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Beyond belief

February 6, 2016

Transfiguration

Luke 9:28-36

Marian Free

 In the name of God, whom we experience in the transcendent and in the everyday, the unbelievable and the believeable. Amen.

Captain Cook’s journey to Australia was not simply an expedition to discover and to claim new lands. It was also a very serious scientific enquiry. Cook himself was a navigator and a cartographer who had an interest in astronomy. During his first voyage among other things he recorded the transit of Venus. Nor was he alone in his scientific exploration. Other scientists joined him on his voyages including naturalists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander and father and son scientist Johann and Georg Forster. The biologists recorded and preserved the new and interesting specimens of flora and fauna that they encountered on their travels. Some of these, including kangaroos and koalas were creatures that were previously completely unknown.

The most unusual animal to be discovered was the platypus. British scientists thought that the skin that was taken back to England was an elaborate joke. At first it was believed that someone (as a joke) had sewn a duck’s bill, a beaver’s tail and four webbed feet onto a rabbit’s body. It was apparently not until a third specimen arrived in England 1800 that Sir Joseph Banks, the naturalist on the voyage was able to declare that: “Suspicions about the existence of the platypus are now completely dissipated.” It is not just the appearance of the platypus that makes it unbelievable. The platypus is one of only two mammals in the world that lays eggs and even though they suckle their young, they have no nipples. No wonder the British scientists found it difficult to believe that they were not being duped.

It is not quite the same, but biblical scholars, especially those who are interested in uncovering the historical Jesus, try to ascertain whether some of the unbelievable things described in the Gospels really happened, or whether they are creations of the early church who, in trying to give flesh to their faith, embellished the “facts” or retold the story in such a way as to give it a particular emphasis. Such is the case with the account of the Transfiguration that records Jesus’ dazzling appearance and a conversation between Jesus and two people (Moses and Elijah) who at that time were long since dead.

According to Fitzmyer[1] there have been numerous attempts to come to grips with this extraordinary account. A number of scholars believe it to be an historical event, that after Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, he, James and John receive a physical affirmation of the fact. The problem is that this does not explain Peter’s later denial and the disciples’ abandonment of Jesus. Another explanation is that the Transfiguration is a vision that Peter, or all three experienced. Yet another explanation is that it describes a post-resurrection experience that was written back into the life of Jesus. This however does not explain what Moses and Elijah are doing and why Jesus’ glory is noted here and not in the resurrection accounts. Nor does it explain the differences between this story and the records of the resurrection. Lastly, there are some who believe that it is a description of Jesus at his coming again. No explanation is truly satisfactory.

The reality is that we will not (this side of eternity) be able to know with absolute certainty what lies behind this amazing story. We can however try to see what part it plays in the overall gospel account. In Luke’s gospel the Transfiguration acts as a kind of fulcrum between the Galilean ministry and the cross, it maintains the tension between Jesus’ suffering and his glory, between present realities and future vindication.

If we look at the account in context we will note that immediately prior to the scene on the mountain, Jesus has asked his disciples: “Who do people say that I am?” They respond – Elijah, John the Baptist, one of the prophets.” Finally, Peter proclaims: “You are the anointed one of God.” Then, as if to temper this outburst of enthusiasm, Jesus responds by predicting his death and resurrection and urging the disciples to: “take up your cross daily and follow me”. It is consistent with Luke’s telling of the story that Jesus makes clear that there are no short cuts to glory. Jesus’ victory will not come easily and now the disciples know that their reality will be the same as his. Vindication will be hard won, those things that are worth having are worth struggling for.

As if to reassure the disciples that it will all be worth it, Jesus then takes his inner circle with him up a mountain. There, they not only see Jesus completely transformed, but they also hear God’s voice affirming what Peter has earlier declared: that Jesus is the chosen one of God. The experience serves to assure the disciples that Jesus is the person whom they think he is and this despite what is to come – Jesus’ rejection, arrest, trial, crucifixion.

Faith in Jesus is not able to protect us from hardship, trouble, grief or pain – just the opposite, Jesus tells us that we will follow him to the cross. At the same time, Jesus gives us mountain-top experiences, moments of revelation and exhilaration that assure us that our faith is not misplaced, that Jesus is who we think he is and that just as he has come into this glory, so too will we finally be transformed from glory into glory.

[1] Fitzmyer, Joseph. A. The Gospel According to Luke I-IX. New York: Double Day and Company, 1979, 795-6.

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We cannot go it alone

February 14, 2015

Transfiguration
 Mark 9:2-9
 Marian Free

In the name of God whose engagement with the world draws us into engagement with God. Amen.

