(prayer)
Easter Sunday is a movable feast within the cycle of the
church year. Unlike Christmas which is a
set day each year (December 25th), Easter can occur anywhere between March 22nd
and April 25th. If you want to calculate
the date in a given year, you just need to know that Easter falls on the Sunday
that immediately follows the first full moon after the vernal (spring) equinox.
This year... the first day
of spring is Tuesday, March 21st and the next full moon after that is Tuesday,
April 11th, which makes Easter Sunday 2017: April 16th.
//
The calender of the church
year sets aside 40 days (plus Sundays) before Easter as the Season of Lent (always begins on a
Wednesday) As such, Lent 2017 will begin
this Wednesday, March 1st. That makes
next Sunday, the First Sunday in Lent
and... today the Last Sunday in the
Season of Epiphany.
Epiphany is the
post-Christmas season that begins with the story of the wisemen (and the star
of Bethlehem) and ends with another story of light that we heard this morning.
Three of the biblical
gospels (Matthew 17, Mark 9 and Luke 9) all share a version of Jesus on the
mountain top with Peter, James and John.
In each gospel, it is a pivotal moment in the narrative. It also serves as a pivotal moment as we
transition between the two great stories of the Christian faith: Christmas and
Easter.
//
//
Jesus and three of his
closest followers go up 'a high mountain'.
The setting implies a private time together - none of the other
disciples were with them and they
were away from any crowds.
And so it is a surprise to
find others on the mountain with them: two others.
And they showed up in a moment
when Jesus' appearance changed - Jesus was bathed in light. His skin and clothes appeared to shine.
Somehow, Peter
instinctively knows that the two guests are great figures of the past: Moses
and Elijah. Whatever was happening,
Jesus was in impressive company.
To confirm that, into the
quiet of the mountain top, the voice of God rang out: "This is my belov`ed son. Listen to him".
In the best scholarship
theories about the order in which the gospels were written, Mark would be the
oldest and Matthew and Luke both used Mark as a starting point for their
books. With the transfiguration, Matthew and Luke stay pretty faithful to what
Mark had written, with only small changes:
The voice in Luke's version
calls Jesus chosen instead of beloved.
And (as we heard this morning) Matthew adds the line with him I am well pleased to what the
voice proclaims.
Regardless, each gospel
writer relays a story that was experienced both sight and sound... known by
three distinct disciples - separately - through tangible sensory experiences.
//
That was complicated by the
fact that it was a fleeting experience... it only lasted an instant.
Jesus looked normal, like
he always did. Suddenly, he changed in
front of their eyes. He was joined by
Elijah and Moses. And a heavenly voice
claimed Jesus as belov`ed son who the disciples should listen to. And then (just as suddenly) Jesus was back to
normal.
//
From the very beginning,
whether what happened was real or not was a matter of debate. Was Jesus physically transfiguration in front
of Peter, James and John? Or did they
share in some metaphysical experience of the mind?
It is interesting that the
author of Matthew calls it a 'vision'.
And, as we heard in the
other reading this morning, there appears to have been a tradition that Peter
himself argued that it was not in his mind, but something that really happened
in front of his eyes.
//
//
Strange, but meaningful
experiences can be like that - to question their factual historicity can feel
like the impact of the experience is being questioned.
I hear that struggle as the
author of 2nd Peter relays the fisherman-disciple's assertions that he wasn't
making things up about what happened on the mountain top.
//
In two of the gospels, the
transfiguration follows a story of Peter openly declaring that he believed
Jesus was the Messiah of God. In those
stories, Jesus rebukes Peter for making such a claim. So it is all the more shocking - that less
than a week later, Peter hears (what he presumes to be the very voice of God
saying) that Jesus IS God's chosen-beloved-pleasing child.
As the years went on, it
appears that Peter would not let people's questions about what actually
happened (on the solice of the mountain) interfere with how that experience affected him and his faith in the days, weeks
and years that followed.
//
//
The Greek word behind the
English word transfigured in today's
gospel reading is used elsewhere in the New Testament. In the letter to the Romans, it refers to an
inner transformation, as opposed to an outward change: Be transformed [transfigured] by the renewing of your minds.
