Sermon for February 7, 2016.  Last Epiphany, Year C.  The Transfiguration. (Luke 9:28-43a), by The Rev. Christopher Cox, Deacon.

 

I have had a couple of opportunities to do some mountain climbing in recent years. The first was in Yosemite National park where I climbed up to the top of one of the high peaks overlooking the valley.

 

I was totally alone up there, hanging out at 8000 ft. It was September, and the weather was perfect, the way it often is in Northern California. I could see for miles, and no sign of human existence or activity was in sight. I was even out of cell phone range. For a little while all the worries of the world and everyday life were left behind. In circumstances like that, it's easy to feel a little closer to God in the quiet and solitude, and I was in no hurry to come down to reality.

 

I thought about that Yosemite peak when I re-read the text for this morning, - the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain, - which is the customary reading for the last Sunday before Lent. We know the story: Reminiscent of the Book of Exodus, the mountain top becomes a holy meeting place with God,              as Jesus is transfigured in the presence of Moses and Elijah. Fearful and awestruck, Peter and the others probably felt isolated from the world down below, in an other-worldly place, basking in the most profound experience of their lives, at least up to that point. Peter was in no hurry to come down,                      and would have liked to set up camp and build booths to prolong the experience. But we know that's not the way it works. They had to come down from the mountain, forever changed, to continue the work God had given them to do.

 

While none of us are Jesus, the Church is the Body of Christ, and I see three elements of this story that speak to our life and work together today. And I want to think about those this morning. They are firstly, - being in the presence of the holy. Secondly, being transformed by the experience. And thirdly coming back down the mountain to do the work of Jesus.

 

There are many different ways we can be in the presence of holy without actually having to go up a mountain! It can even happen right here in church! For some people it’s the Eucharist, - that mysterious connection to God through transformed earthly elements. Some say the Eucharist is celebrated on the 8th day of the week, outside of normal space and time, - a transfiguration experience in itself.  For others it might be the music. I have said before that I have the best seat in the house opposite the choir stalls, and many times the offertory anthem has taken me to mountain top heights. Or we might find God in the Word, - in the reading and study of scripture. And, of course, we are in the presence of the holy when we are together, with each other, in God’s name.   

 

For me, it’s all of the above, but also daily prayer, especially early in the morning, is what brings me into the presence of the holy and feeds me the most. What a difference between the days I pray, and the days when I’m too busy to do so. It’s like living two different realities. I’m sure you have had the same experience. When we let ourselves experience the holy, in whatever way is best for us, then we glow, not visibly, but with an inner radiance that makes us alive with God’s love.

 

That brings me to the second part of the story, - transformation.  Our reading from 2nd Corinthians this morning tells us that we are all being transformed by the Spirit into the image of Christ from one degree of glory to another. That’s pretty heady stuff. I think transformation happens when we recognize God working in our lives, when we are aware of God’s presence in all that we do. Then we start to show the fruits of the Spirit, - love, joy peace, compassion. Our lives become centered on generosity and forgiveness rather than blame and fear.

 

We can think of the great icons of faith that we look to for inspiration, those who have clearly been transformed by the presence of the Holy, and have not hesitated to come down from the mountain               and grub around in the valleys where the real work of Jesus is to be done:  St Francis, Mother Theresa, and the many dozens of holy women and men listed on our church’s calendar. Most of us, of course, aren’t that saintly, and we struggle through life letting the Holy Spirit change us little by little, - and we have good days and we have bad days.

 

Last week I was staying at a hotel in the San Francisco area. I was having breakfast in the dining room and President Obama was on the TV speaking at the National Prayer event. I was thinking about Black History month, and how, years from now, Obama, as the first black president, will surely take his place in this month-long commemoration. Then a guest came in, and started cussing at the President in foul and offensive language, and demanded the channel be changed. There was hatred and bitterness in his voice. Nobody said anything. I wanted to confront him, and tell him in my best English accent that “I’m an American citizen, and I’m offended when somebody insults my President. And President or not, we need to respect the dignity of every human being, whether you like them or not. Oh, and by-the-way, God loves you.” That’s what I wanted to say, but I wimped out. He was a foot taller, 100 1b heavier and had friends with him.

 

That’s not a good excuse, but it illustrates the difficulty we have in moving our inner transformation from the top of the mountain down to ground level where it really counts, particularly in the face of opposition or danger. Perhaps through the workings of the Spirit over the years, I have a very low tolerance for insulting remarks about anyone, especially if I think they are racially motivated. But I still took no action through lack of courage and unwillingness to create a scene. I think it’s a challenge most of us face. But it seems that now more than ever the world is in need of transformed people to transform the world around us. In many ways we still live in a corrupt and perverse generation, in a world of exploitation that creates despair for the poor, the homeless, the immigrant, and the incarcerated. A world of hatred and fear. I read a depressing article recently that argued that, at least for the time being, the arc of history is starting to bend away from justice and freedom. And if we stand by and don’t let our inner glow shine through to show the love of God in the world, then we will never know the true meaning of transformation.

 

What can we do? First and foremost, we need to let the Holy Spirit continue working in us. But perhaps there are some practical and immediate steps too. Lent is just around the corner, - it’s a time of preparation, and a perfect opportunity for not just penitence, but also a time when we can recommit to be in the presence of the holy, for spiritual growth and feeding, for the purpose of illuminating the world around us at ground level. One upcoming opportunity is our Wednesday evening Lenten series. The theme this year is “Becoming the story we tell”, and I’m sure Dean John will have more to say on that. On a personal level, I have found some practices that have been helpful to me. Firstly, recommitting to a daily prayer discipline, that is, being in the presence of the holy, has been especially helpful. Secondly, I believe that making a special effort to seek God in everything we do, inside and especially outside the Church, helps with the ongoing process of transformation. Thirdly, I have found it helpful to step up to “faith in action” in small, manageable steps, not trying to bite off more than I can chew or fix all the world’s problems in one day, - that’s God’s job. Try our very best with the gifts and skills that God has given us, but let the Spirit do the rest, as we move through our life’s journey one step at a time.

 

Finally, ­­­­­­­­­­­back to that Yosemite peak. The isolation was kind of nice for a while, but ultimately it’s not who we are as human beings. Our life and work together to fulfill God’s mission for the world is a balance between mountain tops and working in the valleys, yes, - and we can't successfully have one without the other, - but more importantly, it’s work we do together, not in isolation.

 

Thanks be to God, through whom all this is possible. Though whose love and mercy we are given glimpses of the Holy, are transformed from glory into glory, and strengthened to do God’s work.

 

Thanks be to God!

 

Amen