February 14, 2010
Transfiguration Sunday
Luke 9: 28 – 36
Grace, mercy and peace to you this day in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen
Call to Prayer
Let’s go up the mountain. Let’s go up to the place where the land meets the sky where the earth touches the heavens, to the place of meeting, to the place of mists, to the place of voices and conversations, to the place of listening.
There were 400 of them worshipping in a candle lit ballroom. They were teenagers transformed from a sea of chatty, playful kids into the Body of Christ by their hymns, their prayers, the Word of God and the Holy Meal. This mountain top experience united them. Through the use of projectors and power point programs they saw images of Jesus, his cross, his death, his resurrection, his glory. The large basins of water surrounded by candle lights spoke of baptism and it promises to all humankind. Many of them wept and held each other almost as if they were clinging to the moment not wanting it to end. The sermon text for their ears that day was the woman at the well; the woman, who Jesus knew even, thought he had never met her before. He knew her needs, her short comings, the desires of her soul, her sins. He offered her living, cleansing water. Her engagement with Jesus left her illuminated, energized, enlightened, accelerated and ……transformed. A mountain top experience had occurred for this woman at the well. The teenagers relived her transformation that day in the great ballroom amidst the candle light, their hymns, the projected images of the Son of God and each other. Their faces shone with the Shikenah, glory of God. They did not want it to end.
They we four travelers, friends on a journey. On the top of a high mountain peak they suddenly become seven entities where wonders occur. Great faces from the past, Moses and Elijah accompanied by the voice of Yahweh come forth. The glorious transfiguration, recognition of the one they called Rabboni is now called as the Son of God. Three of the travelers are left speechless and in terror; one presumes that his duty is to stay on that mountain top and bask in the glory of the moment forever. Great wonderment occurs at the presence of the Lord and then it is over.
Today we remember the physical transfiguration of the appearance of Jesus on a mountain top. All of our readings contribute to the theme of transformation. The Exodus story tells of the change in the appearance of Moses’ face after he comes down from Mount Sinai having dwelt there for a time with God. Our psalm celebrates the kingship of Yahweh, God’s holiness, the pillar of cloud and a holy mountain top. In second Corinthians Paul reminds us of Moses’ shining face at his mountain top time with God. Today we ponder our own mountain tops with God and wonder just what they mean.
The act of a transformative moment in our lives is something I believe as Christians we long for. That moment in prayer, in journaling, in worship, when God speaks so clearly to us, where we see him so definably that we are not the same after words. When just such moments occur the desire of our hearts is to hold on to them, to never let them end. God has become tangible and we would just as soon rest there in that glory with him. This is hardly an everyday experience. It is a transforming experience; some might even say they too have felt transfigured by the glory of the moment, actually being changed in some way.
There is a danger to these types of experiences. Because they are rare we, like the disciples before us fail to learn from them. We grow desirous of withdrawing from life’s day to day struggles and engagement with the world hoping that we could just live on the mountain tops. We forget that we, like Jesus, must come down the mountain and engage the world with what has transformed us. The gift of the mountain top is the opportunity to leave it and move on with a message. Unlike Peter who wanted to stay in the glory of the moment, we like Jesus are called to be changed on the mountain top and then move into life with that message. The trial, the cross, the death and the resurrection awaited Jesus on the down side of the mountain’s slope. His message, his Good News was needed in the foot hills not at the peak.
We like the disciples are not called to live in a prolonged radiance of a mountain top moment. The other foot must fall; the work has to be done, the word must be shared. True discipleship involves bringing the message found on the mountain top to a world that will challenge you and will not understand. Faithfulness as a disciple is not achieved by freezing ourselves in a spectacular moment of glory but by following God in the confidence because of his message down the mountain top trusting that what lies ahead is greater than can be expected. Your transformation has prepared you to bear it to his glory.
The lights went back on, 400 teenagers sat still and quiet knowing that this particular mountain top experience had come to an end. They had been transformed, fed, forgiven, refreshed and accelerated like the woman at the well. Their jobs as children of the King with a message to share had begun a new and they were ready.
Peter, James, John and Jesus came down off the mountain ready for the work ahead on the road that would lead to the cross and the empty tomb. Only Jesus understood the full extent of his transfiguration on the mountain top. He was prepared in confidence in God to complete what lay ahead. Out Lenten journey begins, my friends with this truth. Our call is to follow, learn and by changed in the process. Let us pray:
A prayer by James Loader 2001
O God,We open our eyes and we see Jesus, he months of ministry transfigured to a beam of light, the light of the world, your light. May your light shine upon us.
We open our eyes and we see Moses and Elijah, your word restoring us, showing us the way, telling a story, your story, his story, our story. May your word speak to us.
We open our eyes and we see mist, the cloud of your presence which assures us of all we do not know and that we do not need to fear that. Teach us to trust.
We open our eyes and we see Peter’s constructions, his best plans, our best plans, our missing the point, our missing the way. Forgive our foolishness and sin.
We open our eyes and we see Jesus, not casting us off, but leading us down, leading us out -to ministry, to people. Your love endures forever.
We open our ears and we hear your voice, ‘This is my beloved Son, listen to him!’And we give you thanks.
