Last Epiphany

The Rev. Martha Frances

Yr. C, Last Epiphany

18 February 2007

Text: Luke 9: 28-36 [37-43]

Other Readings: Exodus 34: 29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

How many of you have ever experienced what you would classify as a mountaintop experience? (Pause) And how many of you have wished you didn’t have to come down from the mountain, thinking you’d rather just freeze-frame that awesome feeling & not have to face real life again, at least not soon? (Pause) Sherley Holden just said it last week as she returned from her Cursillo weekend up at Camp Allen.

Well, you’ve probably heard sermons on this scripture many times, so it is likely that you’ve been told the Transfiguration is all about dealing with a mountaintop experience. Right? Although Luke’s version of the Transfiguration might include such admonitions to us as well as to Simon Peter, that’s not ALL this scripture is about, so we’re going to explore it today with a little different slant.

Often when we look at a scene from scripture, we try to relate to it, to see how our lives are LIKE whatever is going on in the passage. In the case of the Transfiguration, however, we experience, just as Peter, John, & James do, an event which is really UNLIKE any that we have ever had. The thing about Jesus’ appearance with Moses & Elijah & his clothing’s becoming dazzling white is that this is a one-of-a-kind appearance. Surely, it reminds us of other earlier epiphany experiences like Moses at the burning bush or his face showing dazzling white upon coming down the mountain, another story read this morning. Surely, Elijah encountered God at the mountain cave when God was found not in earthquake, wind, or fire but in a still small voice. Jesus’ transfiguration appearance with Moses & Elijah affirms him as the last in a whole line of prophets harkening back for centuries.

We’re certainly reminded of Jesus’ baptism where God declares, “This is my son, the Beloved.” Others whom John baptized didn’t have a dove descend accompanied by a voice from heaven, did they? Indeed, we’re getting closer to the uniqueness of Jesus’ transfiguration when we examine his baptism prior to his public ministry. By the time of the transfiguration scene, Jesus has had a successful public teaching, preaching, & healing career in Galilee & has just recently turned his face toward Jerusalem & what he knows will be his crucifixion. His attention is now focused on training his closest followers in the costs of discipleship.

Immediately before today’s lesson, Jesus has made his first passion prediction, & the disciples have only just begun to conceive of a messiah very different from the one predicted by centuries of Jewish prophecy. What better time for God to reassure Jesus publicly that he is following the path which God intends than with an open declaration out of the cloud: “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him.” Indeed, it is the awesome uniqueness of this ultimate Epiphany appearance which is most compelling to the disciples, & to us today. We’re told unequivocally that this experience IS unique, for Jesus is God’s special chosen one to whom we must pay heed.

The disciples must still be in shock from Jesus’ insistence that he must suffer persecution & death before he returns in glory. Hey, why have they been following this itinerant preacher & healer if all he’s gonna do is go to Jerusalem where he’s likely to get himself—& possibly some of them—killed dead as doornails? Have they been mistaken in throwing in their chips with him even though he certainly seems to know what he’s talking about? The healings & miracles are certainly real enough. “So what’s up?” they might be saying when ascending the mountain for another of Jesus’ regular long periods of prayer time.

That’s one point which Luke continually makes & we should notice, especially just three days away from Ash Wednesday and then Lent. Every significant event in Jesus’ life arises out of a period of prayer. Jesus models a life of disciplined prayer, Luke says, & it seems to me if Jesus needed that much time for communication with his Father, we can assume we need to pray regularly intentionally & with fervor. This scene reminds us that prayer is a powerful way that God’s presence is mediated to us. It’s clear that the disciples, weighed down with sleep as they were, almost missed the miracle of the transfiguration. How often do we miss miracles because we’re not paying attention or we put expectations upon how we think things are supposed to turn out?

