quiet man. One of my fondest memories of him was a conversation we had about the weather. My dad was not distant, he did not ignore his family, he just didn’t talk much. When he had something to say, however, it was worth listening. This is a rare quality, especially in our world full of words. It seems as though everyone has something to say and there is so many outlets where they can express their thoughts. Social media and the accompanying comment sections give voice to everyone no matter what they have to say. It is incredibly easy to produce a blog on the internet. It is sometimes sad, sometimes disturbing, or sometimes hysterically funny to read these posts. Everyone has an opinion but unfortunately sometimes those thoughts are incoherent or unrelated to the topic at hand. It would do all of us well to think more about what we have to say and erase most of our comments before we ever hit post.

I saw a meme recently that said something like, “You speak only what you already know but if you listen, you will learn something new.”

The message God spoke to the disciples was simple but very powerful: “Listen to Him.” In a world when we have so many voices screaming at us with opinions that are built on biases, it is hard to know to whom we should listen. Experts disagree about so many things, which one is right? Who is telling the truth? What is the truth? But God tells us what to do, “Listen to Jesus.” I’m not sure it is that easy, because there are so many voices trying to tell us what Jesus said and what He meant, and they rarely agree. But we can listen. We can pray. We can do our best to live as God calls us to live, serving Him with our hearts and our hands and our voices, knowing that God is faithful and that He is more powerful than our failure.

Jesus says, “Get off the mountain.” Over the past few weeks we’ve witnessed His authority in words and deeds. We’ve heard stories about His actions that were publically witnessed and privately experienced, people healed in a religious setting and a home. We’ve seen Him care for individuals and the crowds. All these stories have revealed that Jesus is the One for whom they were waiting, and that was confirmed in a most spectacular way on the top of that mountain. When he had something to say, it was worth listening.

The parallels between Moses, Elijah and Jesus are more than mere coincidences: they show us that God’s hand was guiding each chosen one into the fulfillment of all His plans. On the Mount of Transfiguration we see the glorification of Jesus. He was lifted up, placed in between the two greatest men of Israel and established as the One who brings it all together. It is in Christ that the Law and the Prophets are fulfilled. It is through Jesus that God has finally made all things right. The Transfiguration was not the end of Jesus’ ministry; it was really just the beginning. From that moment, Jesus set His feet toward Jerusalem and the cross.

Paul reminds us that the old covenant was temporary and inadequate. It was passing away, but some wanted to hide its vanishing with a veil. The Old Covenant could never stand because no matter how hard we try we can never be good enough to deserve God’s grace. The Old Covenant was replaced with a new one, one that is revealed to those who believe in Jesus Christ. Moses and Elijah were never meant to be the ones to whom Israel looked for eternal life. They both pointed toward the One God would send to restore God’s people to Him forever. That’s why the radiance of Moses faded.

Moses reflected God’s glory, but even the holiest human is imperfect. We fail. We cannot sustain the glory because we are stained by sin. Moses did not want the people to know the light faded, so he hid his face. Jesus, on the other hand, does not reflect the light; He is the Light. The glory did not fade for Jesus. When the moment was over, Jesus let it go so that He could continue to work in the valley. He had to go back, to get His hands dirty, to face the humiliation of the Passion, and to die. He refused to stay in that moment of glory because the real glory would come later. It would come on the cross.

The disciples did not want to leave, but the mountaintop experience was not the moment for which they had been preparing; it was just a preview of what was to come. Peter wanted to build shelters to make this a lasting moment, but Jesus set His feet toward Jerusalem, toward death and the grave. Peter, James and John did not quite understand but they followed Him, blessed by the brief shining moment when they saw Jesus as God intended Him to be: crowned in glory. Though they wanted that moment to last forever, they saw the hope of what was to come on that mountain top. It will last forever someday.

Paul talks about the Gospel in terms of light and blindness. This is natural because he had experienced it himself in a very real, and powerful way on the road to Damascus. He was blind by his own understanding of God, using his knowledge of the scriptures and his position of power and authority in Israel to persecute Christians. He was given the most incredible encounter with the Living Christ, Jesus, who met him on that road in a very dramatic way. His conversion experience was certainly something to remember, and something that came up often in his teaching and preaching. He’d been blind, both spiritually and physically, and he’d been healed of both.

Yet, somehow he knew that not everyone would see the reality of the Gospel message. They are blinded by the things of this world. He was blinded by his power and his understanding of the scriptural texts. He was blinded by the traditions of his people. He was blinded by his perception of the people who were following “The Way.” He could not see the reality of God’s love and mercy and grace as found in Jesus Christ.

