Last Sunday after Epiphany - SERMON

Matthew 17:1-9 & 2 Peter 1:16-21

This is the last Sunday in the season of Epiphany. There are a few different definitions to help us grasp or understand the concept of Epiphany. One is that an epiphany is a manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something. Another is that an epiphany is a grasp of reality.

So the season of Epiphany, is a season that has called us to reflect upon who Jesus is. Today we are invited to a mountain top experience, a take your breathe away experience. We are invited to open ourselves to the manifestation and essential nature of the reality of Jesus revealed in the story of the transfiguration. It is a story that appears not just in the gospels of Matthew and Mark and Luke but is referenced in the second letter of Peter as well.

Peter wrote " For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred
mountain." (2 Peter 1:16-18)

"We were eyewitness of his majesty…. when we were with him on the sacred mountain." With the endless uncertainty revealed in the daily disturbing news feeds we could all use a mountain top transfiguration experience right about now. Something to lift us above the darkness and hatred and uncertainty in this world. We could use some light and hope and assurance that all will be well. There was only three of them plus Jesus. So not only did they have a spectacular epiphany, eyewitness of his majesty, of his reality, but they got some personal attention as well - a time with Jesus, away from the insanity of the world and immersed in the glory of his reality. That is definitely something we all need. The beginning of this account of the experience that Peter, James and John had hints that perhaps we can have a taste of this experience.

"Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain." Jesus often went up into the mountains or into the wilderness not to actually be alone but to pray away from distractions And endless interruptions. Together they have headed up the mountain for spiritual refreshment. They went up on the mountain to nurture their souls. They went up on the mountain to be filled with life and hope. They went up the mountain to pray. To pray is to accept that we are, and always will be, wholly dependent on God for everything. An invitation to prayer is an invitation into a transformative experience. This transformative experience begins when we get a glimpse of the reality of who Jesus is.

"And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright as light. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him." Getting a glimpse of the majesty and reality of Jesus changes our perception of the world as we might perceive it. It changes our perception of reality. Jesus is in the world but not of the world. We are called to be people in the world but not of the world. We are called to be people who know a different reality.

For Peter, James, and John, Moses and Elijah were people of the past. People whose actions had shaped and formed their understanding of God and the reality they lived in. Their presence with Jesus on the mountain transforms reality as they knew it. If we embrace and hear their witness it transforms reality as we know it. Getting a glimpse of the reality of Jesus as proclaimed through the story of the transfiguration is a reality altering experience.

What went before is as current and relevant as the present moment. Suddenly Moses and Elijah are in the present moment with Jesus revealing that there is an interconnectedness that is beyond what we could ask or imagine. It does not remove the darkness shadowing our lives but it is a manifestation of hope and life far greater than any darkness that may descend upon us. “They saw two men Moses and Elijah talking to him.” The past, the present and the future come together in glorious dazzling light and majesty. Getting a glimpse into the reality of Jesus is getting a glimpse into a reality that is not the reality revealed in the lives of humans throughout history.

What is revealed in this experience of Peter, James and John, is a different reality. A different way of being. As Martin Luther King put it - "darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

The grace and mercy and love of God revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is the transforming light that ushers in a new reality. A reality that lifts us up above the dark clouds descending upon us and assures us that there is a hope greater than ourselves. A hope filled and
motivated with light, love, grace, and mercy.

While Peter was speaking with Jesus "a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud." The psalms proclaim to us that the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Psalm 111:10) We often struggle with the concept of fearing God. But the fear of the Lord does not mean a servile fear. It means a joyful, astonished, trembling awe and wonder before God. So the experience of mercy and forgiveness in the presence of the majesty and
glory of God seen in Jesus does not actually decrease but increases the fear of God. They were terrified as they were engulfed in the glory. The reality that they were not in control was clear. The reality that they were in the presence of a glory and majesty and love far beyond what they had
ever seen or experienced in their life was also clear.

"Then from the cloud came a voice that said, this is my Son, my chosen; listen to him." Jesus invites us to come to him. Jesus invites us to be with him. We can go up a mountain if we wish but we don’t have to. We can call to him wherever we are. There is no where that is more secure, more hopeful, more loving, more life giving, now and for all eternity than in the presence of Jesus. Peter in his letter tells us - “You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star that breaks the darkness rises in your hearts”. Come Lord Jesus, Come!

The Ven Allan Carson