Transfiguration Sunday
Year A February 23,
2020
Exodus 24:12-18 •
Psalm 2 or Psalm 99 • 2 Peter 1:16-21 •
Matthew 17:1-9
Has the light gone out?
Many years ago, as a young idealistic teenager, I
remember there being a rumour... an opinion, maybe… a belief that those outside
the church could tell a Christian by the light in their eyes and some kind of a
glow about them.
I haven’t heard this in a long time, which makes me ask
the question; has the light gone out? I
also wondered if I was imagining this rumour, but after a quick google search I
found this story about the conversion of a man, Bill Vasilakis.
Bill Vasilakis was a reluctant convert. As a teenager in
Adelaide, he was self-described “spoilt Greek brat,” with long hair flowing
halfway down his back, peace badges all over his chest and a notorious
reputation.
He first got into trouble with the law at the age of 12
when he stole milk money from outside people’s houses. …..
A left-wing activist, he took part in anti-Vietnam War
demonstrations. Bill organised friends
from high school to join thousands sitting in the middle of King William Street
in Adelaide to block traffic. Bill was happy with the way he was living and, though he had heard the
gospel as a child, he suppressed it because it didn’t fit with his wild
lifestyle. So, when his best friend
turned up at school in year 12 looking transformed after receiving Christ as
his saviour at a Christian camp, Bill didn’t know what to make of it.
In the words of Bill; “The week after Easter 1971 as he
came to school, I’m looking at him crossing the asphalt and walking towards me
and it looked like he was glowing,” Bill tells Eternity. “I said, ‘Reinhart, what’s up with you?’
‘Oh,’ he goes, ‘I’ve had a really amazing weekend.’
“I go, ‘You look different.’ He was shining; his eyes
were shining. It was like what had happened on the inside was showing in his
face.” As Reinhart told Bill that he
knew God and had a personal relationship with Jesus, Bill had no idea what his
friend was talking about. “But because he was a friend, he was intelligent and
good-natured, he had credibility, so I listened. He says ‘Bill, you’ve just got
to come and see.’ ”
Bill is now a
Senior Church leader at the Christian Family Center, Seaton.
Our reading from Exodus tells us that the glory of God
was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain and then a cloud covered
it. Moses was called up into that cloud
for 40 days and nights while God gave him the commandments and laws. What we
don’t read in this account is what happened ten chapters later when Moses came
down off the mountain. When he finally
came back down he was not aware that his face was actually shining with the
glory of God, but the people saw it and were afraid.
What do we make of this?
In fact when we read any of these stories where fantastic things happen,
do we simply pass them off as tall tales?
Our reading from Peter begins…. “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of
his majesty.”
The event to which Peter had been an eye witness was the event recorded in our Gospel reading, when
Jesus was transfigured.
Throughout history there have been changes, but one thing
that is constant is that there have always been those who refuse to believe,
even when they are presented with miracles.
The Egyptian Pharaoh was like this when presented with the miracles of
Moses, as he called his magicians to do likewise – thus giving an earthly
explanation to the supernatural work of God and dismissing God’s power.
Over the years it isn’t just the atheists who dismiss the
power of God. Many initially
well-meaning theology students have sort to find a logical explanations to the
miracles of God. Some of the things that
I’ve heard are things like; the Israelites crossed the Red Sea at a spot that
is only knee deep. It seems like a great
logical explanation, but they forget that the army that followed the Israelites
were drowned in the Red Sea as they tried to follow.
Not only have these “how” theories flooded our society,
but we’ve had books and films like “The DaVinci Code”. A book that I tried to read but found it so
full of glaring error that I couldn’t really get into it. Many who don’t know any better however, have
read it, and accepted the errors made with the poetic license that comes in works
of fiction, as truth.
What a crazy world we live in where we happily believe in
myths about how to attract wealth by expecting it, and thinking positively, yet
we dismiss the stories of the miracles of God.
The purpose of the transfiguration was exactly for this
purpose; that we might know the power and the reality of Christ.
Do we KNOW the power and reality of Christ or has the
light gone out? Do we once again need to
glimpse the miracle?
Our Gospel reading begins by saying, “after 6 days”. This begs the question, what was happening
six days ago that it was worth mentioning in this way?
Now, in our reading about Moses, it was after waiting six
days that God called Moses into his presence – six days of being in a state of
expectation and separated from the rest of the community. A time of prayer and preparation
perhaps. Day one must have felt very
exciting. Day two, still excited but
getting anxious, Day three – hmmm… will it be today? Day four – maybe I’m not good enough. Day
five – have I been rejected? Day six –
how much longer is it reasonable to wait..?
What is going on? Did I get it
wrong? How will I face the community if
I’m not called up? He showed up before,
surely he won’t let me down…. But maybe I’ve done something wrong??? On the 7th day, God called Moses
up.
Maybe the disciples were with Jesus in a special time of
prayer and preparation for 6 days also…. I don’t know, but it is worth noting that
the account just prior to our Gospel reading is the passage where Peter
proclaims that Jesus is the messiah and Jesus confirms this and predicts his
death. It is like a story
rollercoaster. A highpoint with the
declaration – you are the Christ… then a low point where Jesus speaks of his
death… then even lower where Peter takes Jesus aside and tells him that this suffering
and death should not happen. At this point
comes an all-time low with Jesus saying to Peter, “Get behind me Satan…”
It is a time of confusion. Peter has been following Jesus. I get the impression that he was a kind of
act first and think later kind of guy – but I could be wrong, however it is
clear that the kind of Messiah that the people were expecting was not one who
would die before actually being victorious.
This is the reason for Peter trying to dissuade Jesus from the journey
to the cross. He genuinely believes in
Jesus as the Messiah – but not that “suffering and dying” kind of Messiah!
Jesus and three disciples set off up the high
mountain. Remember that our story of
Moses meant that he was called up on to the mountain also and this is where the
glory of God covered him.
Still the disciples didn’t really understand. They saw Jesus changed…. They saw Moses and
Elijah… they still didn’t understand, and then the cloud enveloped them and the
heard the voice of God. Upon hearing
that voice it didn’t matter that they didn’t understand – "This is my Son,
the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" Trust
and obey – there is no other way.
None of us really understands everything. We get it right sometimes and though we have
help from generations and thousands of years of people trying to figure it out,
we still get it wrong and this is why we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to
teach us – because we can’t properly comprehend the things of God and there
comes a point for all of us where we simply need to realize the glory and power
of God. We need to glimpse the glory of
God.
Moses waited on the mountain with Joshua for six days on
the seventh day God called him up and Moses then entered the cloud. Sometimes we cry out to God and it feels like
we are also waiting for an eternity with all our doubts and clouding thoughts.
The light has not gone out. There are 7 days in a week and for 6 of them
these people waited for the glory of God to be revealed. We must not give up while we wait for the
glory of God. The light will never go
out.
We live in interesting times where we desperately need
that vision. We need to climb the
mountain of God and enter that cloud.
But wait! We are
living in the New Testament time of privilege where we don’t have to wait – We
have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit
- God’s presence with us always….
It is a light that will not go out, but perhaps we need to use those
days of preparation and prayer… the six days of waiting and deliberately take
time to kindle the flame.
Moses had one companion on the mountain – Joshua. Jesus had three companions. We need each other in these times and this is
one reason we meet together for church and prayer. We need to support each other in the days
when we feel that light is dim. One little
light makes a huge difference to the dark, but many lights together can do so
much more. May our prayer be that we,
the church, be so transformed by being in the presence of God, that the glory
of God is undeniably evident to those who look on. Amen.