If we understand Jesus as the living Word,
And we understand ourselves as the living body of Christ in today’s context as Christians,
what might transfiguration mean for us today?
That is the question I hope for us to look at today, on this Sunday we celebrate as transfiguration Sunday.
On this Sunday, having come through the time after Epiphany, and on the cusp of Ash Wednesday and entry into Lent, we travel with Jesus and three disciples up a high mountain. On this mountain top, Jesus is transfigured before them, and two readily recognizable, tried and true leaders/prophets of the Jewish tradition, Moses and Elijah, long dead, appear with Jesus. This is an awe-inspiring event.
“AWE” is an emotion or feeling that is worth a little more examination. Social worker and researcher Brene Brown, in her book “Atlas of the Heart” cites research that has found that
‘awe “leads people to cooperate, share resources, and sacrifice for others” and causes them “to fully appreciate the value of others and see themselves more accurately, evoking humility.” Some researchers [Brene Brown says] even believe that “awe-inducing events may be one of the fastest and most powerful methods of personal change and growth.” ‘
Why do I even mention this here? Why am I citing this research from a social worker on awe, in relation to this text on transfiguration?
Because the transfiguration event has the precise outcome of being awe-inspiring in the disciples who witness it. And because the transfiguration story is an instruction for US, TODAY.
It is so amazing, so wonder-invoking for Peter, James and John that immediately Peter suggests that some kind of housing be made for this awe-inspiring vision.
This is such a natural human reaction isn’t it? When we encounter something incredibly magnificent, we want to capture it somehow, in a photograph, a bottle, a flavour, a church … we want to keep it somewhere so that, when darkness or despair threaten to take hold of us, we can pull it out and remind ourselves of that something greater than us that can hold darkness at bay.
But Peter barely has time to get the suggestion out about building dwellings for the vision of Jesus, Elijah and Moses when a voice from the bright cloud that comes over them says (the familiar words we heard at Jesus’ baptism too) “This is my Son, the Beloved, with him I am well pleased;” and this time with the add on “listen to him.”
Listen to him.
The booming voice. The booming voice following the awe-inspiring transfiguration and (lets face it) the appearance of highly revered dead people all proves to be too much. The disciples fall to the ground, overcome by fear.
This is the sequence of strange events:
- Go up a mountain
- Encounter an awe inspiring vision of Jesus with two well known dead people
- Suggest building a dwelling place for the dead people and Jesus
- Hear a voice from the clouds
- Get scared enough to fall on the ground.
The movement from awe to fear suggests there may have been some admonition in the command: Listen to him. A bit of a shaking if you will, hey you people, stop for a minute with. your established ways of encountering awe. STOP and LISTEN.
God who comes with power and might in the Old Testament characters of Moses and Elijah might bring the booming voice that incites fear.
But Jesus, who just a few weeks ago we were reminded came as a little baby amidst human blood and flesh – his voice does the exact opposite – invites us out of fear, out of our fallen places … and into the simple, inviting, hospitality of his presence:
Jesus comes and touches us, fallen down and afraid, saying “Get up and do not be afraid”/
Get up and do not be afraid.
Get up. No matter the situation, the diagnosis, the pandemic, the unexpected death or loss …
Get up, no matter the conflict, the brokenness, the separation, the dark future that may seem to lie ahead.
Get up, no matter your own insecurity, your own exhaustion, your own woundedness …
Get up and do not be afraid.
Get up and do not be afraid.
And when the fallen down scared disciples respond to Jesus’ words, mindful that when they fell down there had been this cloud and this voice from the cloud that overshadowed them, mindful that when they fell down there had been Jesus and these two famous spiritual leaders (long dead) before them … when they look up, barely peeking I imagine, to see what has happened next, they saw no one except Jesus.
And they come down the mountain and Jesus warns them not to tell of this vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.
Now, back to the original question I put before you:
If we understand Jesus as the living Word,
And we understand ourselves as the living body of Christ in today’s context as Christians,
what might transfiguration mean for us today?
Well, we know, we KNOW that the Son of Man is raised from the dead. So if we do as the voice from the scary cloud commanded, if we LISTEN TO HIM,
Then NOW is the time to tell of this vision.
NOW is the time to tell of the awe-inspiring living word, of Jesus himself, of whom we are part.
NOW is the time to tell of the awe-inspiring thing that is incarnate, made alive in OUR OWN FLESH, through the holy magic, the holy miracle of GOD who includes us in this transfiguration.
Jesus’ life, death and resurrection has pulled us like thread through the eye of the needle of our own sinfulness, whole and dazzling on the other side. And free to tell the story now, today.
The transfiguration story is an invitation to get up and not be afraid, to be the living word of God in the lives of all we encounter. Not necessarily as one who takes the Bible to thump people over the head But to be as the second reading describes: a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in the hearts of those who walk still in the darkness. YOU are that light. Through the incredible grace of the father, son and Holy Spirit, YOU are that light.
So listen to HIM.
Get up and do not be afraid.
And let your light so shine before others that through you, the goodness of God may be known to ALL. Amen.
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