(Rm12:2)
//
//
For me, the story of Jesus'
transfiguration is less about bright lights, bleached clothes and prophets come
back to life, and more about how Peter (and the others) were changed in their hearts
and minds as a result of what they experienced.
//
//
Matthew's version of this
story offers one other unique detail that the others don't. All three accounts note that as intriguing as
the appearance of Moses and Elijah was, the sound of a divine voice caught them
by surprise and terrified them. In fact, the image is that the fell to the
ground and covered their eyes as the voice spoke. It is when they re-opened their eyes that the
whole vision was gone.
What Matthew adds (that the
others don't), is Jesus (looking normal again) telling his disciples to not
be afraid and to get up.
//
I like this.
//
Jesus knew that the
experience (whether experienced the retina and ear drum or in the mind's eye)
was transformative for John, James and Peter.
And Jesus did not want it to be remembered as a scary experience.
Matthew puts the compassion
of Jesus on full display.
//
//
The truth is...
transformation can be scary. And in the
circular way these things tend to go, fear makes transformation difficult. We can be afraid to make changes without some
assurances that things will be improved.
//
And I do believe that
learning and knowledge are ways to reduce fear.
In all times and places, people have been afraid of the unknown... of
what they don't understand.
Open eyes, open ears, open
minds make transformation easier.
//
I have mentioned to some of
you that the theme of my sabbatical (that I will be taking in the fall)
concerns transformation in the church. I
believe that there can no longer a successful delusion in the church that our
place in society and the world hasn't changed.
Gone are the days when we
thought we knew what beliefs people generally held... pretty much the same as
us.
And yet, some still are
yearning to connect on a spiritual level... and the Christian Church's powerful
story still has appeal.
It is important to see that
how the church fits into the wider society has been transforming for decades.
And so it makes sense that
we will embark on new, transformative ways to be the church.
//
What is already clear to me
-- and it will be one of my main sabbatical learning goals -- is that churches
that are too afraid to adjust to new realities will fade away and eventually
disappear.
//
//
Peter, James and John got a
glimpse of something new and exciting.
For a few seconds on that mountain top, they saw Jesus as part of their
past and future and not just someone in their present.
//
Transformation begins with
a dream about what will be possible in the time yet to come.
//
If we are more afraid than
excited about what might be, we will
be less likely be open to real and meaningful transformation.
//
//
And so Jesus sees his
friends on their knees with their heads buried in their hands and he gently
invites them to look up and rise because they do not need to be afraid.
When their eyes were
opened, they saw a familiar face and the fear began to subside.
They were able to descend
that mountain knowing that their past and present was leading them to a safe
and exciting future.
//
//
I know that we live in
times of legitimate fears.
And there are some in our
world who want us to live in fear - because it advances their personal cause or
wallet.
//
Big picture views seem to
skew to fears. We talk about walls and
divisions as solutions to differences.
If all we look at are problems too big to solve, we might just be
justified by falling down and covering our eyes - hoping that if we don't pay
attention, it will go away.
//
But - I believe - that on
small scales, fear can be challenged.
It is my experience that
human beings - as individuals - are more good and kind, than not.
Jesus reached out
personally to set aside the fear of the moment.
//
We can be agents of change
in the world, transforming fear to calm, by our acts of openness and kindness.
There is a poem that I
sometimes read a funerals that includes the line:
Everytime you
offer someone a helping hand,
Everytime to
show a friend you care and understand,
Everytime you
have a kind and gentle word to give,
You help
someone find beauty in this precious life we live.
//
Fear is eased by
understanding.
Fear is eased by kindness.
Fear is eased by seeing a
belov`ed child in each stranger.
Fear is eased when there is
room to believe (as the ancient storyteller proclaimed) that God looked on all
things that had been made and it was very
good.
Fear is eased by believing
that we are part of something good.
//
When fear is eased, the
necessary changes that will move us into a good future become possible.
//
Let us pray:
We seek clarity and find uncertainty,
O God. Help us find courage to face the
fears. Amen.
#104VU
“We Have Come at Christ’s Own Bidding”