What’s really up is that, although Jesus’ ministry with his disciples will not end with the success for which they’d hoped, he is nonetheless the messiah. The fact that Jesus’ destiny is to go to Jerusalem to face certain death does not mean that all is lost. In fact, this transfiguration scene gives those who are alert enough to understand the knowledge that Jesus’ death is not defeat but is a kind of modern-day exodus. If we remember the history of the Hebrews, we will remember that the people didn’t really become Yhwh’s chosen until after the 40 years in the wilderness. The first exodus propelled the people to form a new covenant with God & a new identity in relation to each other. Jesus’ exodus from earthly life was necessary for the resurrection to establish life after death, & to birth the new Israel, the new Christian community.

Of course, the disciples couldn’t have explained all of this to each other, much less to the larger group of disciples. Perhaps that’s why they kept silent & told no one any of the things they had seen. Miraculous things like the transfiguration happen at certain times in our lives, & we are seldom able to explain them. That may be why the disciples were terrified. The preacher Barbara Brown Taylor calls such events as the transfiguration “thin places.” In such experiences, heaven & earth meet in ways we simply cannot explain in words. Who among us would like to have been present at the transfiguration? And who would not have been terrified? At times like these, logic cannot explain what is happening, yet it is enough for us to be open to what God wants for our lives rather than what we thought would be good.

We read the Transfiguration story on this last Sunday of Epiphany as a sort of bridge between looking outward focus of Jesus’ teaching & healing of Epiphany—for his is truly the greatest Epiphany—to the inward retrospection of Lent. In order to be prepared to share the Good News of Christ which we emphasize during the Easter season, we must undergo the work of staying honest with God & ourselves which we are called to do during Lent.

On Wednesday we will commemorate Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40 days of Lent. Now we only have a few days to consider what God asks us to do during this holy season. Do you plan to give up booze or cigarettes or sugar or lunch every other day because that’s what you always do during Lent? I invite you to consider this year what God calls you to focus on. I can’t determine for you what your Lenten discipline should be, but I’ll offer some suggestions which might be helpful.

First: Jesus’ prayer time. I would offer to you that God can better let you know where you might stretch in the next 6 weeks if you give yourself over to spending regular quality time with God. There are various methods of prayer, & you might want to combine a tried & true type of prayer with one less familiar. If you are used to reading Morning & Evening Prayer, either alone or with someone else, don’t stop doing that but add a time of centering prayer, non-verbal & open to whatever God wants to say to you. Do you always pray alone? Try covenanting with a friend to pray with him or her several times a week during Lent. Praying the Anglican rosary, walking the Labyrinth, or keeping a prayer journal are all excellent ways to stretch yourself in prayer during this time. Perhaps you’ll find a new way to pray which truly suits you. 6 weeks is enough time to find out if a new prayer style works for you.

Secondly, read a book. Choose something you wouldn’t ordinarily read, & discipline yourself to read & think about it through Lent. Again, a covenant with a friend to read & then discuss can be very enlightening. There are many Lenten meditation books at a bookstore or on line. A variation on this might be to form a study group during Lent & discuss Lenten themes together.

In addition, take the time to inventory your life to see whether the goals you have set for yourself are still applicable. Some wise sage said that if you don’t know where you’re going, it’ll be hard for you to know if & when you get there. Putting an inventory down on paper can be very beneficial, & sharing it with a sponsor or a spiritual director can be invaluable. By the way, I’m available for sacramental confession throughout Lent for anyone who feels the need for confession & reconciliation with a priest.

Certainly, although Lent is more introspective than other times of the year, we should not neglect reaching out in some way to our neighbors at this time. I use the term “neighbors” in the same way Jesus did when he told the story of the Good Samaritan. Our neighbor might be that person we least want to reach out to. How can you put yourself in a position to encounter the neighbor who may make you uncomfortable at first? What do you have to share with that neighbor? And what does she or he have to share with you? You might be surprised what you might learn from someone who on the surface is very different from you.

I can’t tell you what Christ is calling you to do this Lent, but I know that the Transfiguration challenges us to look beyond who & where we are to see how God is inviting us to new life. At those thin places where God can speak to us more easily, God has a word for you as God has for me. Our program and liturgies during Lent ask us to balance introspection and caring for our world in sacramental ways. Mountaintops may be exhilarating, but God calls us to look at the dailyness of our lives & give them up to God.