Transfiguration exercise

 

Luke 9: 28-50

 We come to the end of the season of Epiphany, the time we think about the revelation of Jesus – his baptism in the Jordan by John, the calling of the disciples, healings, preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives.

And next week, we move into the season of Lent, the journey with Jesus to the cross.

 Each year we hear a reading about transfiguration, and I will not attempt to explain what happened, because it is an event that we cannot explain.

 It occurs on top of a mountain, that is like in a movie when the music gets dramatic, and you know something is about to happen.

 There are other stories in the Bible that include mountains – Moses and the ten commandments, Elijah defeating the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel [1 Kings 18:13]; Elijah and the still small voice; Jesus and the woman at the well discuss which mountain to worship God on; the sermon on the mount and many more. Mountains mean something important is happening.

 We still talk about a mountain top experience, meaning something wonderful or amazing has happened; something life changing; something remarkable and out of the ordinary.

 That the transfiguration happened on a mountain is not surprising.

 While Jesus, Peter, James and John were on the mountain, the voice from heaven said, “This is my chosen Son. Listen to what he says!” Earlier, at the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordon, we also are told of a voice speaking from heaven, this time speaking to Jesus, “You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you.”

It is like the first time, at Baptism, was for Jesus, this time for everyone else.

 

 

What do we do with this story, recorded in three of the gospels.

How might it relate to our lives.

Well, it is a mystery, and life is often a mystery. There are times it is better if we go with the flow, and not try to understand everything. A coffee cup I was given had written on it: Life is a mystery to be lived not a problem to be solved.  Maybe not the best quote for a research engineer😊 but a great quote for a Christian.

 

The Synod theme this year is: Where the wild God is

It reminds me that God is not tamed, or caged, or controlled by us. God is like a wild animal, not a pet or in a zoo or being farmed.

It reminds me of the part of the trinity that we often refer to as the Holy Spirit, the wind that blows where it wants.

 

I have an exercise for us today.

You will have all seen a cartoon strip, with three boxes that tell a story.

 3 squares on screen

Here is an easy example.

Think of a memorable meal.

First box – where are you.

Second box – what made it memorable

Third box – then what happened.

For me, a meal in Tasmania, I think it was in Launceston at the beginning of a coach tour.

What made it memorable, our soup course arrived with a small tower in the centre of our bowl, and no soup.

Then – the soup was poured from a teapot into our bowls – carrot and coriander soup, barely covering what was in the bowl.

The soup was lovely, but it was the theatre of it that makes it memorable.

 You get the idea.

 

Now, can you think of a time when you were aware of the presence of God/Jesus/Holy Spirit?

Since we started reading the Gospel of Luke, we have read of an angel appearing to Zachariah and later to Mary.

Over the past few weeks, we have read about people encountering Jesus, in the river,
on the beach,
in a boat with so many fish that the boat almost sinks,
in healing,
in acceptance,
and this morning another healing
and the momentous events on the top of the mountain.

 Our experiences of the divine are not all the same, but they are all transforming.

 Our three boxes again.

Your experience of the divine,

Where were you

What happened

What happened next

 

An example

I was on retreat in a bush setting, and I was struggling, I had a cold and some difficult conversations with God.

I woke up one morning and walked outside, it was overcast. I knew the sun was behind the clouds even though I couldn’t see it. I realised that God was with me even though I couldn’t sense it.

I sang, away from the cabins, because it was silence until after breakfast.

 

 

Have you thought of a time when you were aware of the divine?

silence

reflection Not on a mountain-top from spill the beans, issue 21

 

Awe and Service

A quick recap of chapter 9 of Luke to this point.

• Jesus calls the disciples together and “gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” [Luke 9:1b-2]
• “They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere.”  [Luke 9:6]
• Then we hear of Herod wondering who Jesus is,
• the disciples return to Jesus and even though they try to meet privately, a crowd follows them.
• Luke then records the story of the feeding of the multitude.
• “…when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him …He said to them, ‘(But) who do you say that I am?’
• Peter answered, ‘The Messiah of God.’”  [Luke 9:18, 20]
• Jesus tells the disciples that he will be arrested and killed and be raised.
• ^“Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” [Luke 9:23]

Luke has a lot happening, sending out the disciples to bring healing and wholeness; one of the feeding miracles; Jesus is Messiah; Jesus foretelling his death; carry your cross…

And then the passage we heard this morning.

In the Bible when we hear that people are going up a mountain – this is like a neon sign “Warning” “Warning” “something amazing is about to happen”

And something amazing does happen.

The story of transfiguration is one those amazing moments of mystery and awe that we find hard to put into words.  

