Today, we are celebrating Transfiguration Sunday. The day marks the end of the teaching that Jesus is the Son of God, and it begins to move us toward witnessing the earthly cost Jesus will pay for his faithfulness to God. “The story of the transfiguration is located almost exactly at the mid-point of the gospel of Mark…until now, Jesus has been teaching and healing. Now he will begin his journey to Jerusalem, where he will die (www.lectionary.org/English/mark p.2).

Peter, James, and John, the three who were the most intimately associated with Jesus, accompany him to a high mountain. I imagine they could see for miles as they stood there in the middle of God creation, in the presence of God’s own son. They are standing there, the lesson says six days later. Six days later than what? Six days later from the time Peter first said of Jesus, “you are the Christ, the son of the living God”. Six days later from the time that Jesus has taught the twelve disciples the lesson that is also true for us. Whoever will be a disciple of Jesus must first deny himself or herself, take up the cross, and follow him because those of us who would save our lives for our own sake, believing that we live and die to ourselves will lose our lives in a flood of selfishness and arrogance. But those of us who lose our lives for the sake of Christ Jesus, who know that to find our lives in Christ, in service to him, in outreach in his name, those of us who know that we can find joy in even the most depressing days, because he makes all things new, will find ourselves forever. They are six days later from the time that Jesus has begun talking with them about his coming death and resurrection.

Six days later, they are on the mountain when something amazing happens. Jesus is transfigured before their eyes. To be transfigured is to be changed. In popular culture it is hat happens when Superman goes into a phone booth, or when Wonder Woman spins around. For parents transfiguration happens when their children become responsible adults, for children of any age, transfiguration occurs when their parents become understanding advisors instead of the people who just tell us what to do all the time. His face shone like the sun, his clothes were dazzling white, and the whole scene was incredibly bright.

When Jesus is transfigured, he is joined by two great Hebrew prophets, Moses who led his people to the edge of the promised land, and Elijah who we heard earlier in the service, was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. Each has his own mountain story. Elijah climbed the mountain and rained down fire on the adversaries of God. He went to the same mountain when those same enemies threatened to kill him, and while he was there he heard the still, small, voice of God tell him to go back into the valley and trust in the presence of God. Moses went up to the mountain and spoke with God; he not only lived, he came down with the !0 Commandments and the law.

Like Jesus, both Moses and Elijah were at first rejected by the people they were called by God to serve. And like Jesus, they were vindicated by the God who called them. They were vindicated as they led their people from slavery and idolatry to the same kind of greater faithfulness and courage that all of us, as believers are called to practice. Jesus will be vindicated as he is raised by God from death to life. Now he is on the mountain in all of his resurrected glory, and it is not even Easter yet. And Peter, James, and John have seen it all. They have seen a miracle.

What do we do when we witness something miraculous? Peter doesn’t quite know what to say or do, but he feels like he has to say something. Finally he says, “it is good that we are here. Teacher, we can build three places, one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah (v.5). He wants people to know he was there and what it feels like. He wanted that feeling to last just like we do when we see something that satisfies us mind, body, and soul. That is why we take pictures, make movies, tell stories. We want to share the moment, and we want to remember what it felt like.

Peter knows that he has seen something special and in his excitement he wants to mark the spot. But what Peter and the others have seen is too big for a mere marker, it is too big even for a worship place to contain. It may be that sometimes we need to mark the spot where something happens and at other times, we need to just hold the experience in our hearts until God makes clear what it all means for us.

Jesus is transfigured, the disciples with him are transfixed, they are gripped by something so much bigger than they are. The transfiguration is a cosmic event, it is life-changing and only the voice of God can truly mark it. It is a moment of extraordinary mystery and grace. It’s mystery is that it seems fantastic and beyond our understanding. It’s grace is that through the eyes of these disciples that we get a sense of what it means to have a vision. They did not ask for it, it was an unexpected gift from God. They were able to see beyond the rational into the divine. In fact the word for seeing used here is the same word used to describe what Moses witnessed when he encountered the burning bush. For a few minutes, the disciples are able to see what would be invisible to human perception. There is something about a vision that is other-worldly, and yet is grounded in our experience of God right now.

Jesus has been transfigured, changed from glory into glory so that we can hear from God one more time who Jesus is. The voice of God says, “this is my Son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” Hear him and do what he says. This word of instruction from God, this word to obey Jesus is a powerful word. Some of us upon hearing the word of instruction from God might listen to it, pray, cry, laugh, or just not believe it, and go look for the curtain and the levers and the person who wants us to think it is God’s voice we hear. Peter, James, and John react to it the way most of us would. They are stunned and afraid.

