Transfiguration Sunday

This is the sermon I preached yesterday, or close to it. I didn't just read the script and I prefaced it by talking about how Protestants have not been the sticklers of liturgy like the Roman Catholics and Orthodox, but that doesn't change the purpose of the liturgy, nor is it something Protestants should just ignore because it leads us to focus and meditate on our faith. Then I delivered this sermon at my church which is a combined Lutheran and Presbyterian congregation.

February 23, 2020

Grace Community Church, Potlatch, Idaho

Brian Potter

            Today is Transfiguration Sunday and any of you that know me and have heard me deliver sermons know that I like to use all the lectionary readings in my sermon. I also prefer to tell stories that I have experienced. I can’t say that the Transfiguration is a Bible story I have ever taken great interest in, so to find that it is one of the big five Jesus occurrences of the church really surprised me when I started researching. Of course I didn’t even know there was a Big 5, because I’m a layman not overly well versed in the liturgy, so in case you didn’t either, they are His baptism, His crucifixion, His resurrection, His ascension, AND His transfiguration. To me the transfiguration had always seemed kind of anti-climactic compared to the other biggies, so I want to tell you what transfiguration means, what Jesus’ transfiguration was, and why Jesus’ transfiguration is so important to the church, for us, and what we are supposed to do with it.

If you look transfiguration up in Webster’s you’ll find that it means a: a change in form or appearance : METAMORPHOSIS or b: an exalting, glorifying, or spiritual change. If you have children of similar ages to mine you will remember Power Rangers, or more specifically Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. These guys can collectively metamorphize into a Megazord, a giant butt kicking kind of robot. My equivalent TV shows would be Q6 Saturday afternoon showings of Godzilla movies on Creature Feature in the old days. Anyway, together the four (was it four? Forrest would be ashamed I don’t know) Power Rangers could “transfigure” or “morph” themselves into a super hero Megazord. And if that eludes you, what we can all envision without any modern cultural reference is a caterpillar changing into a butterfly, or a tadpole to a frog. With Jesus the transfiguration was the spiritual exaltation, more a revelation to the disciples than a change, and that brings me to my second point of just what Jesus’ transfiguration was.

I want to start with an example of something a little closer to the transfiguration of Jesus. I’m going to read a Bible passage and then “transfigure” it.  “17 Und nach sechs Tagen nahm Jesus zu sich Petrus und Jakobus und Johannes, seinen Bruder, und führte sie beiseits auf einen hohen Berg.² Und er ward verklärt vor ihnen, und sein Angesicht leuchtete wie die Sonne, und seine Kleider wurden weiß wie ein Licht” (Luther Bibel). Now here’s the Authorized English transfiguration: “17 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, ² and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” The two translations are just in different languages, but my reading both languages allows you to understand the first version. I call it a transfiguration because I didn’t do the translation. Peter, James, and John were already familiar with Jesus, but the transfiguration allowed them to see Him in a completely different light. It was like he suddenly was shown to them in English instead of German.

In some ways this scene from Matthew, to me, seems like a spotlight from heaven and I can almost hear the “Ahh” from a choir. Then continuing in verse 3 from what I just read (from the NIV), “³ Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.⁴ Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’⁵ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’” No, Peter, now is not the time. Even in our modern era when strange voices come over loudspeakers all the time, I think a voice from a cloud would get my attention. God was directly telling Peter that building shelters was not at all in the plans now. Listen to Jesus instead. This transfigurative scene was to be temporary and to let those three know just who Jesus is. Moses and Elijah were there and that is highly significant. They connect Jesus to the law and the prophets. Jesus fulfills both the law and the prophecies. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I often wonder how they knew it was Moses and Elijah. It wasn’t like now where we have photographs and video. But even if it were now, Moses and Elijah were still before any of that sort of technology. I assume there was a little more to the conversation than what is recorded, but I haven’t found anything that explains how they would know. Jesus knew. That voice in the clouds definitely knew. Peter tells us it wasn’t a “cleverly devised story.” There was clearly a direct connection for the three disciples. Jesus fulfills the law. Through him all burning bush terrors that Moses experienced are complete. All of the prophecies of every true prophet of God are fulfilled. Let me repeat: in Jesus all of the law and all of the prophecies of God are complete. That is the Transfiguration for Peter, James, and John and therefore, that is the transfiguration of Jesus for us because Peter, James, and John witnessed it and they testified of it. It is through those three disciples that we learned of who Jesus really was. Because of them we have been introduced to Jesus. He chose them and He chose us.

From Exodus we read, “¹² The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.’¹³ Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. ¹⁴ He said to the elders, ‘Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.’

¹⁵ When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, ¹⁶ and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. ¹⁷ To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. ¹⁸ Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.”’ Do you see the similarities from when Moses went up onto the mountain? The cloud, the law, Moses, the voice from the cloud. I’m sure Moses saw Jesus right then and there. We weren’t there, Peter, James and John weren’t there, but later during their lives Jesus allowed them to see his transfiguration in a way that showed them and us the completion. Of course, we still don’t fully understand. We might look incredulously at Peter when he asks if he should build three shelters wondering just what he is thinking. But what are we thinking? Peter was a man of action and this is a first thought. What do we do with all of this?

            That’s my third point. What we should do with it. We should do what Peter, James, and John did and be witness to who Jesus is. Mark and Luke also talk about the Transfiguration in a similar way to Matthew but John only alludes to it in the first chapter, verse 14 when he says: “¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Word is Jesus. The Word is the law. Jesus is the law. He has made it complete. We are forgiven. He makes us whole. John basically sums up Jesus in that way that only John’s poetic ability to summarize Jesus can be done: “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome^[a] it. ⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. ⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, (that’s us!) to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

            That’s what John said about it. Peter said what we already heard, but let me say it again: “¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. (Who could come up with this stuff?)¹⁷ He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”^[a] 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.¹⁹ We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ²⁰ Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. ²¹ For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” It’s true and we know it, even when we don’t fully get it. James’ epistle doesn’t talk about the Transfiguration, but he does give advice on what to do with it. I won’t read that, but you should to remind yourself of what to do.

            My summary of what to do with Jesus and the knowledge of who he really is comes from the first Psalm, King James version.

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
² But his delight is in the law of the Lord;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
³ And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither;
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

            If we delight in the law of the Lord, in Jesus, if we meditate in him day and night we will be the tree by the rivers of water. Our fruit will come forth in its time and we will prosper. We don’t have to morph into Megazords or speak in tongues and read scripture in foreign languages. We do have to let others know who we know, we have to live firm in that faith. We have to do what he has set for us whether that be teaching school, going to Senior meals, working for Presbytery and preaching, practicing medicine, caring for our children, cleaning people’s teeth, keeping score of ball games, and all those things we already do. We have to be the tree by the rivers of water. Our faith is in the Light that has been here from the beginning and will be here through the end. We are his people and we know this. Don’t forget. Be the tree by the rivers of water. In Jesus name, Amen.