Last week I was struck by the number of similarities between last week’s gospel and this week’s account of the Transfiguration. In both instances Jesus has been pressed in upon by people demanding his attention, seeking healing or simply desiring to be in his presence. After both occasions Jesus withdraws to a mountain to gather his strength and to reconnect with God. After the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, Jesus wakes early in the morning and goes to a “deserted place” by himself to pray. He gets little peace, because Peter and his companions seek him out. (The Greek is even stronger – it reads “hunted him”). “Everyone is seeking you”, they say. It seems that those who have experienced his ministry and his healing power do not want to let him go. They try to draw him back, to keep him to themselves. That is not possible. Jesus informs them that he doesn’t belong to them or even to their small part of the world. His role, as he understands it, is to spread his teaching to as broad a group of people as possible. His ability to heal, belongs not to a few, but to all the world. He had not come into the world to be a local miracle worker. His mission could not be restricted nor could his healing power be owned by just a few.

There are differences and similarities between this account and today’s account of the Transfiguration. Again, the crowds, recognising what Jesus can offer, have allowed him little respite. “They have been with me three days” – three days with no time to himself, no time to think! Jesus’ personal resources must have been stretched to the limit. He has fed five thousand people with seven loaves and some small fish, he has returned sight to the blind, argued with the Pharisees and had the emotionally draining experience of trying to share with the disciples what the future has in store for him. (A task made even more difficult by Peter’s refusal to understand.) As in the first chapter, Jesus’ response to the pressure is to take time apart, to go to a place where he is unlikely to be disturbed, a place in the wilderness where he can take stock and allow God to minister to him and to restore him to himself. On this occasion Jesus does not go alone. He takes with him his closest friends, those who will share the most intimate parts of his journey – Peter, James and John. In doing this, he exposes them to the nature of his relationship with God and gives them a glimpse into who he really is.

This moment is more dramatic than his quiet prayer in the wilderness. On this occasion his experience of the presence of God is not only tangible, it is transformative. Before the disciples’ eyes, Jesus is physically transfigured – his clothes become dazzling white. Even more amazing, the disciples witness Jesus speaking with those giants of the Israelties’ faith – Moses and Elijah. On this occasion too, Peter wants to hold on to the moment. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, Peter and his companions want to keep Jesus to themselves. Now, on the mountain, Peter seeks to capture and contain the experience, to hold on to the moment, he does not want to let go of such a tangible, affirming encounter with the holy. “Let us make three tents” he says. Just as he did not want Jesus to leave his home town, so now he doesn’t want this amazing encounter to come to an end.

One can imagine that Jesus might have been tempted to stay, to take the easy way out, to abdicate his responsibilities, to avoid the demands of the crowds and to evade the eventual consequences of his mission. But the whole point of his being here, the purpose of the incarnation is that he share in the full human experience. So while he takes time apart to replenish his resources and while his intimacy with God is such that he like Peter might have wanted to rest in it forever, Jesus plunges back into the messiness of human existence – (to be greeted at the foot of the mountain, by yet another situation that demands his full d undivided attention, a situation, which Jesus informs us can only be dealt with because his life is sustained by his relationship with God – by prayer.)

In the wilderness and on the mountaintop, Jesus spends time with God. Here he allows God to fill him, here he ensures that he has the strength and resources that are required to meet the demands that will be made upon him, he he gives God the opportunity to strengthen him to face any of the difficulties that he might face in his life’s journey. Empowered by God he can face anything and do anything. It is God’s presence in and with him that gives Jesus the ability to share the good news of the Kingdom, to heal the sick and cast out demons.

If our lives are to be informed by and empowered by God, we too must find time to be with God, we must discover our own place apart, allow God to restore and heal us, give God room to work in and through us.

With Jesus, we must learn that our busyness and our engagement with the world must be fueled by the presence of God and that the presence of God in our lives will in turn send us back into the world to be a sign of God’s presence in the chaos and turmoil of what it means to be human. In the end, we cannot do it alone, but only in the power of God

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It’s good to be here!

August 4, 2012

 

Transfiguration 2012

Mark 9:2-9

Marian Free

In the name of God creator of the universe and all that is in it. Amen.

 “It’s good to be here!” That’s how our hymn began this morning: “It’s good Lord, to be here.” I hadn’t thought about it until now, but there are at least two ways in which to use this phrase. “It’s good to be here” may be said in the form of a sigh – we’re here at last, it’s good to put that behind us. “It’s good to be here“ may be an exclamation of pleasure or delight. We say we’re glad to be here because the company is great, the venue is great, the food is great.

