3-2-2025             Transfiguration                Luke 9:28-43a

By The Rev. Maxine Gray

28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen. [
  37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. 39 Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. 40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43a And all were astounded at the greatness of God.]

Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from our Lord, Jesus Christ, who was chosen for your sake and made glorious to brighten the way we are to go.  Amen

If you are anything like me, you are distracted, worried, and appalled by the changing direction that our national leaders have undertaken. Regardless of your opinion about their goals, the way in which action is being taken is at the least unsettling and unprecedented. You might wonder why I am bringing this up, here in a sermon, no less? There are times, honestly, when we desire the very act of gathering for worship to serve as an escape from the world, that for a little while we can concentrate on prayer, and put ourselves into the hand of God. Yet there is also that aspect of worship, as we hear the Word, that we need to be instructed and be reminded of the way in which God would have us relate to each other and come to understand the ramifications of our actions. So, wouldn’t you know today, Luke is relating the incredible event on that mountain top. It proved to be rather distracting for the disciples that were there. Isolated on the mountain was the place for seeming escape and spiritual renewal that was and continues to be a setting for making a connection with God. So, it is understandable why Peter thinks it might be a good idea to set up shelters and stick around there for a while. It would have been welcome and comforting for them if they could have just stayed there, within a higher spiritual plane, postponing the need to return to the challenges of the times in which they were living.

That is especially true if Peter and his companions heard the conversation between Jesus and those two unanticipated guests. They had been conversing with Jesus about the new focus that the ministry of Jesus was soon to take. It says: they were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. You know to what this departure refers: Jesus’ arrest, trial, and execution. This was not a strategy meeting to avoid that conclusion, rather Moses and Elijah were likely sharing their own feelings and experiences regarding the final acts of their own ministries. Moses never did enter the promised land with those people he had led and nursed through the 40 years of their wilderness experience. Elijah did not witness the faithful work of his predecessor Elisha, nor did his defeat of the prophets of Baal bring about a change of heart in the kings of Israel who continued the practice of worshipping idols. Perhaps they did give Jesus a few pointers about how to find courage when it is really needed. 

Peter, James and John, probably had their heads and hearts spinning with all this display of splendor – in a dazzling Jesus, in seeing the top two historical leaders from their history suddenly appear next to them and all this resulting from a trip seeking some quiet, away from the crowds, for a time of prayer.  It must have been a blinding sight all around them before that sudden descent of the cloud, being surrounded with the magnificent brightness blocked out. A cloud, something that seems so wispy and inconsequential when viewed from a distance, Yet it can keep you from seeing the person right next to you when you are embraced by it. The cloud, as you should know, is the symbolic image utilized in Scripture for the very presence of God. Then they hear the voice and the experience becomes even more terrifying. This is the second time in the synoptic gospels where it is recorded that the voice of God is heard. “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” So very similar is this message to the one we heard at the baptism of Jesus. God is claiming His Son, and reiterates the command that it is this chosen one to whom we are to listen! The implication is that what we hear, any direction that we are given, is the same as if it came from this very voice within the cloud. Jesus’ word carries divine authority. If those disciples didn’t catch it the first time, it is tangibly reinforced because as the cloud disappears, only Jesus remains with them. There is no one else to listen to, Moses and Elijah are not there, only God’s chosen one.

So Jesus had been baptized, just as we have, and given the gifts he needed to serve in ministry among the people. Now on the mountain he has been described as being transfigured, prepared and empowered to go forward to Jerusalem to take upon himself humiliation, suffering, and death for the sake of us all. This experience of his did nothing to change the challenges or circumstances that continued to face him, however. The very next day Jesus is confronted by a father who seeks restoration for his son, that has been plagued by convulsions. Jesus’ disciples had been unable to bring about the healing he had sought for the boy. The hard work, the tests and trials, had not disappeared after the amazing divine encounter, as uplifting as that would have been. It was no magic cure-all. Jesus had returned, he came back down to the challenges for healing which remained; the real work is not on the mountain top. It is always in the valleys and in the desolate wilderness of life, where people continue to face problems for which help and support and prayer are needed. No matter the experience of the divine that has been granted us, life remains full of trouble and opposition. The work of ministry remains as we are called to listen to Jesus and to serve, just as Jesus offered himself on our behalf.

We are being led to understand that we cannot escape our responsibilities in this world.  We too need to place our concerns, our aggravations and our fears into the hands of God, coming before the Lord in prayer. We need to follow Jesus’ example of providing compassion and showing forgiveness. We are to put aside our own priorities to make room for the needs of others, so this becomes a better place for life for us all together. It is not a competition against each other but a struggle against wickedness and evil so that good and love will prevail. Hear the voice: listen to Jesus!