February 27, 2017
The Transfiguration

“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. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 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!” 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.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” Matthew 17:1-9

“Across its Sundays we discover the significance of the Jesus whose birthday we just celebrated. We learn about how the babe born at Bethlehem is also the light of the world as well as about how we as his followers are also called to be light. We are drawn more deeply into an understanding of who and what the infant greeted by shepherds and magi is for us and for all the world and of our role to share what we have learned. In this regard, I like to think of the Christmas message as a tightly, even intricately packaged Christmas gift which takes us the whole of Epiphany to unwrap and discover. Transfiguration Sunday draws the season to a close, and Matthew’s account provides the nearly perfect bookend to the story of Jesus’ Baptism that we read on the first Sunday of Epiphany.

Make no mistake, “transfiguration” is a strange word, one that you almost never use in everyday speech. Transfiguration Sunday isn’t all that much more familiar, and it is easy for preachers to underestimate how little our hearers know what to make of the day. It is the final Sunday of Epiphany, perhaps the least well understood season of the church year. The relationship to the Baptism of our Lord, the first Sunday in the season, is clear, as we are again invited to listen with the crowds (at Jesus’ Baptism) and disciples (at the Transfiguration) as a voice from heaven announces, “This is my Son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

At the same time, Transfiguration leans unmistakably into Lent, as Jesus comes down from the mountain to head to the death he speaks of during that very descent. The injunction to “listen to him” addressed to Peter, James, and John will become poignant, even painful in the weeks ahead as they regularly fail to do just that, or at least fail to understand what they are listening to. And those same words, when taken as addressed also to us as Jesus’ latest disciples, orient us to listen and watch the Lord of Glory approach his destiny in Jerusalem so that we might more fully comprehend God’s purposes and work in Jesus.” (March 6, 2011, David Lose, Epiphany is about light, about illumination, about revelation.)

We don’t have to climb a mountain to see Jesus – to feel the touch of Jesus. But, when we have so much going on in our lives, when we feel as if we are buried under a mountain of fear, or responsibilities, we can’t help but ache for, search for, hope for the healing, and soothing touch of Jesus. The good news, my friends, is that Jesus does come to us. It is not necessary for us to do anything – build a booth, erect a shrine – nothing except, maybe pay attention. Jesus reaches down, and out, and touches us in so many ways, we just need to heighten our awareness, train ourselves to see how. Some are obvious – he comes to us in the word that we speak and read and preach in this sanctuary – in the bread and wine of communion – in the waters of baptism. Some are not so obvious – but just as powerful. Martin Luther, in his paper titled “The Smaldcald Articles”, Dr. Luther lists five means of grace – five ways that Jesus reaches out and touches us with his grace-filled hands. The first three are the most obvious – communion, the Word of God, and baptism. Then he lists two more ways that are not so obvious, but very powerful. Jesus comes to us in the words of forgiveness that we speak to one another and in the words of forgiveness that are spoken by the pastor in our service of confession and forgiveness. And Jesus comes to us in the mutual conversation and consolation of Christian brothers and sisters. Jesus is present when someone comes to visit us, to listen to us, or just to be present with us.

Pastor Dave