Epiphany 4

Year C

Feb. 18, 2007

 

The important thing is that we all share the same journey…

The Reverend John F. McCard, Rector

O God be in my mouth as I speak for you and fill this place with your great grace, that we may leave this place less of what we use to be, and more of what we ought to be, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

 

Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken; Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any thing of the things they had seen.

 

Before the advent of cable television, video tapes, and Tivo, there was usually only one day a week that was devoted to television just for kids.

 

Does anybody remember that time.…….yes….it was Saturday morning…..

 

I have to admit that I was a true cartoon junkie.

 

I would get a bowl of captain crunch, stake out a place on the sofa and wouldn’t move until the last cartoon appeared……

 

I loved most of the old shows Super Friends, Bugs Bunny, Scooby and even the old Sid and Marty Kroft shows like Puffin Stuff….Remember that one…..

 

Now a days, television for kids is so different. There are so many channels, PBS for kids, Noggin, Disney Channel etc….

 

I am afraid what made Saturday morning so special has been lost………..but I still remember my personal favorite show.

 

Any guesses out there?

 

Shazam……remember that one, it was about the super hero Captain Marvel……..whenever his altar ego, Billy Batson was in trouble or someone needed help…

 

he would say the magical word….Shazam….and a bolt of lightning would strike from the sky transforming Billy into the superhero,  Captain Marvel…..

 

Now I know there are probably a lot of Superman fans out there in the congregation…but let’s be honest….if you are going to change yourself into a superhero…

 

what is cooler?…dashing into a phone booth and taking off your glasses…..or having some magic lightning strike you……all right I rest my case…..

 

Now at this point you are probably thinking that your rector has lost his mind…what do the exploits of Captain Marvel and Jesus’ Transfiguration story possibly have in common…..

 

I’m glad all of you asked that question…..first….think about it for a moment, mild mannered Jesus goes up the mountain…..suddenly in a flash, clouds come overhead, a voice is heard, his clothes change and he is transformed into Super Jesus!

 

Okay, maybe it is a bit of a stretch…but in this amazing gospel story from St Luke, there is a bit of mystery, a secret identity is suddenly revealed……on a mountain and everyone who was present with Jesus, realizes…..that someone is not quite the person they appeared to be…..

 

The transfiguration story is what the story that the church chooses to tell each year, just before the forty-day season of Lent begins.

 

Before we start a season of penitence and fasting, we read this story of super-Jesus on the mountain.

 

So what are the reasons that the church chooses to focus on this story before Lent?

 

A couple of things come to mind:

 

first this story is meant to be a glimpse of the resurrected Jesus….this is picture of Jesus clothed in white….appearing as he would on that first easter morning.

 

Second the story also gives us a picture of Jesus standing side by side with Moses and Elijah, representatives of the Law and the prophets, bringing within himself those two strands of Jewish thought and action.

 

And finally as was the case of the baptism of Jesus at the river Jordan, this story once again has a voice from heaven, reminding us that Jesus is a person, beloved by his heavenly father, and as God’s son we should listen to what he has to say.

 

Most of the points I have made above are fairly obvious…so what else should the church take as a lesson from this amazing story.

 

Well first, I think underlying this story is an idea that is important to all of us as church members…..that is the notion of religious experience….

 

.the disciples with Jesus have an amazing experience on that holy mountain and in much the same way…we come here week after week….looking for that same encounter…that same type of intimacy with God…….at the heart of this story is the idea that there is something deep within our hearts and souls that longs for a closer union with God……

 

so what does the story teach us about that kind of experience….that kind of closeness with God’s transforming power…..the first thing that stands out to me….

 

is that not everyone gets to go up the mountain…Jesus only asked three out of twelve disciples to go with him for that mountain top experience.

 

This is important on a practical level when we might be tempted at times to fall into the trap of thinking that everyone’s religious experience has to be like everyone elses.

 

Experiences like we see in the transfiguration story are gifts from God, not possessions of the church.

 

It is certainly not necessary to have the same experience to be members of the church nor should we treat these experiences as the types of gifts that make us spiritually better than everyone else.

 

Secondly, we need to emphasize that what Peter, James, and John saw was a true vision.

 

Reported in three of out of four gospels, the Transfiguration represents a marvelous unfolding of God’s self to creation.

 

It is a fleeting glimpse of how our humanity is supposed to be expressed in our relationship to God, to his creation and to each other.

 

What the disciples saw at the Transfiguration was Jesus glorified Jesus, the true Captain Marvel, as he would be when all things were complete, when all the roads had been walked, when the struggle against sin was finally over.

 

This is what in one sense makes Peter’s request so wrong. Peter wants to preserve the moment. He wants to make the revelation repeatable and permanent.

 

But this is not the way that heavenly vision works. The whole point of an extraordinary moment is that it is not ordinary.

 

As wonderful as it is or seems at the time, it cannot be constantly repeated or tapped into like an online website.

 

Thing in this earthly life do return to normal and life is supposed for now, to continue on as it was before.

 

 

The disciples have to come down from the mountain. Billy Batson has to get back to his normal life and we return to life the way it is.

 

This return though is not to be an occasion for despair or to think that our own daily lives are unimportant or insignificant.

 

These transfiguring experiences are given to us as gracious gifts of a loving God and they serve two important purposes in the Christian life.

 

The first purpose is that we are to enjoy them. These moments of glory are to be enjoyed, and to be relished.

 

There is nothing like them, and we need to remember those special times in life when we have felt God’s hand on our hearts and we must be willing as evangelists to share this kind of good news with others.

 

The second purpose for these experiences is found in what Peter says in an epistle years later when he is reflecting on the experience.

 

Peter says of the experience that be on the mountain, is like a light shining in a dark place until the day dawns.

 

In other words, these moments are not given to take the place of the rest of life.

 

They are not given to build booths and put the experience under glass.

 

These experiences are to remind us in the midst of busy live that there is more out there than we realize, that there is a goal, a hope, and that what we sometimes see through a glass darkly is not all there is to God.

 

Immediately after the Transfiguration, Jesus led Peter and the others down the mountain and they began the journey to Jerusalem.

 

This vision did not replace what to come, nor did it get Jesus off the hook for experiencing the cross.

 

The painful experiences of life still had to be gone through, But what this moment did for the disciples was to remind them what really lay ahead.

 

This gave their lives a hope and direction that made all the other actions possible.

 

So it is to be with us as well on this Christian Journey. The gifts of glory, the moments of God’s presence are given to us as lights on the road.

 

They are there for us to recall and share when things seem dark, or perhaps worse when life seems ordinary and we seem to be right back where we started.

 

For God’s revelation to us, his transfiguration is real, and from time to time we each have the privilege and opportunity to be on that mountain with Jesus.

 

Some of us continue the journey with him at that moment. Some of us return to the foot of the mountain. The important thing to remember about the experience is that we all share the same journey

 

And most important of all whether we find ourselves on a mountain or in valley we are never alone.