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TRANSFIGURATION
OF OUR LORD
YEAR A EXODUS
24:12-18 2 PETER
1:16-21 MATTHEW
17:1-9 FEBRUARY 2, 3,
2008 Matthew 17:1,
2 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 dazzling
white. This was not
just another trip with Jesus. The disciples had been with Jesus for a
couple of years and they had been to some great places and Jesus did some
miraculous things. Storms at sea became calm just because Jesus spoke to
them. Crowds of people ate their fill of bread and fish just because Jesus
provided it and many were healed when Jesus laid hands on them. They saw
many things they could not explain apart from it came from Jesus and that
he was doing it. The three disciples were on another trip with Jesus but
this would not be just another trip for Peter, James and John. This trip
up the mountain would be one they would not forget and Jesus would tell
them to tell no one until after the resurrection.
What you and I
do on Saturday evening or Sunday morning is not just another trip. Other
days and on other occasions we make trips to the grocery store or Walmart
or to the mall. We travel as we go to school or to our places of
employment. This is something we do day after day but our trip on Saturday
evening or Sunday morning is a special trip. It is a trip to a place where
miracles happen and lives are changed. On Saturday evening or Sunday
morning we gather in sanctuaries. Sometimes we do not know what to expect.
Some of you have been coming to this place for years. You come to church
and you know the worship service so well that you can recite the liturgies
in your sleep. You recite the creed and the Lord’s Prayer from memory. You
get comfortable in what you are doing but then somebody comes along and
something happens that you did not expect. You come to
worship the Lord and sometimes you don’t even know where to start or what
to do. The Lord is in this place inspiring all that gather and God is
sharing the truth with us. We receive, as we are open to the Holy Spirit.
We receive from the Lord when we are able to open ourselves to everything
the Lord has to offer. If we insist on only receiving what we expect to
receive we will likely not be filled with the Holy Spirit and we will not
be satisfied with the experience. We might even say it is boring or that
it lacks in meaning. Matthew 17:4,
5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord,
it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings
here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still
speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a
voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased;
listen to him!” Peter, James and
John were there with Jesus on that mountain. They experienced what they
had never seen before. It is likely they heard the stories about Moses
glowing with the glory of God when he had been in God’s presence but they
were seeing the glowing glory of God first hand. Peter knew it was good
for them to be there. He knew they were there and they were seeing what
others could not see. They may not have understood but they were seeing a
vision of God’s glory that can be seen only by those that follow where
Jesus is leading. “Lord, it is
good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one
for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
It was so good
that Peter wanted to stay there. He wanted to build permanent places for
everyone to stay. That would certainly be better than going back to way
things were in the valley. If they went back down they would experience
demons, sickness and death. People were hungry and they were impatient. If
they could stay on the mountain with Moses and Elijah and Jesus they would
have the best of what God had to offer. They would stay with the one that
talked with God and got the Ten Commandments. They would remain with the
one that did not die but was swept away into heaven on a chariot of fire.
It was a good place to be, at least for Peter James and John. They went up
that mountain with Jesus not know what to expect. They received more than
they could ever imagine. You and I come
for worship and we have come to know what to expect when you are here but
our worship services must never become the same old service with the same
old attitudes. When we come together we need to expect that something new
and wonderful is going to happen. We need to expect that God is working a
miracle among us. When you come through the doors to this sanctuary you
need to expect that the Lord is working a new work in you. Some don’t want
the miracle because it means I have to do something different with my
life. I have to learn what this means for me. It means I get uncomfortable
and may not know what to say or do. Jesus went from place to place
ministering to people in need. Sometimes he asked whether the person in
need really wanted tom be healed. Jesus asked because some that are blind
would rather stay blind and those that are lame would rather stay lame and
those in prison would rather stay there. When Jesus ministered to people
it meant something had to change. The blind would have to see for
themselves, the lame would no longer be carried around and those in prison
would need to take care of themselves. We might not want God to do a new
work among us because it means things have to
change. Matthew
17:5-7 While he was still
speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a
voice 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.” When you don’t
know what to say you will say anything that sounds good as Peter did.
Peter was talking about building houses for Moses, Elijah and Jesus. If
Peter builds something he would not have to deal with the reality of the
situation. Yet, God had not called him to building something. When Peter
was talking about building things God spoke. “Listen Peter!” What you need
to do is listen to Jesus and not worry about buildings and mountaintops.
You need to hear what he has to say and stop babbling about things that
are not that important. If Peter
continues to talk about building houses he does not have to focus on the
people in the valley. They can just stay there. It is like arguing about
what kind of floor covering to put in God’s Foyer. If we keep arguing
about carpet or tile we can distract ourselves enough so that the real
work of the church gets set aside. We fight and we argue about something
that isn’t that important to the grand scheme of things. What we are doing
is dividing the body of Christ. We are choosing sides and allowing Satan
to enter into this ministry. When Satan is at work among us we begin to do
underhanded things and we talk behind people’s backs and we break the
8th commandment. We end up destroying what God has created
good. The voice came
from the cloud. It told Peter and the others to listen to Jesus because
Jesus is the Beloved Son of God. They were to stop all the talk about
building houses. They were to listen to Jesus and follow Jesus. The voice
speaks to you and me today. “This
is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” We
stop letting issues like floor covering derail our ministry. We remember
that we are about listening to the Lord and following him back into the
valley where ministry is done. The three disciples were blessed to
experience a glimpse of the glory of God. They got to see what others did
not see. You are also blessed. You are in a place others would rather not
be. You are seeing the glory of God that others cannot see. You get the
miracle of life that others do not look for. It is good to be
here but we cannot stay. There are other things needing to be done and you
must do them. It has nothing to do with floors and God’s Foyer but caring
for the least of these my brothers and sisters. It is listening to the
Lord and then doing what he calls us to do. We love one another as God
first loved us. It is about letting God be God and we being humble
servants. “This is my Son, the
Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”
AMEN |