Transfigruration Sunday

Note ...this is a longer version than what I delivered on Sunday morning!

Transfiguration Feb 3 2008 Matthew 17

This is a powerful and amazing Bible story and we don’t know what to do with it!

There is something in here that we get tempted to ignore

we cant handle it..... Its just too much for us

Now in case you're wondering .... I don’t think the hard part is this description of Jesus turning all bright and full of light

I cant explain that in a scientific literal rational way. But I can get the message
that Jesus is filled with this divine light of glory and this is a revelation story

But that is not the hardest part for us

So what is.?

Its not the part about this cloud either;
clouds typically represent the presence of God in the Bible
so its not the hardest part to understand

and its not the part about Moses and Elijah appearing with Jesus either

W e could talk about Moses symbolizing the law and the authority of the Law
and Elijah symbolizing the prophets and their authority

THESE TWO great leader are there
talking with Jesus

but then Jesus stands alone

it says Jesus was alone ....
now standing as the authority for the church

is that the hardest part ?


Well how about this part about the voice of God?
talking from this cloud...?

A word that tell us who Jesus is? God's beloved son..
This divine affirmation of identity and love

Is that the hardest part of the story?


Before I tell you what I think the hardest part of the story
is

Let me tell you about Mt Tabor.
We don’t know exactly where this transfiguration story happened
Some people say it was up on Mt Hermon
but if you go to the holy land..of Israel and Palestine
you’re probably going to see Mt Tabor


Mt Tabor is more like a big hill .

. like giant mound or hump
its not the “rocky mountains”... kind of Mountain
its rounded and it has trees

and it stands out in this open country by itself..
I was there in March of 2001
and I was excited to go there
its up in the Galilee area

and we could see this mountain kind of a hill off in the horizon

There was a poor little village over next to it..
Kind of semi bedouin village of druzes.. I believe

And then in the place where the bus pulled in there was a gift shop, a snack bar, restrooms,

and Mercedes taxis were waiting for us.

I remember seeing a bus load of Israeli children there for a field trip
I remember it because the chaperone for this school field trip was a also a security guard
with an automatic weapon.

because MT Tabor and the Jezreel valley is not just a Christian holy place its also famous for the prophet Elijah.
. and the Jewish leader and writer Josephus ..was there in that area
so it has Jewish history as well


the road up the mountain is very winding
with switch backs so you get off the busses

you got squeezed into the taxis 6-8 people at a time
I remember the ride because we had a local Palestinian driver

who kept yelling “Yalla Yalla Yallah” in arabic

especially he did that on the way down

yallah yallah... I think it means “go go go”
kind of like
yelling just for fun on a roller coaster ride

any way... you get to the top and theirs some ruins of an old Byzantine church

and that building has something to do with the crusades; battles were fought over that mountain..people got killed over these holy places..

and there is a Greek orthodox church also on the mountain
that we didn’t get into
because .
.well
all over the holy land you get these church rivalries
who has the real holy site
and who get the biggest piece of Ground
and the best location
and who gets the money
..and the most pilgrims and tourist crowds
and that part of the history there on Mt Tabor

Now..
before you go criticizing the Orthodox church and the Catholic church and all the other churches in the Holy land

I think that is just a sample
an exaggerated sample
example
of what churches do everywhere.

. Competing
trying to be the biggest
or the best..and get the crowds

Well enough said...... we went to see the Catholic church
the Basilica of the transfiguration
they have side chapels to Moses and to Elijah

because of the political situation when I was there..
the crowds were a lot smaller
but I remember other tourists and pilgrims being there.
People from other countries.....speaking different languages..

Some people praying

or reading their Bibles
or listening to the travel guide

Some people doing the tourist things...taking pictures when they could

I remember being outside
with this wonderful big view of the whole area..

You could see for miles.

And to think this could be the holy ground
right around here somewhere..

Jesus
and Peter and James and John
walked up here
and prayed

and the transfiguration could have been right here


But the guide said something
that maybe every guide says


..and I wrote it down in my journal

this is what I had for a note in my journal (p. 46)

“Jesus said no booths

but we didn’t listen

we put up out churches..our booths anyway.”

Remember the story again :
Peter didn’t know what to say
when Jesus turns as white as the sun

and Moses and Elijah are there..

peter doesn’t know what to say

or even what he is saying

but he wants to put up three bo0ths or shelters
or maybe shrines..

. Or places to pray

some how he want to stay there maybe
or capture the moment


or maybe he just feels the need to do something....

Well the bible. Doesn’t actually say “don’t do it.”

. Don’t build anything

At least
We know that they didn’t do it right then

Do you think
God didn’t want them messing around with a building

because there was something they needed to pay attention to.

because the story goes on

and the voice says this is my beloved son

with whom I am well pleased
Listen to him,
hear him

now “listen”
in this sense
means listen
as in understand and trust and obey.


Now here’s my question

what the hardest part in the whole transfiguration story .?

.if it its not the mysterious part

or these elements
that sound like miracles and the supernatural

ii think the hardest part is the clearest part.


