Transfiguration Sunday, 2015
\n2 Kings 2:1-12
\nPsalm 50:1-6
\n2 Corinthians 4:3-6
\nMark 9:2-9<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Peter is scared at what he witness upon the mountain. He speaks but the others say nothing. I wish I could say with all certainty that I would not be scared, if I were in the disciples\u2019 shoes. Well maybe I should say, if I were in the disciples\u2019 sandals. What do we do with story, of the transfiguration of Jesus? Is it real or just some great ghost story we might tell around the campfire? Before I go further on that, let me set the context for today\u2019s text.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s story is almost right in the middle of the Gospel of Mark. In the first chapter, in only verse 9, Mark is telling of the Baptism of Jesus. The Spirit descends upon Jesus and a voice from heaven says; \u201c\u2026\u2019You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.\u2018 \u201d [1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> Jesus is identified, the connection between Jesus and God is acknowledged by the Father in heaven, the God almighty!<\/p>\n The disciples that are with him on the mountain during the Transfiguration are the same ones that have been with Jesus while he has been teaching, preaching and healing. Unclean spirits have been cast out, many are healed at Simon\u2019s house, a leper is cleansed, Jesus heals a paralytic and a withered hand is restored in the synagogue (on the Sabbath no less)! It does not end there; there are miracles wherever Jesus seems to go, wherever God is. All these healings, the presence of God in the midst of humans, are all \u201cmountain top experiences\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 Any time God is involved, direct or through other humans, a miracle takes place!<\/p>\n Just six days before the Transfiguration, Jesus tells the disciples that He must suffer, be rejected and be killed and rise after three days. Peter is upset and rebukes Jesus. Really, Peter is going to sharply reprimand the Jesus, who he earlier identified by saying; \u201cYou are the Christ\u201d, Mark 8:29. Now I know I have dumped a lot on Peter. He has seen, he believes yet he does not accept what he knows is the truth. His reality is one grounded outside of this new reality that Jesus presents.<\/p>\n A Christian Rock group by the name of News Boys, wrote a song about what the disciples experience. The song is \u201cWherever We Go\u201d. Here is a portion of that song:<\/p>\n Wherever we go, bluebirds sing<\/p>\n And the flowers bloom<\/p>\n And the grass gets green<\/p>\n It’s a curious thing<\/p>\n But it’s just our thing<\/p>\n Wherever we go, the bees behave<\/p>\n In the treetops, squirrels smile and wave<\/p>\n It’s a curious thing<\/p>\n And it’s humbling<\/p>\n Where we go, little glow-worms glow<\/p>\n Little roadrunners run ahead<\/p>\n Gonna tell their friends<\/p>\n Little mice, little men<\/p>\n Get ’em all excited<\/p>\n All invited[2]<\/a><\/p>\n The Chorus goes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Hands up,<\/p>\n Holler back here,<\/p>\n Let’s throw this party in gear,<\/p>\n We brought the welcome mat,<\/p>\n Wherever we go, that’s where the party’s at.<\/p>\n Hands up,<\/p>\n Holler back now<\/p>\n We don’t claim any know how,<\/p>\n We’re given God all that,<\/p>\n Wherever we go, that’s where the party’s at.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Peter has been following Jesus around; he is a disciple of Jesus Christ. Is Peter any different than any of us today? There is not a day that goes by where I do, say, think or NOT do something that contradicts what I know to be the truth in Jesus Christ. Death comes in belief of other gods, money, pride, self-satisfaction and the list goes on. These other gods are what veils us from the gospel. The gospel is where life is, because the gospel is life for us all, through Jesus Christ. The gospel is not just some story we have heard but our reality, our life in our mortality.<\/p>\n God is real, God\u2019s Son, Jesus the Christ is real. \u00a0God is real in the gospel and is real today. God is speaking all of the time. Twice I told you of times when God spoke and this may have been in such a way that we would hear with our ears. God speaks in\u00a0the baptism of Jesus and then in the Transfiguration. When has God been speaking to you? Did you recognize it then? Do you recognize it now?<\/p>\n In December I was preaching at another church, for their Christmas service. I was not aware that they had a tradition of playing \u201cSilent Night\u201d and that one of the parishioners would sing it in German. I was told however, that the person, who did the singing, had passed away. That particular day, I had a fellow student with me. She was an exchange student from Germany. Without thinking, I offered for her to sing to the congregation. That day a few miracles, in fact, a mountain top experiences happened. 1) The German student sang for everyone in her native language. 2) I did not get in trouble for volunteering her. 3) God was present. Only God could have done this, nothing else. This was a mountain top experience.<\/p>\n Sharing our experiences of how God interacts with us, gives an opportunity for each of us, as disciples, to spread the Good News. God is here and now, active all the times, we just need to see it and then tell others, just like it says in the song I read, things are happening all around, that is where the party\u2019s at. We don\u2019t have to claim to know how this is all happening but it is our reality, and give God all the credit.<\/p>\n Peter, James and John sitting upon a mountain with Jesus Christ, the Messiah for the entire world. Jesus is transfigured before their eyes and they see Elijah and Moses. They are a witness to a miracle. They witness like we do. They witnessed like Moses did when heard and saw a burning bush speak to him. Just like Elisha witnessed a miracle when Elijah ascended into heaven. Our witness is the same, just different details.<\/p>\n Next week, we will be reminded of our mortality, when we hear the words \u201cRemember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return\u201d. The good news, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is a miracle that is available for all us, so death is not the last word but that life in Jesus is. Our reality is that God is with us, here and now and miracles happen all of the time.<\/p>\n Martin Luther said; “Miracles take place not because they are performed but because they are believed.” The Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God is a miracle; it is true because we believe it to be so in God. God says, \u201c\u2026\u2019This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!\u2019 \u201d[4]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a>. Go today seeing the miracle of God and telling others, knowing that \u201c\u2026the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.\u201d [5]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version<\/em> (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Mk 1:11.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> http:\/\/www.azlyrics.com\/lyrics\/newsboys\/whereverwego.html<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> lbid<\/p>\n [4]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version<\/em> (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Mk 9:7.<\/p>\n