The following is a condensed version of the Sermon. If you would like the full sermon, come visit us Sundays at 11am. We would be glad to have you!!
Transfiguration brings to a close the season of Epiphany and is the bridge between Christmas and Lent. We began our journey with the Magi who saw divinity in the fragility of an infant. The journey paused midway at the banks of the river Jordan where we heard the divine voice saying: "This is my beloved son", as Jesus emerged from the waters of baptism. Today, we are on the mountain top with Jesus - it is a moment when all of history is joined together in the "now" and we are given a "glimpse" of the glory that will one day be ours.
THE SCENE
Our gospel opens with the story of Jesus, James, John and Peter at the top of a mountain. Here in this majestic setting, Jesus is "transfigured" before them. His clothes become dazzling white and his face glows with glory. Standing with him are Moses, the Lawgiver and Elijah, the Prophet. Peter is so overcome with joy that he proposes they build three "tents" on the site. The divine voice is heard in a cloud: "This is my Son, my chosen, listen to him".
Upon their return from the mountain top experience they encounter the demands of a father whose son is desperately ill. The disciples of Jesus had tried to cure him but were unsuccessful. The young boy is said to be "possessed" with a shrieking demon that causes him to convulse and froth at the mouth. Jesus, of course, heals him.
A few things to note about both stories:
1. On the mountain top Peter wants to erect some "tents". When we think of tents are minds are drawn to the image of canvas and metal posts. A tent is something that keeps us protected from the elements while camping. Tent has quite a different meaning in the way that Luke uses the word. Recall that the Ark of the Covenant, the place where God's glory dwelled on earth, was kept in a tent. A tent then, was a sacred place. Peter's desire to erect a tent demonstrates his desire to build a shrine - to acknowledge the mountain top as a sacred place. Jesus, however, will not comply. He does not want the disciples to "hold on" to this moment by making a holy site for all to visit. This moment is for strength. It is a glimpse of the glory that will be given to Jesus after he has embraced his cross and therefore a glimpse of the glory that God promises to all of us through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
2. Below the mountain Jesus encounters the shrieking demon. Looking back through time and advancements in both science and medicine it would be reasonable for us to surmise that the young boy was not possessed. Rather, it is likely that he was suffering from a kind of epilepsy. Such a disease would not have been understood by the people of Jesus day and would likely have been seen as some kind of demonic possession. Nonetheless, we are told that Jesus heals him.
So why are the two such opposing stories linked together? One story is about a glimpse of the glory that is to come and the other is about the suffering of a human person. Why does Luke link the two stories together?
I believe the answer lies in the very contradiction of the stories - a contradiction which Luke uses to tell us that the world desperately needs God.
CONTRADICTIONS
If we meld the two stories together we see that while Jesus and the Apostles are on the mountain experiencing a "glimpse of glory", people below the mountain are suffering. While Jesus and the Apostles are experiencing joy, strength and beauty, people below the mountain are experiencing pain, illness and evil. Luke seems to be telling us that the more open we are to God and the Lordship of Christ in creation (transfiguration experience on the mountain), the more open we will be to the pain of the world (suffering of the child possessed by a demon).
Each of us experiences these contradictions in life. We experience the joy of the transfiguration at each experience of new life - the birth of a child; a young couple in love; a moving worship experience. Likewise, we experience the pain of those below the mountain when life seems threatened or unfair- illness, death, divorce.
Were we to have no faith, these experiences would be pointless and by extension, life would be meaningless. We, however, are a people of HOPE. The story of the transfiguration of Jesus affirms the journey of life - in all its contradictions. We are enlivened by hope because the strength that Jesus was given in the experience of the mountaintop transfiguration allowed him to carry his cross and through it transform the world. Moreover, the transformation of the world has only BEGUN with the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. We are called to participate in the ongoing transformation that was begun in Jesus but not completed. This is the call of the Church.
The moments of transfiguration - the glimpses of glory that we all experience are meant to sustain us and help us to carry on the work of the resurrection. And this is why these two stories are linked together. The more open we are to God, the more open we are to the pain of the world - and the world NEEDS God. The experiences of suffering and pain - personally and globally can be transformed.
TRANSFORMING THE WORLD
Many of you participated in fundraisers over the last month that were focused on Haiti. We invited people to birthdays and made donations instead of buying cards; we enjoyed the crisp winter wonderland on horse drawn sleighs; we had dinners, games nights, and socials. These were transfiguration moments - opportunities to create community, embrace the joy and wonder of life and through them offer help to a part of the world that is suffering. It was not to fly in the face of suffering but to recognize that joy and sorrow go hand in hand. What we did together was draw closer to God that we might draw closer to the pain of the world. This is how we are to participate in the work that Jesus began in the resurrection. This is how we are to transform the world.
Peace
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