Transfiguration for us?

Homily Lent 2, March 20, 2011

I don’t know about you, but watching the earthquake, and tsunami, and nuclear tragedy unfold in Japan has been difficult for me.

It is hard to watch the suffering and death among my fellow human beings. Thanks to modern technology we have a much clearer idea of what is happening---the devastation, the shock and sadness of the faces of the people.

Perhaps that’s why I’d like to begin my meditation on the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ with a brief story to brighten your morning:

A teacher in a Sunday school class was reading the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus from Matthew’s Gospel, and she notice one little boy seemed confused.

When she finished reading she asked him: “Johnny, why don’t you tell us where Jesus was in the story?”

“He was on a mountain,” he replied.

“Yes, that’s right,” the teacher said. “Now, do you remember why he was up there?”

“I guess that’s where his math class was,” said Johnny, still looking a little confused.
The teacher looked at him and wondered what he was talking about. “What do you mean— Jesus didn’t have a math class.”

“Well,” Johnny replied. The Bible said Jesus went up the mountain and he began to FIGURE.”

Well we won’t be having math class here this morning. Instead of figuring, we are considering this mountain top experience---this transfiguration of Jesus and what it means to us in our spiritual journey this Lent.

When Jesus takes Peter, James, and John on top of the mountain—he is transfigured before their eyes—which means his appearance changes to pure white—whiter than they had ever seen.

And the spirits of Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets, appear along with him.

The voice from above says: “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”

When we marked the Baptism of Christ at the beginning of Epiphany, the celebration of Christ as the light of the world, the voice from heaven used these same words.

The second time God adds: “Listen to Jesus.”

Following the Transfiguration, Jesus begins his final journey to Jerusalem, towards the Cross on Calvary. We follow him on this path each year as we mark the Lenten season.

The Transfiguration is an important story in many ways. It vividly depicts God’s light shining through Jesus to prepare his disciples for the challenges ahead.

It also teaches us that we can’t stay on the mountain top in our spiritual journey.

The disciples didn’t have an easy time listening to Jesus. Peter, who later denies Christ three times, testifies to Christ’s power and glory in the transfiguration story.

Indeed in his letter—now part of scripture-- he mentions the story of the Transfiguration, the only mention of it outside the Gospels.

The Transfiguration story also reinforces the Jewish roots of our Christian faith, being patterned on the story of Moses meeting God on the mountain in the Book of Exodus.

The story of the Transfiguration, with its supernatural character, is a key moment in the Gospel story, not so much for Jesus as for his most trusted disciples.

It was, for them, a sign. After all, while they had accompanied Jesus in his ministry of teaching and healing, they would need the Transfiguration: this vision of God shining in the face of the man they knew as their master and friend to inspire them on their journey.

Perhaps this vision gave them more clarity, more capacity to see God’s hand at work through Jesus, and then shining forth through their own efforts.

Rather than focus on the darkness of the world, the Transfiguration offers us an image of God’s light breaking in dramatically, transforming, enlivening and energizing God’s people—a light in the midst of darkness.

On that mountain-top Jesus is temporarily transported into the timeless cosmos—a vision of God’s love for humanity. But, like the disciples, we can’t stay there. We have to live in a hurting world.

And we are reminded that despite the apocalyptic or end times scenes of death and destruction, through wars, earthquakes, fires, and floods, that we are called to live in the present as God’s faithful servants, and continue as Christ did, on our journey.

As a parish celebrating 85 years of mission and ministry this year, we need to also consider the lessons of the Transfiguration.

We can’t compare what our parish life was in the 50’s, 60 and 70’s—when the Sundays schools and pews were full, and the church was a centre for the surrounding community, with the hall in constant use.

Perhaps that was a mountain top experience for the church in some ways; for Canon Davis and for many other parishes.

However, times have changed and we have to deal with the same reality Jesus and his disciples dealt with when they came down from the mountain, a hurting world in need of healing.

Perhaps our vision of what our life as a parish has to be Transfigured, so we can find new ways of shining the light of the love of Jesus in this community.

We have to think outside the box, and try new things. Let us pray as we observe our Lenten journey that we find strength to love and serve Jesus.