But there is Jesus where he always is when we are afraid, there with us, easing our fears, calming our hearts, soothing our anxieties, says the words he says to us over and over again, “do not be afraid, I am here.” Peter, you do not have to build a sanctuary, I am the sanctuary, I will be the seat and site of worship for you. You are not alone, I am here with you, and I will be with you always.”

When they look up, all they see is Jesus, alone, the brilliance that was there a moment ago is no more, it is just Jesus and the three on the mountain top. But their lives have been changed and everything is different. They cannot not see what they saw. Jesus then tells them not to say anything for a while. He tells them to wait and tell this story after the resurrection. Wait because it cannot be fully appreciated until then. Wait, because what they have had is a glimpse of the divine, they will have to wait to get the whole picture.

One writer has imagined the scene like this:

“When they reached the mountaintop, Jesus with his arms extended was dancing and laughing and calling out to Elijah to carry him home. The wind was blowing and the dust he kicked up swirled around him like a great cloud. The sun blazed behind him so that they had to squint to see him. ‘I’ve never seen him like this,’ Peter said to John.

“Nor I. Isn’t it wonderful? John and James took Jesus by the hand and they circled and laughed together.

“Master”, Peter called to Jesus, “let us never leave this place. Let’s stay here forever. Let us set up our tents in Galilee.” They sat down to rest. The effort had exhausted them all. They were still breathing heavily yet still relishing the magnificent moment.

“Master,” Peter said again. “Why not stay here?” He tried not to look in the direction Jesus had set his gaze, south to Jerusalem. The sun was setting. It had been an extraordinary and eventful day. They were tired and happy. Jesus stared toward Jerusalem. ‘There is one more mountain to climb,’ he said. ‘In Jerusalem.’” (John Aurelio excerpted from Imaging the Word, volume 2; Cleveland: United Church Press, 1995, p.138).

We disciples now live after the crucifixion and resurrection, we have the fuller picture, and even though we are about to enter the Lenten season, the time of the church year when we remember all of the events that lead up to the day of resurrection, the word of waiting is for us too. We cannot fully understand these things yet, but by God’s grace we will continue to be open to every glimpse and peek into the divine that God will allow us to see.

We are transfigured, transfixed, and transformed by our encounter with Jesus. We are challenged and transformed to become servants of God by being as active as you can be in the life of this church. We will be transformed and challenged by accepting calls to leadership in this moment in our congregation. We are transformed and challenged to find ourselves on that mountain and to encounter Jesus in splendor. There are three things for us to take away, when we leave the mountain.

Transformation happens when we remember that the transfiguration story recalls the baptism of Jesus, and the voice from heaven talks about him as the beloved Son of God. It is in him that we find our hope and our salvation. Jesus has been commissioned by God to bring to the world a word about hope and redemption, and about the cost of faithful discipleship.

That is good news indeed.

Transformation happens as we join with Peter. Though Jesus has to encourage Peter to seem more than is visible, this story confirms that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Peter is like many of us, I know he is like me at my most compulsive; I want facts, I do not always quite believe what I really know is true. But, Peter is clear about the identity of Jesus, and his confession is confirmed by the voice of God. And Peter’s call on that mountain is the same as the call for me and you. We are called to have faith in the identity of Jesus. He is the beloved Son of God, and he will do what he says he will do. He will love us without flinching, he will be gracious without ceasing, and he will ransom the faithful of his church.

But he will have to leave the mountain of transfiguration and live again in the valleys where so much of life is lived.

Transformation happens as we look ahead to the events of the resurrection and the return of Christ. In a sense, this is an Easter story told on the eve of Lent, to let us know that it will be all right. God will be in charge. Jesus, Moses, and Elijah give us a foretaste of the resurrection there on that mountain. They help us catch a vision for ourselves. They help us to rejoice in the present glory of Christ, to bear the coming pain of death, and to wait with hope and thanksgiving for the promise of eternal life to be fulfilled.

Wednesday evening, we will begin the journey toward Jerusalem. God was up to something transforming on the mountain that day, and God is up to something now, something that will leave us changed, that can leave us better and even more faithful than we are now. We have been transfigured, we have been transfixed by the preview of Christ’s resurrected glory, and we are being transfigured by the continuing call and presence of the living Christ who will be with us every step of the way God through Jesus Christ has promised and these promises can be trusted. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Dr. LaTaunya M. Bynum
Senior Pastor