.god says
this is my loved one
Listen to him

that’s hardest part.

I m going back to what Mark Twain said
in one of his famous quotes

he said (paraphrase)

I’m not bothered so much by the parts of the Bible that I don’t understand


he said

I am bothered by the parts of the bible
that I do understand

I think h’s onto something.
We understand that we are supposed to hear and obey Jesus Christ
and that what bothers us
that the hard part


So instead of paying attention to what God says
and what Jesus says

do you think we followed Peter
instead of God
because it was easier

it was easier
to build the booth

to build churches
to build institutions
to get busy..on something else

do You think
we have followed the impulses of Peter...
this human nature..this human need
of doing something that we can manage and maybe handle ...
its easier to work with church institutions.
than to work with the church as living... surprising..growing spiritual movement of God

maybe it easier
to make up some rules and form some religious corporation that we can support
than it is to be the living body of Christ..living by the Holy spirit


Do you think we would ever do anything like that?!

Have we decided to try and fit God into some doctrines
so we can argue about it. Or somehow keep it....manage it...

Hold on to it.. .and maybe say my booth is better than your booth

ok I
I m being a little cynical... .but have you ever thought about that.?

or we spend all of our time in the shrines

instead of following Jesus .

.out to the crowds and down into the valley

maybe we think
is easier to stay in the shrine
in the sanctuary
in the institution
in the shelter
in the comfort zone
and talk about what we saw..

Then to have to go
and actually do what we are told to do..

I think about this whole transfiguration story
and it happens just as Jesus is talking about the cross

this following Jesus life. .is going to get hard.

.Jerusalem is coming, the cross is coming and Peter doesn’t want to hear about it...

that conversation happened just before the transfiguration

Look at verse 22 in chapter 16 just before this..

Peter doesn’t want to make the trip to the cross.

Maybe that’s also why he wants to stay on the mountain
and settle into a booth, stay in the shelter


Do we ever do that... ?

But now the Transfiguration story says “I cant stay there

I have to listen to Jesus. I have to hear the voice of God that says pay attention to Jesus.

Listen to him
the one who says
things like : Love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you.
Do good to those who hate you

(You might think its easier to build a booth!)

Forgive 7 times 70 times..
Turn the other cheek
give without expecting anything in return

Love the Lord your God
with all your heart soul mind and strength
and love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Love one another as I have loved you..Jesus said

Take up your cross and follow me
deny yourself

take my yoke upon you

greatest of all shall be servant of all.

All of that is a kind of sacrificial living

it changes us...something in us will die..
We die to our sin.
and something new will come alive

it’s the cross

Its what God told us to obey.

Jesus fed the multitude
healed the sick
welcomed the outcast
blessed the little children

ate with tax collectors and sinners

and in all of that

He told us to go and do likewise..

he said Follow me.

Do you want to hear that.. Personally and as a congregation

Where does that kind of life get you,?

,well it gets you to the cross.

Do you want to listen and obey.
Of course we do.
We’re not going to ignore Jesus

but lets confess the tension
watch for the temptation

Because its easier to build a building

than it is to build a community of wholeness in Christ
its easier to build an institution or a doctrine
than it is to build a relationship and a life of faith

it is easy to get lost in the wonderful clouds of theological speculation ..

and then forget what Jesus simply said.

Its just too easy to build a both
and put up the shrine ..even if its shrine for Jesus and Moses and Elijah
................................

My wife, Beth, is leading a read aloud book study on Wednesday evenings
and they are using the book called In His Steps
and its about a church that decided to ask the question ...for a year
what would Jesus do..
And then try to do it..

and of course a few years ago that was a popular question

with the WWJD bracelets and all that
but I think we have to go that step of what will I do
in the spirit of Christ
what does Jesus want me to do..

That the listening and the doing.

Is there some listen and doing for us to do when

Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes
--one child every five seconds
every day


I think of the things that I read in the letters to the editor or Vox Pop

Every day we have a chance to use words ..that can make this community a more respectful ..more caring place

or we can use words that hurt..and create misunderstanding

what would Jesus do..

Will we listen to Jesus before we talk ..

-------------------will we do what Jesus calls us to do?
One of the privileges
I have is to visit with some of the people who are candidates for ordination

and some of them are more tuned in with younger people and those in seminary these days.

and I heard at lease twice this week
that younger people.. are so interested in spirituality and in Christianity
they are very serious about following Christ..

But they do NOT want to that in churches that are just full of themselves.. They don want to work in churches that are Taking care of their own business
and they don’t want to get involved with churches that competing with each other.

They are tired of arguing and institution building

. Seems to me
there are people
who want to get out of the booths
and follow Jesus..
In deeper outreach
generosity..faithfulness
real justice...ministry to the poor..

Caring for the earth
and graceful change in Jesus Christ,

really being a witness to the Light of the world

I think that what this transfiguration story is all about..
Its about listening to Jesus...even when everything else in us..
Is telling us to go and build a booth