The hymn picks up on the phrase that Peter utters into today’s gospel, but it has one significant difference. Peter puts himself into the situation saying: “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here.” Instead of being an impersonal statement it becomes a statement which has the speaker embedded in it. That is, it is less about the event and more about the speaker. It is an interesting reaction to what has happened on the mountaintop. Peter, James and John – Jesus’ inner circle – have had the sort of religious experience that few people have. They have seen Jesus transfigured before them, they have seen first hand the heroes of their faith – Moses and Elijah – and they have heard a voice from heaven declaring Jesus to be God’s Son. They were in fact, in the presence of God. Unless we have had a similar experience, it would be hard to imagine what it must have been like. I imagine that it would have been terrifying, exhilarating, awe-inspiring and humbling all at once. It is the sort of event that would leave one speechless – no words could match the situation that the disciples had experienced.

All the same, Peter can’t help himself. He blurts out: “It’s good for us to be here.” Why does he think it is good? Is it because he, James and John have been given a glimpse of heaven. No. Apparently that is not why it is good that he is there. Is it because he, as part of the inner circle, has been privileged to witness the heavenly Jesus and to discover Jesus’ true identity. No – that is not the reason either. Maybe Peter is grateful that he has had such a life-changing experience. But no, that is not the reason why it is good that he is there. In fact, Peter seems not to have any idea of the significance of the situation. He hasn’t really grasped the enormity of the event or how blessed he has been to have been a part of it. In fact there is no indication that he feels that he has benefited in any way from the experience. The reason that it is good for him to be there is that it is good for everyone else that he is there! It is good that he is there because he can do something to enhance the situation. He can build something that would hold the event in time, a monument to what had happened. It is not that he is blessed to have witnessed something so amazing, but that others are blessed by his being there!

Can you believe it? Peter appears to be telling Jesus how lucky he (Jesus) is that he has taken Peter with him! Lucky Jesus! Where would he be without Peter? Peter knows just what to do in this situation – he can build shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah! Jesus can leave it all to him!  This fits with our perception of Peter – he is rash, he always puts his foot in his mouth and he never really understands what is going on. Now he thinks that Jesus needs him. He just doesn’t get it. Jesus, the Son of God, has chosen him among all the disciples to be part of the innermost circle, to see him as he really is and to share Jesus’ most private moments. Jesus who can walk on water, heal the sick, calm the storm, cast out demons doesn’t need Peter. Peter needs him. It is Peter who will change and grow as a result of his relationship with Jesus. However, Peter doesn’t see this, Peter thinks that Jesus needs him and so offers his services at this most inappropriate moment.

As I reflected on Peter’s response, I wondered if it might not be a metaphor for ourselves, for the church. I have a suspicion that from time to time at least, we fall into the trap of believing that God needs us, that without us and without our constant effort, God will be lost – the church will fail and the Christian faith will come to an end. This is evidenced in our constant navel gazing about the state of the church, our anxiety about empty pews and about census figures which reveal that fewer people identify as Christians, the programmes we organize to encourage people to come to church and the ways in which we continually tweak our worship in the hope that more people will join us.

All of this not only demonstrates a lack of trust in God and in God’s presence in the world, but also that we believe that the future of the church, the future of faith is dependent on us. Such an attitude suggests that we feel that God needs our help to be known in the world, that a church is necessary for faith in God to spread throughout the world. Of course this is a ludicrous idea! God can and does manage quite well without our help. Without our help, God created the universe. Without our help God called Abraham and formed the people of God. Without our help, God sent Jesus into the world and without our help God continues to make Godself known to a multitude of people and in a wide variety of ways. And still we think that God needs the church and that God needs our help for the church to survive.

When the situation is put like that we can see that there are times when we can be likened to Peter, that there are times when we fail to wonder at the gift that God has given to us or when, faced with an apparent problem we fall into the trap of thinking that God needs us instead of remembering that it is we who need God.

I wonder what it would be like if instead of wanting to build edifices to contain or to commemorate what we have seen and known, if instead of worrying about the institution, we could simply stand back in awe and wonder at the ingenuity and magnificence of God. What would it be like, if we could simply acknowledge and surrender ourselves to the creative power of God and allow God to determine how the future will look?

It is good that we are here. Our experience and knowledge of God draws us together to offer praise and thanksgiving to the one who has given us everything.  It is good to be here to be drawn in wonder and awe into God’s presence. It is good to be here. It would also be good to be content simply to worship God and let God take care of everything else.

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