Exodus 34:29-35, 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2, Luke 9:28-36, Psalm 99
When I read the story from Exodus, it’s hard to keep the image of Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments out of my head. When I read the story from Luke of Jesus turning dazzling white with Elijah and Moses appearing at his sides speaking with him, it’s hard to keep the image from Star Wars out of my mind, when at the end Obi Wan Kenobi, the transformed Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, and Yoda all appear in some sort of dazzling array of wisdom. There is some dazzling display in this story we call the transfiguration, but if that’s all there is, we miss the point. There is glory indeed, but there’s a whole lot more going on as well.
The newer translation of this story in the New Revised Standard Updated Edition, replaces “they appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure”, with “they appeared in glory and were speaking about his exodus, which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem.” This seemingly small change in word usage becomes very important as it calls to our minds Moses leading his people from the wilderness to the promised land, from wandering to freedom, from enslavement to liberation. Because that is exactly what God is doing in Jesus, and it terrifies the disciples.
What happened on this mount of transfiguration is that God shows Godself in no uncertain terms in and through Jesus. If Peter, James and John, or you or me, had any doubts about who Jesus is, doubt no longer. Not only is Jesus’ visage changed, Jesus is also clearly accompanied by Moses and Elijah, the two pre-eminent Jewish prophets. Again we are reminded of Moses coming off the mountaintop and the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. The story of the transfiguration intentionally calls that story to mind, to show us that Jesus is in the line of these prophets, and to tell us that this is God’s son, we are to listen.
And, this story of transfiguration is bookended by Incarnation, God taking on our skin, in the beginning of the gospel, and by the last supper, later in the gospel. These stories show us what God’s inbreaking kingdom looks like. Luke makes sure we know the glorious event of Jesus’ birth. The angels, and the shepherds announce Jesus’ arrival. The star in the sky even points the way for the wise people. Jesus, God’s son, is now present, pay attention.
Peter, wonderful Peter, wants to make it all permanent. He wants to build a tent and keep the moment alive. But you see, if we stay in that moment, and we yearn to be there, we miss God now. God reveals Godself in this transfiguration, and Jesus finds us in the ordinary moments. The ordinary stable, the ordinary bread, the ordinary wine. Pay attention, or you’ll miss it. Expect God in the ordinary, expect Jesus in the people you meet, expect the Holy Spirit in the wind and the rain. Expect the still small voice. Each day we are transfigured. Change is a constant presence in our everyday life.
Something extraordinary is happening here, God is breaking into time, and it changes us, it transfigures and transforms us. It may even change the world. It is that extraordinary experience that we must bear witness to. There is no staying on that mountain, Peter and James and John went back down the mountain, utterly changed. We too, accompany them down the mountain, and bear witness to God’s extraordinary shining.
And all of those experiences, the extraordinary and the ordinary, inspire us to respond to the needs of God’s beloved people with renewed energy, confidence, and determination. God’s glory, Jesus’ presence really begins to matter when we pay attention to the times and people where we can really make a difference. Instead of erecting tents on the mountaintop, we can carry that glory of Jesus into the neighborhood, and make a difference in ordinary lives, with ordinary things, food, water, shelter.
The glory that is shone forth in this story of transfiguration is a touchstone. We may return to it, but we can’t control it, and that can be rather disquieting, actually terrifying as reported in this story. We come to worship and sing God’s praises; we come to find stability in an unstable world. We come to hear the story of our faith that has not changed over time. And yet God’s word and our worship are not comfortable, they are not static. God’s word and our worship are growing and changing, becoming the creation that God has intended for it.
The glory that is shone forth should cause us to be terrified, as in filled with awe - or awful - to go down the mountain and to do what Jesus calls us to do, to pay attention and do what’s right, love your neighbor. The glory that is shone forth in this story of transfiguration pushes us out into the world so that we may get going with God’s mission in this world. God’s mission is not about preserving the status quo; God’s mission is not about sitting in these chairs. God’s mission is not defending the tradition; God’s mission is not doing things the way they’ve always been done. God’s mission is not putting Moses, Elijah, and Jesus in a box or under a tent. God’s mission is of healing and reconciliation. God’s mission is about putting fractured souls back together in this broken and fragmented world. God’s mission is about loving and serving your neighbor, especially when we don’t feel like it, especially when it is uncomfortable, even when it seems impossible and down right scary.
Where are the places in your life where you must advocate for the least, and the lost, and the lowly? Where are the places in your life where you must care for your neighbor as yourself? Where are the places in your life where you must preach God’s word of equity and justice?
Because the glory that is shone forth in this story of transfiguration promises to accompany us into our ordinary lives. We carry that glory into our work and our school and our play, it becomes the spirit that inspires and creates us, it becomes the life that gives us life. It is that which is in the eyes and souls of those whose paths we cross. It is in the respect and dignity with which we treat everyone we meet; everyone God creates.
Let us pray, that in this bright, shining moment, we may be those who bring change into places and spaces we live. Amen
