Transfiguration Sunday (3)

Epiphany  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  24:56
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Transfiguration

Luke 9:28–31 NRSV
28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

Jesus, with Moses and Elijah

Moses

It is difficult to imagine this moment.
High up on a mountain. Waking up to find Jesus praying.
But then to notice something different.
Is it a play of the sun on the shadows and the clouds.
What is happening?
The sound of voices.
Ancient Hebrew Voices.
Moses reminding us what God says:
Exodus 20:2 NRSV
2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;
Or perhaps Moses brave prophetic word to Pharaoh:
Exodus 5:1 NRSV
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ”
Or maybe some of Moses’ words about our hearts being transformed by God:
Deuteronomy 30:6 NRSV
6 Moreover, the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live.
Moses - who gives the law.
Moses who leads the people of Israel out of slavery.
Speaking to Jesus.

Elijah

But not just Moses - Elijah too.
The law and the prophets.
Perhaps Elijah is reminding Jesus of the moment in his life when the Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal.
The prophets of Baal set up an offering to Baal.
And Elijah set up an offering to the Lord.
The prophets of Baal prayed and prayed but nothing happened.
But when Elijah prayed the offering to Yahweh was consumed:
Elijah prayed:
1 Kings 18:37–38 NRSV
37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench.
As the Luke passage concludes:
Luke 9:31 NRSV
31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
ἔξοδον (exodon)
Just to make it interesting the word for ‘departure’ in Greek - is ‘exodon’. Like the book of ‘Exodus’ that tells the story of the Hebrew’s being freed from Egypt.
Perhaps you can feel the tension.
Jesus - like Moses and Elijah.
Called to do something brave.
Something that demands faith and trust.
Something that relies on the grace and presence of God.
Jesus - in his humanity - does not take it for granted that if he stands up to the Jewish authorities and the Roman empire he will be vindicated.
All he knows is that it is the right thing to do.
Standing with Moses - he is able to hear from other pilgrims who have been on similar journeys.
Perhaps Jesus is saying to Moses:
What was it like to stand before Pharoah and tell him the truth?
What was it like when God our Father asked you to do such a bold and dangerous thing?
How did you know that God would answer your prayers?
Perhaps Jesus is saying to Elijah:
Why didn’t you just run away when God called you to stand up to the prophets of Baal?
Weren’t you nervous that God might not answer your prayers?
And we know why Jesus might need to consult with these elders of scripture.
He has already told his disciples:
Just before this moment - in Luke 9:22
Luke 9:22 NRSV
22 saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
Moses - would risk his life approaching Pharaoh.
Elijah - would risk his life with the challenge to Baal.
Each of them delivered by the grace of God.
Jesus - anticipating the path to Jerusalem - surrounded as the write to the Hebrews would say:
Hebrews 12:1 NRSV
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
Transfigured by the presence and the witness of the law and the prophets - Jesus sets his face toward Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

As we begin our Lent journey - as we seek God. As we seek to draw closer to God. To encounter God.
We need to remember something.
Journeying toward God is a terrifying and bold step.
In Corinthians we are reminded of Exodus 34. Where Moses seeks God’s presence. He went up the mountain to ask God for help in leading the people of Israel.
When the people saw the glory of God in Exodus 20:18-19 they said:
Exodus 20:18–19 NRSV
18 When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.”
Do you want to step into God’s light?
Do you want to fast and pray?
Do you really want to quiet your minds for a minute and listen for what God will say?
Are you ready to crucify yourself in order to follow Jesus?
We can be just like the people of Israel. We can read the books of the law but refuse to open our minds and hearts to the presence of God.
2 Corinthians 3:14 NRSV
14 But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside.
2 Corinthians 3:16 NRSV
16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

Good News

Just like us.
Jesus was anxious about the next steps.
We can live our lives in one way.
I know what I know.
I believe what I believe.
I do what I do.
I have decided who I am and what I am and I am comfortable with that.
OR
We can do what 2 Corinthians 3:16 says and open ourselves to a new possibility.
2 Corinthians 3:16 NRSV
16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

Turn

Fasting.
Journeying through lent.
Is a persistent and insistent act of turning.
Turning away from what you think you know.
And turning toward the living God.
Inviting the Holy Spirit to transform you.
Turn and be transformed:
2 Corinthians 3:17–18 NRSV
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.
Here is a concluding paragraph for your sermon:
And so, as we stand on the threshold of Lent, we are invited to step into the light of Christ, to be transfigured by His presence.
Just as Jesus stood with Moses and Elijah, drawing strength from the law and the prophets, we, too, are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.
The path ahead may look a bit rough; transformation is never easy.
We may not want the lights turned on.
But when we turn to the Lord, the veil is removed, and we see with new eyes.
This is our calling—to lay aside our fears, to fast and pray, to seek God with open hearts, and to trust that His Spirit will lead us from one degree of glory to another.
May we have the courage to turn, to be transformed, and to walk with Christ toward the cross, knowing that resurrection awaits.
Amen.
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