A little
background
Picture 1 [Umina]
–
Last week we
heard about Peter, stepping out of the boat and then noticing how rough the
water was. In today’s reading, Peter is the one who names Jesus as the Messiah.
In response Jesus says to Peter ‘I will call you Peter, which means “a rock.”
On this rock I will build my church’.
This picture
shows the place where tradition says this conversation happened.
Picture 2 [Umina]
–While the biblical text does not name the mountain, it is thought that Mount
Tabor is the place where the transfiguration happened.
…
Image 1 [outline
of reading]
Who do you
say I am? – thank you to those who filled out the Why Jesus forms, some
responses have been in the Newsletter
Why Jesus? [some responses from the Parish]
Jesus is my friend and saviour
Jesus is the one who supports me
Jesus is everything
Jesus is the light
Jesus is my hope and transformation
Jesus is my inspiration
Jesus gives insight into why we are here
Jesus is a teacher of stories
Jesus is comforter
Jesus is guidance
Jesus is peace
Jesus is always there for me
Jesus speaks
about his coming death
Peter, who
had just proclaimed that Jesus is the Messiah, now can’t handle the reality what
that will mean.
We are all
called to deny ourselves and take up our cross
And then, 6
days later – an awesome mystery
I look at
this passage and it reminds me of the roller coaster of life – the disciples,
or at least Peter, see Jesus as the Messiah, the one they have been waiting
for, then Jesus challenges his view of what the Messiah will be like.
It is as if
the disciples get that there is something special about Jesus, but he doesn’t
fit their image of what the Messiah will be like.
Life isn’t
simple or straightforward, and Peter is an example of that. He walks on water,
knows Jesus is the Messiah, cannot accept that Jesus will die, is chastised by Jesus,
then the next week they walk up a mountain, WOW!! then Peter wants to build a
tent.
Here is a comic about the Transfiguration
Image 2
[Angus day cartoon]http://www.agnusday.org/comics/710/luke-09-28-43-2016
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.
There is a lot in here we could
explore. Here are a few points to ponder:
·
What
happened in the 6 days between the conversation and the trip up the mountain?
Are the 6 days symbolically related to the 6 days of creation? Does it relate
to the 6 days Moses waited for Gods instruction?
·
Jesus
took 3 disciples – I wonder how he chose which ones to take. Often, we think
they were the cream of the crop, but maybe they were the ones who needed to
experience this to better know who Jesus was.
·
The
voice from the cloud said: “this is my son, my beloved; with whom I am well
pleased”; where have we heard this before? Baptism of Jesus by John [Matthew 3:
17]
·
The
disciples were overcome with fear after the voice – not seeing Moses and
Elijah, but after the voice – and Jesus touches them and told them not to be
afraid.
When we are full of fear, are we
aware of God’s presence with us? do we trust God is present even when we can’t
feel that presence?
For many people this is a Jesus they
can relate to, a Jesus whose face shines, whose clothes are dazzling white.
Jesus in his glory. Yet most of the time Jesus did not have dazzling clothes or
a shining face; most of what we hear of Jesus is about travelling with
disciples, healing people, including outcasts, teaching, feeding people. The
other image people have of Jesus is on the cross or resurrected. Each of these
aspects of the life of Jesus add something to our understanding of Jesus.
Like our own mountain top experiences,
we don’t live there, they are fleeting; and we need to get on with the everyday
tasks of living. Jesus tells the disciples both here and after the
resurrection, to get on with living.
This morning we will share in the bread
and juice during communion; a time where we become aware of the glory of Jesus,
but also the life and death and resurrection of Jesus; a life full of love and
grace; a life that healed and nurtured, comforted and challenged. In
communion, we too are aware of the touch of Jesus in our lives.
“This is where Jesus meets us--touches
us--calms our fears--strengthens us--and takes us off the mountain back to the world with
all its messes and problems to be signs of hope.”[i]
Here is part of a poem.
Looking ahead to Sundays gospel - The
Transfiguration
We don’t do well with the
unexplainable.
We’d rather be able to cram everything into boxes,
labelled and categorised, neatly packaged.
We’re discombobulated by events that refuse to fit
into our systems and theories.
…….
And so the disciples
on the mountain top with Jesus
want everything pegged down:
tents for the prophets,
something to do,
anything,
to keep them from feeling
so out of their depth
at Jesus throwing them
yet another curve ball,
catching them off balance
with dazzling appearances
and voices from heaven,
too preoccupied with the desire
to “normalise” this event
that they tuned out the echoes of baptism
and didn’t catch the subtlety
of the beginning mirrored
in the beginning of the end.
A mountain top experience
that didn’t quite compute
when they were back on lower ground.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Liz Crumlish
Which
image of Jesus do we hold onto, the dazzling bright Jesus in all his glory?
Or
the Jesus who changes lives – healing, feeding and loving?
What
is the image of Jesus that people see in your life?
We
listen for what the Spirit is saying to us today.
[i]
Working preacher podcast, comment by John Anderson.