Sometimes it is hard to see that reality because the people who share the Gospel message with us are imperfect and caught up in their own perceptions of the world and Jesus. Many non-Christians say that the reason they are not Christian is because of the Christians. We are seen as hypocrites and accused of falling for fairy tales. Christians are often guided by emotion, so Christianity is seen as foolishness. Reasonable people do not see the reason of faith.

Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that he was not trying to sell himself, but that the message he shared was about Jesus and Jesus alone. He brought us back to his own beginning when he was foolishly unwilling to hear the truth, when he faced the blinding light and three days of physical blindness. We are reminded that nothing we can do can overcome this blindness. It is by God’s grace and mercy that people will see.

So, we go forth sharing the Gospel message, always remembering that it isn’t about us. Though we would like to count every “conversion” as a notch on our belt, counting every saved person as something we’ve accomplished, we see that it is never about us. Though we are the messengers who can take the Gospel out to the world, it is God who lifts the veil off the eyes of those who do not believe. It is God that shines in their darkness. It is God who makes them see.

He did so for us and will do so for many others in the years to come. Do you have a story? Can you share with others how you came to see the light? Of course you do and can. Our stories may not be as dramatic as that of Paul; we may not even be able to identify a time or place when we were blind and then could see. However, we saw the Light by God’s grace and the loving care given by the witnesses that came before us.

Paul writes, “Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who are dying.” Those who are ruled by sin and death refuse to see God’s hand in the world. They prefer to veil God’s glory. They prefer to believe what sounds good rather than hear what God really has to say. Jesus came to speak God’s words in a new way, to cause God’s people to see Him as He is, not in the twisted ways of the world. Jesus came to bring a New Covenant in the Gospel that is better than the reflected glory of Moses that passed away.

Not everyone hears. Paul knew this. He was opposed by people who accused him of manipulation and lies. They ministered out of self interest, seeking positions of status and influence rather than glorifying God. They refused to admit or even see that they were the ones playing games. They cared nothing for the Gospel or Christ or the people of God; they cared only for themselves. To them, there was no glory on the cross. They could not see because they were blinded by the god of this world. They were blinded by their own fears and their own desires. They were happy to let the truth be veiled so they didn’t have to see their way was passing away.

Paul writes, “...eeing it is God who said, ‘Light will shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” The Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ was a moment of glory, more magnificent than the glory that shone from Moses’ face or the whirlwind that took Elijah to heaven. It might have seemed like that was the culmination of Jesus’ work. But it was merely the beginning of what was to come. Jesus was about to speak a strange and wonderful Word into their lives, a frightening reality that included death.

The reality of God is frightening. The psalmist writes, “Our God comes, and does not keep silent. A fire devours before him. It is very stormy around him.” Moses experienced the bush that burned without burning. Elijah was taken to heaven in a flaming chariot. This is how God revealed His presence to the Law and the Prophets, His glory was reflected on them. But God revealed the reality of Jesus to Peter, James and John on the top of the mountain. In the presence of Moses and Elijah, Jesus was transfigured into one filled with glory. It was of Jesus that God spoke for us to hear today: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

The Word often falls onto deaf ears, but that does not mean God is less powerful or Jesus any less authoritative. The god of this world continues to blind those who would prefer to be blinded from the truth and glory; a veil has been drawn over their eyes. But we need not fear the presence of God or the consequences of telling His story. He has called us into this relationship, invited us to experience His glory and then follow Him into the valley to do His work.

It is frightening, but as we join Jesus on the journey to the cross, we need not live in fear. God goes with us, and He has assured us that He has the power to fulfill His promises. He can make it happen, and He does. We might not think we are ready to take on the responsibility, but God blesses those who have faith. Moses trusted God. Elijah trusted God. Peter, James and John trusted God. Jesus trusted God. Now we are called to trust God, too, to follow Him wherever He leads and to listen to Him above all the other voices.

Peter, James and John saw Jesus’ glory for one moment on that mountaintop; Jesus was fully and completely revealed as the Light. It was not time for Jesus to be glorified; He still had work to do. It was time to journey toward the cross.

This is the last Sunday before Lent, the last Sunday of Epiphany. While Advent was a time of increasing light, Lent is a time when the god of this world seems gain power until we think he has succeeded at destroying God’s work. Like Elisha at the Jordan and Jesus on the mountain, we are beginning a new journey. We have to leave the mountain top and go into the valley where we will truly find the grace and mercy of God. There we will see Him, there we will find Him at the cross, and there we will see the glory of God revealed in a whole new way as the Light overcomes the darkness forever. There we will hear Him tell us of His love in a radical new way if we are willing to listen.