February
23 2020 *Matthew 17.1-9, Exodus 24.12-18 “Love Changes You” Pastor Jacqueline Hines
It was one of those
extraordinary days. It wasn’t necessarily a holiday. It was the day we now call
the Day of Transfiguration, a day of SPIRITUAL GROWTH, TRANSFORMATION. It was a
good day that changed the church forever. What kind of day changes the church
forever? [slide # 1 change ahead ]
When we look back in
church history we see that any day a miracle happens, changes the church: the
feeding of the five thousand with a few loaves and a couple of fish, a lame man
who walked and a woman cured of her issues, the blind now able to see, and of
course, the resurrection of Jesus. There is no doubt that someone in this room
today has experienced what they would call a miracle. Miracles change the
church forever.
The day a courageous act
is performed changes the church forever. The day Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer decided
to stand up against Hitler he knew he was risking his life. The Nazis executed
him by hanging, but not before he wrote his classic book entitled The Cost of
Discipleship which reminds us of our call to follow Jesus no matter what it
costs us, for his lovingkindness is even better than life. Bonhoeffer was part
of a daring movement that overcame evil with good. Courage changes the church
forever. [slide # 2 courage
in clouds]
Besides the church
being changed forever on a day a miracle or act of courage happens, the church
changes forever when someone uses their gifts and talents. [slide # 3 your
spiritual gifts…grow]
As a pastor I work
constantly to stir up our spiritual gifts and make room for us to use our
unique gifts – our specialties. Each of us is known for the particular ways we
show a certain kindness and affection or decorate or cook or bake or build or
fix or wash or teach or paint or organize….and we do so in special or unique ways,
in the name of Jesus. That not only changes the church forever, it maintains
the church forever. As Al Carmines’ song declares: Many gifts, one Spirit, one
love known in many ways. In our difference is blessing, from diversity we
praise one Giver, one Lord, one Spirit, one Word, known in many ways, hallowing
our days. For the Giver, for the gifts, praise, praise, praise!
Rev. Al Carmines was
born in Hampton, Virginia attended Swarthmore College and Union Theological seminary. [slide # 4 Rev. Carmines]
He was commissioned by United Methodist
Women to write Hymn 114 of our hymnbook called Many Gifts for their 1973
Assembly in Ohio. Carmines wrote many off Broadway musicals about many topics
including Joan of Arc, Gertrude Stein, homosexuality, Abraham Lincoln, and W.C.
Fields.
If we dig deep enough
we find that all human stories include a diversity of gifts and races and genders
and classes. Depending on who’s telling the story, certain names and races and
classes can be left out. The story is told of a popular preacher named Lemuel Haynes
born in Connecticut in 1753 and a veteran of the Revolutionary War. [slide # 5 Rev. Lemuel Hanes] His father was an African
slave and his mother a Scottish indentured servant. He was the first black to
be credentialed in the U.S. as a minister. For 30 years, he served a
congregation of mostly whites and a few Africans in Vermont. The human story is
always a story of diverse gifts and races, and genders, and classes. [slide # 6 diversity
brings…]
So, if miracles,
courage, and our gifts historically change the church, what does that have to
do with this day we call the Transfiguration Day? What were the qualities of
the day that stood out so much that they are still remembered 2000 years later?
First, the disciples were not alone. Jesus was with them. Peter was there. Peter
was an important person who used his unique gifts. Peter was known as the rock.
He was a solid Christian. He had a reputation for being a strong, dynamic
Christian who was not at all wishy washy. He was a Christian on the outside as
well as on the inside. Peter was like one of those reversible jackets we have.
You can wear it outside in or inside out it will still look good.
Jesus was there. Peter
was there and James and John were there. James and John were brothers. Lots of
churches are family churches and that often gives the church strength and continuity.
Family churches help us see the blessings and beauty of what God has done from one
generation to the next generation. When I went to Lancaster, one of the first
words of advice I received from an elders was, “Pastor, be very careful what
you say because almost everybody is related to someone else in the church.
James and John were
brothers with a reputation for being very fiery. That is putting it nicely. The
scriptures call them the “sons of thunder.” It brings to mind that these
brothers were outspoken, rambunctious, and perhaps a bit rowdy. Since James’
name always appears first in the bible, I imagine that James brought the
thunder and John flashed the lightening… When the other disciples experienced
their thunder, they also saw their lightening and they prepared for a storm.
The brothers were no doubt like two peas in a pod, peanut butter and jelly, or
peas and carrots, like love and marriage, they go together like a horse and
carriage; everyone knows you can't have one without the other…
So Jesus the son of God
was there, Peter the rock was there, James and John were there. Where were
they? They were on a mountain, and not just any mountain. The text describes it
as a “high mountain” Verse 1 of Matthews’s text says “Six days later, [ that is
six days after he told the disciples he was about to die and leave them ] Jesus
took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high
mountain, by themselves. It was like a retreat, a very special time away in the
mountains.
