{"id":825,"date":"2014-03-05T17:23:17","date_gmt":"2014-03-05T23:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/?p=825"},"modified":"2014-11-25T10:12:47","modified_gmt":"2014-11-25T16:12:47","slug":"transfiguration-transformation-faith-to-discipleship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2014\/03\/05\/transfiguration-transformation-faith-to-discipleship\/","title":{"rendered":"Transfiguration, Transformation faith to Discipleship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Link to Audio of Sermon
\n<\/a>Video Link to Sermon<\/a><\/p>\n

Exodus 24:12-18<\/b>
\nPsalm 2:1-11
\n2 Peter 1:16-21
\nMatthew 17:1-9<\/b><\/p>\n

We hear today of two \u201cmountain top experiences\u201d both unique but also have common threads to each other and to us today.\u00a0 Both not just for the humans directly involved but for all of God\u2019s people.\u00a0 Both to transform God\u2019s people, to know God and follow God.<\/p>\n

How often I fail to keep in the forefront in my daily life, what God does for each and everyone of us.\u00a0 Oh don\u2019t get me wrong, I acknowledge God and I pray, not as often as I should but I do.\u00a0 But I just don\u2019t always keep my focus on the light of God, the face of God in Jesus, the God who is with us today.\u00a0 I have faith issues, discipleship issues, \u2026\u2026I might as well face it, I have issues.<\/p>\n

I wonder if you all sometimes have the same experiences, or am I unique.\u00a0 Where is your faith today, where was it yesterday and where will your faith be in three days?\u00a0 Does your faith stay constant?\u00a0 Oh and by the way, is that good? \u00a0A constant faith, is that another way of saying, my faith is stagnant?\u00a0 If it is stagnant, then how does that contribute to not fulfilling the commitment to God through our baptism and\/or our confirmation?<\/p>\n

Last week when the reading said that we are to be perfect as our father in heaven is (Matthew 5:48), Lisa said that perfection is being more of, completeness.\u00a0 Are you and I complete?\u00a0 Is our faith complete or does it ever change, sometimes two steps forward and sometimes a step or two back?\u00a0 How does this then relate to the Israelites as we heard in the reading from Exodus?<\/p>\n

In Biblical times it was thought that the mountains was where heavenly realm and earthly realm would meet.\u00a0 When the Lord told Moses to come up to the mountain, a cloud covered it. This cloud, concealing the mountaintop was not for God but part of the signs, revelations for the start of a transformation of the Israelites.\u00a0 When God called Moses out of the cloud, all the Israelites could see the glory of the Lord form the mountaintop.\u00a0 It \u201c\u2026was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.\u201d[1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

God gives Moses instructions about the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant.\u00a0 This is where God will be present, where God will be with the people in their travels.\u00a0 God also gives the original two tablets of the Covenant, written in stone by God.\u00a0 When Moses came down after 40 days, things changed.<\/p>\n

Even though the people saw the glory of the Lord upon the mountain, God revealed God\u2019s self to the people, they received a \u201cmountaintop\u201d type of experience, the Israelites forgot who it was that made it possible to leave Egypt, who their God was and what God did for them.\u00a0 The people faltered in their faith, they failed to listen to their God and follow the ordinances given to them.\u00a0 They took several steps back in their faith.\u00a0 God however wants so much more for God\u2019s people.\u00a0 We know the story, and the 40 years in the wilderness.\u00a0 Now fast forward to the time of Jesus.<\/p>\n

In the text of Matthew today, we hear of this transfiguration of Jesus upon a high mountain.\u00a0 What we did not hear, was the scripture proceeding that has Peter declaring Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.\u00a0 Jesus foretells of his death and resurrection and tells the disciples that if they want to follow him, they have to pick up their cross and lose their life to gain life.\u00a0 The foretelling of the death and resurrection and picking up the cross was only six days before the transfiguration of Jesus.<\/p>\n

Peter, John and James go with Jesus and witness the glowing bright light of Jesus, they are so struck by what they see, Peter offers to build shelters.\u00a0 While speaking, God speaks and tells them who Jesus is and gives them a command.\u00a0 God, speaks, God is there and says, \u201cThis is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!\u201d [2]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 What Peter had said earlier about Jesus is confirmed, just as it was during the baptism of Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0 They are told to listen to Jesus, but not just listen but, LISTEN!\u00a0 Then suddenly they were alone with Jesus.\u00a0 Jesus\/God touches them and instead of using His power, gently touches them and tells them not to be afraid.<\/p>\n

Peter\u2019s faith has been transformed but all that he has encountered.\u00a0 Peter we know, later denies even knowing Jesus.\u00a0 Peter\u2019s faith, a disciple and apostle of Jesus, has a faith crisis.\u00a0\u00a0 Peter, who declared Jesus to be the Messiah and witnesses the transfiguration, hears God and is told to Listen, took several steps back in his faith. Even though we see all that God does, we to have times when our actions do not represent all that we know and have seen.<\/p>\n

Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, the powerful and almighty God, the same one that the Israelites witnessed the Glory of in Exodus, is again with the people and is instructing the people of how to be, how to engage God, and one another.\u00a0 As it will be told in Matthew 22, \u201c \u2018You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.\u2019 38\u00a0<\/sup>This is the greatest and first commandment. 39\u00a0<\/sup>And a second is like it: \u2018You shall love your neighbor as yourself.\u2019 40\u00a0<\/sup>On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.\u201d [3]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to Him God says;<\/p>\n

To gain our life, we must loose it.\u00a0 To follow Jesus, to become his disciple, we must pick up our cross.\u00a0 It is when we take this to heart, live as Jesus teaches, and love God with all our hearts, and love our neighbor as ourselves, our faith no longer is stagnant.\u00a0 Faith keeps moving forward.\u00a0 Faith moving forwards is active and leads to discipleship in Jesus.<\/p>\n

All that God does is not for God but for us.\u00a0 The God we heard about in Exodus, did not do what God did for God but for God\u2019s people.\u00a0 God in Christ Jesus walked the earth not for God but for God\u2019s People.\u00a0 God the Father did not send the Spirit for Himself, but for His people.\u00a0 All that God does is for God\u2019s people, done in Love for them, for their faith, for their transformation, for them.<\/p>\n

We may not, but then of course we may, be able today to see the face of God in Jesus today but either way we know that God is always with us.\u00a0 Jesus tells us that the Father, will send another, the Sprit, who is among us always.\u00a0 How will you respond to God\u2019s Love for you, in faith and discipleship each and every day?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
\n

[1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version<\/i> (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Ex 24:17.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[2]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version<\/i> (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Mt 17:5.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[3]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version<\/i> (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Mt 22:37\u201340.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Link to Audio of Sermon Video Link to Sermon Exodus 24:12-18 Psalm 2:1-11 2 Peter 1:16-21 Matthew 17:1-9 We hear today of two \u201cmountain top experiences\u201d both unique but also have common threads to each other and to us today.\u00a0 Both not just for the humans directly involved but for all of God\u2019s people.\u00a0 Both … [Read more…]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[37,21,10,83,4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-admin","4":"post-825","6":"format-standard","7":"category-discipleship","8":"category-faith","9":"category-jesus","10":"category-sermon","11":"category-spirit"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2m6h5-dj","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3588,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2025\/11\/27\/god-has-good-plans-for-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":825,"position":0},"title":"God 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