Amen
Transfiguration Sunday
Luke 9: 28 – 36
Grace, mercy and peace to you this day in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen
Call to Prayer
Let’s go up the mountain. Let’s go up to the place where the land meets the sky where the earth touches the heavens, to the place of meeting, to the place of mists, to the place of voices and conversations, to the place of listening.
There were 400 of them worshipping in a candle lit ballroom. They were teenagers transformed from a sea of chatty, playful kids into the Body of Christ by their hymns, their prayers, the Word of God and the Holy Meal. This mountain top experience united them. Through the use of projectors and power point programs they saw images of Jesus, his cross, his death, his resurrection, his glory. The large basins of water surrounded by candle lights spoke of baptism and it promises to all humankind. Many of them wept and held each other almost as if they were clinging to the moment not wanting it to end. The sermon text for their ears that day was the woman at the well; the woman, who Jesus knew even, thought he had never met her before. He knew her needs, her short comings, the desires of her soul, her sins. He offered her living, cleansing water. Her engagement with Jesus left her illuminated, energized, enlightened, accelerated and ……transformed. A mountain top experience had occurred for this woman at the well. The teenagers relived her transformation that day in the great ballroom amidst the candle light, their hymns, the projected images of the Son of God and each other. Their faces shone with the Shikenah, glory of God. They did not want it to end.
They we four travelers, friends on a journey. On the top of a high mountain peak they suddenly become seven entities where wonders occur. Great faces from the past, Moses and Elijah accompanied by the voice of Yahweh come forth. The glorious transfiguration, recognition of the one they called Rabboni is now called as the Son of God. Three of the travelers are left speechless and in terror; one presumes that his duty is to stay on that mountain top and bask in the glory of the moment forever. Great wonderment occurs at the presence of the Lord and then it is over.
Today we remember the physical transfiguration of the appearance of Jesus on a mountain top. All of our readings contribute to the theme of transformation. The Exodus story tells of the change in the appearance of Moses’ face after he comes down from Mount Sinai having dwelt there for a time with God. Our psalm celebrates the kingship of Yahweh, God’s holiness, the pillar of cloud and a holy mountain top. In second Corinthians Paul reminds us of Moses’ shining face at his mountain top time with God. Today we ponder our own mountain tops with God and wonder just what they mean.
The act of a transformative moment in our lives is something I believe as Christians we long for. That moment in prayer, in journaling, in worship, when God speaks so clearly to us, where we see him so definably that we are not the same after words. When just such moments occur the desire of our hearts is to hold on to them, to never let them end. God has become tangible and we would just as soon rest there in that glory with him. This is hardly an everyday experience. It is a transforming experience; some might even say they too have felt transfigured by the glory of the moment, actually being changed in some way.
There is a danger to these types of experiences. Because they are rare we, like the disciples before us fail to learn from them. We grow desirous of withdrawing from life’s day to day struggles and engagement with the world hoping that we could just live on the mountain tops. We forget that we, like Jesus, must come down the mountain and engage the world with what has transformed us. The gift of the mountain top is the opportunity to leave it and move on with a message. Unlike Peter who wanted to stay in the glory of the moment, we like Jesus are called to be changed on the mountain top and then move into life with that message. The trial, the cross, the death and the resurrection awaited Jesus on the down side of the mountain’s slope. His message, his Good News was needed in the foot hills not at the peak.
We like the disciples are not called to live in a prolonged radiance of a mountain top moment. The other foot must fall; the work has to be done, the word must be shared. True discipleship involves bringing the message found on the mountain top to a world that will challenge you and will not understand. Faithfulness as a disciple is not achieved by freezing ourselves in a spectacular moment of glory but by following God in the confidence because of his message down the mountain top trusting that what lies ahead is greater than can be expected. Your transformation has prepared you to bear it to his glory.
The lights went back on, 400 teenagers sat still and quiet knowing that this particular mountain top experience had come to an end. They had been transformed, fed, forgiven, refreshed and accelerated like the woman at the well. Their jobs as children of the King with a message to share had begun a new and they were ready.
Peter, James, John and Jesus came down off the mountain ready for the work ahead on the road that would lead to the cross and the empty tomb. Only Jesus understood the full extent of his transfiguration on the mountain top. He was prepared in confidence in God to complete what lay ahead. Out Lenten journey begins, my friends with this truth. Our call is to follow, learn and by changed in the process. Let us pray:
A prayer by James Loader 2001
O God,We open our eyes and we see Jesus, he months of ministry transfigured to a beam of light, the light of the world, your light. May your light shine upon us.
We open our eyes and we see Moses and Elijah, your word restoring us, showing us the way, telling a story, your story, his story, our story. May your word speak to us.
We open our eyes and we see mist, the cloud of your presence which assures us of all we do not know and that we do not need to fear that. Teach us to trust.
We open our eyes and we see Peter’s constructions, his best plans, our best plans, our missing the point, our missing the way. Forgive our foolishness and sin.
We open our eyes and we see Jesus, not casting us off, but leading us down, leading us out -to ministry, to people. Your love endures forever.
We open our ears and we hear your voice, ‘This is my beloved Son, listen to him!’And we give you thanks.
Amen
--
Posted By Pastor Bettye to Community at the Crossroads at 2/13/2010 02:39:00 PM
