Based on Exodus 24:12-18, 2Peter 1:16-21, Matthew 17:1-9
Today is Transfiguration Sunday, the last Sunday in the season of Epiphany. Once again we have heard the story of how Jesus’ divinity and his link to Moses and Elijah was momentarily revealed on the top of a mountain to three of his closest disciples. I wonder how that glimpse of Jesus’ true identity affected the ability of those disciples to see God at work in the world? Afterall, Jesus did not let them stay on that mountain top after their epiphany – they had to come down and live their lives out of that transformative moment.
Like those disciples, there are times where we experience a new revelation, a peek behind the curtain, a “lightbulb moment” as we reflected on last week. I have been blessed with numerous occasions of seeing the light of God at work in the world. Like Peter, it took me a while to process it and understand those moments for what they were. Case-in-point are my interactions with those who live with dementia. I have spent a lot of time with folks with this disease, first with both my parents and then with many others. I have witnessed moments where the fog clears from their minds, when their eyes clear, when they make perfect sense and can connect with me and the world around them. Most often it is through music, especially favorite hymns or pieces of popular music from when they were young. Sometimes it is prayers like the Lord’s Prayer or 23rd Psalm – they speak and sing perfectly, their bodies swaying, voices clear and strong. Then the moment is over and they slip back into the disorder of their disease. However, seeing the light return to them sticks with me and reminds me that God is always with them just waiting to be revealed.
This is the essence of our scripture readings for today. In the reading from Exodus, we have the narrative of Moses and the people reaching God’s mountain in the wilderness. Moses is directed to bring Aaron and two other priests along with 70 elders of Israel to the mountain. They worship at the foot of the mountain and then God calls only Moses to come up to receive the Ten Commandments. Moses does as he’s instructed and waits 6 days for God to call him further into God’s presence. Once there, Moses spends 40 days and nights living in the glory of God before returning down the mountain with God’s Laws, forever transformed and glowing from being in God’s presence.
The letter we know as 2Peter is our lectionary reading today. Here the author, possibly the disciple Peter, is writing to believers in an unnamed church. This letter warns them about false teachers and in our reading he states once again that he was with Jesus up on the mountain when Jesus’ glory was revealed. The author states that they should trust his witness to them, “…as a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts….” They need to trust Peter’s words as true and from God until they can begin seeing the light of Jesus in their lives and the lives of those around them.
Pastor Christian Coon unpacks our Transfiguration reading from Matthew writing, “…In Matthew 16, to Jesus’ delight, Peter proclaims Jesus the Messiah, Son of the living God. Not long after that, to Jesus’ dismay, Peter argues that a suffering and dead Messiah does no one any good. His comment leads Jesus not only to rebuke Peter but also to instruct his followers about the nature of discipleship and the nature of who he is. There may be suffering and death, he tells them, but the Son of Man will come again in glory. Then Jesus leads Peter, James and John up a high mountain, à la Moses in Exodus, to give them a glimpse of the glory he described.
And what a glimpse! Their teacher and leader is transformed. Moses and Elijah are also part of the vision. But this transfiguration is only a glimpse. Peter may have thought it was more than that; he wanted to honor it somehow, to linger in this glory, to make it permanent by building dwellings. Some commentators have harsh words for Peter’s desire to build, calling it a ‘serious mistake’ and ‘foolish.’ I’m less inclined to condemn Peter - surely that one glimpse was worthy of celebration and commemoration!
But…Jesus turns to the disciples and reminds them that this moment is more than a spectacular light show. His instructions are simple: They must listen to Jesus if they want to get the complete picture. Listen to him say that they must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow him. Listen to him describe the glory that will follow when his ministry and life on earth are complete. What they have experienced is only a glimpse….”
We all get glimpses of God’s glory in our lives, but sometimes we miss them. We are so busy living our lives that we don’t take time to notice what is happening – the beautiful sunrise or sunset, the joy of unfettered laughter, moments of tender closeness, “God moments”. I had a glimpse earlier this week that I’d like to share with you – because like the majority of the disciples of Jesus, you were not present to see this light.
Let me set the stage by saying that while the Church and church professionals like me often talk about our calls and creating a “culture of call” in our churches, we don’t routinely have people share their testimonies. Thus, we can get kind of complacent about what God is up to within us and in people around us. We can forget that God is always at work transforming people through the power of God’s grace. I saw the light this week in the person of Wanda Edwards. Wanda is trying to start up a transportation ministry in Louisa County to serve folks, like her mother, who need to get places efficiently and reliably. Wanda spent about an hour with a small group of leaders at Mount Pleasant on Tuesday and during that time, she spoke repeatedly about how she understood that her purpose is to bring this ministry to life. She said that she has been called by God to do this, irrespective of the fact that she has never done anything like this in her life. The old adage rings true that God always equips the called.
She described herself as “not a very religious person” though she was very well versed in the Bible and obviously had a close relationship with God. I suspect that she meant that she didn’t attend a church regularly or keep a membership somewhere. Nevertheless, she had one of the strongest and clearest calls I have had the pleasure of hearing. She had seen the light and understood that God was directing her mission. That God would remove every obstacle and place people and other resources in her life to help her achieve her purpose. She had come to us because God had led us to her and invited her to come and share her vision.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, Wanda has been to the mountain top and has seen the light. Those gathered with her on Tuesday were able to see the light of God reflected in her face and in her confident explanation of how God was going to make a way where there seems to be no way. This is what seeing the light really means. We get a glimpse of what God wants us to do, and we are emboldened to take that first step into an unknown future following a known God. Those moments don’t last long, but they do make a lasting impression.
Wanda, like Peter, may have wanted to stay in the light of that epiphany about her life purpose, but she knew she had to come down off the mountain and get to work – because her ministry wasn’t going to build itself. This week a small group was able to see the light of God reflected in her face, her words and her conviction – and now it is up to us to come back and ask each other how we want to be a part of helping her help others.
There are times in our lives when the fog clears, when we see things clearly, when we get a glimpse of God at work in our lives and the lives of those around us. For me, that is when I know that I have had a moment of seeing the light; been blessed by God’s grace. For me, these epiphanies reveal the God who is all around us. One glimpse builds on another and we become better at seeing the light of God when it appears and in telling others what we have seen. May the ever-present God continue to provide us with glimpses of heaven on earth…amen!