When Jesus spoke with
the disciples six days earlier, the texts suggest that they were having that
conversation in Caesarea Philippi and the closet mountain to the city of
Caesarea Philippi is Mt. Hermon. [slide # 7 Mt. Herman] Verse 1 says Jesus took
them to a high mountain and
Mt. Hermon is about three times higher than the other peaks around Israel. Mt.
Hermon is 9230 feet high. At that height, one can see great awe-inspiring
beauty as well as remain alert to oncoming threats.
People who are not
afraid of heights are often believed to be highly successful, that is, not
afraid to soar the heights in life. Oprah Winfrey said she would often dream of
flying high.
Jesus took Peter and
James and John to a high
mountain verse 1 tells us. They followed him like good, obedient disciples. Verse
2 says that Jesus was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the
sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Right away we are beginning to see
what makes Transfiguration Day a day that changed the church forever.
What we are seeing is
that it was all about a miraculous light. The light was supernatural, unusual, and
unnatural. It was extraordinarily intense, inspiring, enveloping, inescapable,
even frightening. [slide # 8 light]
Jesus’ face was shining, his clothes were dazzling bright and white. But that
was not all.
If a supernatural light
was not miraculous enough to change the church forever, suddenly, without
warning for us as we ae reading Mathew’s story, Moses appeared on the mountain,
suddenly. Most of us appreciate change more, when we are aware that change is
coming. Moses appeared suddenly. Moses lived to be 120 years old. He died in
1273 BC, before the birth of Christ.
Moses was a miracle
worker who led the Israelites to the edge of the Promised Land. If it weren’t
for his anger management issues, he probably would have made it into the
Promised Land himself.
Moses made his appearance
on this mountain, suddenly. [slide
# 9 Moses an Elijah appear] Then there was
even more incredible drama. Elijah suddenly appeared, too. Elijah was also a
miracle worker. He spoke for God and stunned the world with his predictions. He
lived in the 9th century 800 years before Christ. Elijah is such an
important figure in our Judeo-Christian heritage that when our brothers and
sisters celebrate the Passover they prepare a special cup for Elijah who has a
standing invitation. Elijah was so close to God that he did not die a natural
death but was swept up into heaven in a chariot of fire.
The two pillars of the
faith appeared suddenly and were talking to Jesus.
Transfiguration Day
comes with the presence of Jesus, on a high mountain. Peter, James and John are
there to witness the light and two giants in the faith, appearing suddenly. And
there’s more. Peter started talking and offered his services to build a
dwelling for Jesus and Moses and Elijah, but verse 5 says 5While Peter was still
speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them [slide # 10
open cloud in sky] and the voice of God said this is my beloved
son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him. God turned the conversation back
over to Jesus and how pleased God was with him and directed Peter, not to talk,
but to LISTEN. [slide # 11 listen
to Him]
When we
are in a high place with Jesus, God’s voice overshadows our own and helps us to
put Jesus in the right perspective and lets us know it is time to LISTEN TO
HIM.
I heard a psychologist
say the other day that prayer and meditation changes your brain. Persons who
meditate and pray are calmer, less depressed, less reactive, not perfect, but definitely
better. If we love God, we love each other, we love to pray and meditate in
order to be still and know God, to be in the presence of God. Love changes our
brain and changes us for the better. [slide # 12 brain]
One source says that brain
scans of monks who completed 10,000 hours of meditation were similar to those
persons who took LSD. Though meditation heals the brain rather than destroy it
like LSD does. Ten thousand hours of meditation led to another dimension of
consciousness, a changed reality, and a transformed community.
I can believe that Peter,
James, and John had a rich prayer life. I can believe that their love for God
kept them praying and meditating on the word of God until they followed Jesus
to a high place and were transformed. Prayer and meditating on the word of God
gave them a mountaintop experience, leading them to higher ground where they
saw the light, where they saw Jesus, where they felt the towering strength of Moses
and Elijah, where they began to dream dreams and see visions, where the heard God’s voice above their own.
Transfiguration Day is
a day of change for the better, it is a day of transformation whether in small
ways or in big ways. Transfiguration Day happens because we follow Jesus, the Lord
of Love. The love of Jesus and
for Jesus changes the church
forever, and love can change us where we need change the most. [slide # 13 cross
and bridge]
As we prayerfully
follow Jesus, we will no doubt find ourselves on higher ground, surrounded by
light and the strength of the faithful, dreaming dreams, seeing visions and
hearing God’s voice more clearly. May it be so today and always. [slide # 14 prayer…key]
Amen. [slide # 15 can…do it..]
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