February 3, 2008 Sermon
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Last Epiphany - A
February 3, 2008 Allan Conkling
The season of Epiphany began when we lit our star above the pulpit. It announced the birth of Jesus, it was the guide for the Wise Men at the Epiphany pageant, and symbolized the coming of a new age. On this last Sunday after Epiphany our "star" is still shining. The theme of light still prevails. But today, the light is Jesus himself. On the mountain top Peter, James, and John were given a glimpse of the "real" Jesus: "Feast your eyes on this!" They saw him as he really was and saw where he was ultimately headed. In a similar way as we read this story you and I can see ourselves for who we really are, and catch a glimpse of where our eternal destiny lies. Today, with Epiphany ending and Lent before us we are at a lookout point between Christmas (behind) and Easter (ahead).
Years ago, Leslie Weathered wrote a reflection about a garden wall he had seen as a young man at a country house in England. He describes this wall, a sturdy wall--over a foot thick of stone, cemented over, and built to last a lifetime. But a tiny seed, probably dropped by a bird, had fallen into a crack in the cement and had begun to grow. After much time the roots had grown and little by little broken through the cement. The wall was weakened and it eventually collapsed. Day by day God's power is at work within us, like that little seed, in barely imperceptible ways: raising our awareness, drawing us closer, offering us moments in time when we can experience if we are attentive, a deepening of our spiritual journey. The ancients Celts called them "thin places": those times when the veil between heaven and earth seems most sheer. The Transfiguration was a "thin place". In these holy moments we realize that something greater than us is at work within us. Peter and James and John had no idea what was going on--but the "seed" had been placed, in the "wall" of their lives and had taken root. Everything they known in the past, all that they believed about Jesus would come crashing down as Christ revealed his true nature before them. In the second lesson Peter writes:
"We had been eyewitnesses of his majesty...We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain."
Whatever literally happened is anybody's guess. They said that Jesus was changed, but really, it was the disciples who would never be the same. As one writer has said,
"With Jesus it becomes clear that, we, too, are meant to be transfigured. We, too, are to wear robes, robes that shine with Jesus' presence in our lives..."
Unlike the people of the Old Testament who saw God as a consuming fire, a God of wrath and vengeance, whom no human could approach (Moses remember had to cover his face in the presence of the Holy), here Jesus was with them ("Emmanuel: God with us."). He gives them a glimpse of his holiness, but moreover he gives them a promise of what their lives and our lives are to be as his followers.
Every Sunday we gather in the presence of the living God. We set apart a space in our day to worship here. Together we are the family of God: young and old, weak and strong, important folks and normal folks. We break bread together and experience the life changing Good News. Then we go from here to radiate God's love into the world around us, at home, at school in our lives and our families.
Oh sure, we are still the same old people and when we leave here it is just same old life. We can't ever stay on the mountain top. Doubts and fears persist. We are in the trenches doing battle with our finances, worrying about our health. But, if you are struggling to understand God’s plan for your life...If you have hit a wall that seems unmovable...If a new phase of your life is upon you...If you are praying for wisdom, faithfulness, or even just strength to get by, then rejoice! The transfiguration is waiting for you.
"Be attentive as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."
The light does shine.
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Revised: 02/19/08