Some of you will have experienced such moments.

Moments when time seems to stand still,

when you are aware of something other,

something spiritual,

something out of our ordinary experiences.   

Times when we sense God is so close.

Times when we rest in God’s embrace.

If only that was where the story ended.

With us basking in the glory of God.

In the moment of awe and mystery.

But those amazing moments are just that, moments.

They are not a bubble that we live in.

Those mountain top experiences are special, and they can encourage us and renew us and lead us into closer relationship with God.

But just as Jesus and the three disciples didn't stay on the mountain, neither do we.

The story continues:

“On the next day, …..”   [Luke 9:37] and we hear of a man from the crowd shouting for Jesus to heal his son. His son who has convulsions. The boy is healed, ^“And all were astounded at the greatness of God.” [Luke 9:43]

Jesus is frustrated because the disciples could not cast this demon out, Jesus says:

“‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you?’ ” [Luke 9:41]

I have seen people healed, not in the medical sense, but in the sense of being wholly human, being able to live full lives. I have heard stories of people who felt shunned or ashamed because of the community response to them. I have sat with people who have been greatly wounded by the church, or their family, or life situation. Healing and wholeness is possible, when we are open to the grace of God in our lives, and when we extend that grace to others. Because for many people being heard is part of the healing.

A question asked by the presenter at the workshop I attended last week: what is it in your community that makes God's heart break?

What is it in your community that makes God's heart break?

One website I look at each week is Working Preacher, and the person writing on the Luke passage this week writes more descriptively than I can:

“Our world is dashing the poor against the rocks of despair, hunger, and abandonment everyday. The economic beast controlled by few demons is making our people convulse day and night. The homeless, the immigrant, the incarcerated, those mothers who work three jobs to make a minimum wage to feed three, four kids, they are like that boy, thrown into the shadows of our society, convulsing day and night right in front of us! And we, who seem to not know anything about the transfiguration of Jesus or our own transfiguration (metamorphoses) are looking at these people while asking Jesus: can we dwell in our worship tabernacles basking in your glory, away from the people and their pressing needs?” [Working preacher Cláudio Carvalhaes ]

I wonder how you think Jesus would answer that question: “can we dwell in our worship tabernacles basking in your glory, away from the people and their pressing needs?”

From what I have read about Jesus, I can tell you the answer is a resounding NO! 

• We cannot live in a bubble of holiness,
• Being disciples of Jesus does not mean being part of some club where we get to sit around basking in the glory of God and ignoring the need of people around us.
• Jesus did not come just for you and me, Jesus came to show the whole world the love of God
• Jesus came to offer us all healing and hope, and each one of us is called, by our baptism, to participate in the healing of the world, offering hope to the broken and despairing. 

One thing that is taught to Ministers is the difference between secrecy and privacy. Each of us has a right to our personal story. If you tell me something, I don’t tell others because it is not my story to tell. That is privacy. What you tell others about yourself is up to you not me.

Secrecy protects me rather than you. That is one of the problems with abuse – the perpetrator, the abuser, and at time institutions expect the person who has been abused to keep a secret – not to protect the person, but to protect the guilty.

One of the big issues in Australia at the moment is asylum seekers.  At times it is necessary to protect the privacy of people seeking asylum because of what will happen if they are sent back to their country of origin, or what could happen to relatives still living in the country they have left.

However much of what is happening in Australia regarding asylum seekers at the moment is secrecy, secrecy surrounds what happens to boats that come close to Australian waters, secrecy about what happens in detention centres. This is not to protect those seeking asylum. There are allegations of abuse and rape in detention centres, there are allegations of boats being turned back and money being paid to the captains of those boats. But we do not hear the outcome of the review, as it is secret.

Unfortunately I arrived back in Australia to hear the High Court decision to allow people to be sent back to off-shore detention. Some of these people have been in Australia after being abused or raped in off-shore detention centres, some were born in Australia. Many churches have responded to High Court decision on the legality of off-shore detention by offering places of sanctuary.

There is a letter form the President of the Uniting Church about this matter in the grapevine.  

  

What is it in your community that makes God's heart break?

Where do we start:

• the treatment of asylum seekers
• family violence
• racism
• poverty
• drug addiction
• the degradation of the environment

and that is just the start, when we look around the world, the list just gets longer and longer.

I can understand why we might want to stay in our safe, holy, space – but we are called, as followers of Jesus, to live out our discipleship.

The moments of awe and mystery are amazing and wonderful.

They can encourage us and renew us and lead us into closer relationship with God.

But just as Jesus and the three disciples didn't stay on the mountain, neither do we.

Where is God calling you to be involved in the transformation of the world?