A Bad Rap And Transformation
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 bright as light. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will set up three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
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Introduction
We arrive at another mountain top, where we are presented with a display of radiant light. As we look forward to the newness of life that spring brings, we are reminded of the power of God's transforming glory. In the bleakness of winter and the disquieting encounters we seek during Lent, the story of Jesus' transfiguration serves as a start and end place for the continuous cycle of our transfiguration. What do we pray to let go of as we enter the season of Lent in the hope of coming out with a renewed spirit? What is it that we hope to preserve and carry with us as we come down the mountain after seeking a moment with God?
Undeserved Bad Rap
If you remember any previous sermons where I've talked about the transfiguration of Jesus, you might remember how I give Peter a hard time (though not just me, many preachers give Peter a hard time). It's easy to jump on the bandwagon that says Peter was wrong in wanting to preserve the moment of glory on the mountaintop because Jesus came to be a light that spreads throughout the world. Yet, what if there was truth to Peter's desire to acknowledge what he witnessed? Jesus, after all, doesn't rebuke Peter or offer any correction. So what should we take away from Peter's gesture towards Jesus as we prepare to embark on our Lenten journey?
I believe that as Peter witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus, he realized how much of the mundane and pettiness of life he was holding in his heart. Unfortunately, we tend to hold onto a lot of baggage we should have let go of long ago. We hold onto memories of being slighted or hurt, we hold onto days of past glory, and we hold onto jealousy and rancor, all while professing to worship a God who shows us the power of transformation. Perhaps Peter, at that moment, realized that there were things he needed to let go of to transform his own heart when presented with the gleaming light of God. What is exposed in our hearts when we allow the light of God to reveal what's inside?
A Living Tabernacle
Irenaeus, an early Christian theologian, once said, "[T]he glory of God is the one who is living." So what does it look like for the glory of God to be in us? Because if our lives do not reflect the glory, the radically transformative glory of God, then what are we doing? We cannot try and engineer our own solution by ignoring the calling that God has given us. We cannot ignore the plank in our own eye and obsess over the speck that is in someone else's eye. A light is now standing right before us, unveiling what needs changing in our hearts before we even begin to point the finger at others.
It's the same for us as a community of faith, a fellowship of disciples who make up the church. Now is the time to look at Jesus, who stands before us with a sense of awe. It is not the time for us to remember the "glory days" when Sunday school classrooms were full, when there was higher attendance, and so on because none of those things are relevant to the work Jesus calls us to do. There are hungry people, there are hurting people, there are people who are still despised because of their race or gender, and here we are with the audacity to think that the baggage we cling to is worth something before the eyes of God, who calls for transformation, calls for something new.
We are a living tabernacle that should help bring forth the light of God, not preserve it for some twisted longing for days long gone.
Discerning Hearts
May we be challenged this Lenten season by the words and teachings of Jesus. So that by the time we come out of our introspection, we are ready to tackle the hard work Jesus requires of us and that we may be disciples who the light of God has transformed. Because we are not people of this time or place or country but people who have been called to something more. So how are you going to let your lives be a reflection of the life-altering love of God?
How will you cultivate your curiosity for God's word? How will you let it shine on your heart and process what it says?
How will you demonstrate the love of God this Lenten season? A light that, like God's love, penetrates the dark and hidden places and brings healing?
How will you be generous with your time in service to God, to neighbors, and yourself?
How will you spend this time coming down the mountain, the time in the wilderness, formulating a commitment to follow God's will more closely?
And how, after longing for transformation, will you let God mold your heart, or will you?
As Jesus converses with Moses and Elijah, we are reminded of how God has worked through the lives of many women and men who learned that satisfaction is not gained through earthly treasures but by carrying out God’s love, justice, and reconciliation (that the journey of life and faith does not happen in one moment or instance and by asking these questions). Moses and Elijah, the living prophets and disciples of today, stand in awe, stand in silence, and stand with fumbled words listening to where God called them, calling us, to go. So as we depart on our Lenten journey, let us listen and discern so that our hearts might become ever more in tune with the heart of God.
Conclusion
If we live like this, if we are willing to take on this hard work, and that is something we need to ask ourselves, then we will discover what it means to be an accurate reflection of the light and glory that comes from God. We gaze with awe at how we might actually live when we let light and the love of God transform us. It is a source of strength we will require as we embark on our Lenten journey, a source of comfort for when seasons of change appear to come out of nowhere. Let us discern and pray sincerely as to how we can enable moments of transfiguration to happen in our daily lives so that they might reveal the pathway for a renewed sense of identity and purpose.