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.

Epiphany V

Sermon for Camp Allen Chapel

Houston, TX

By The Rev. Martha Frances+

Year C Epiphany V

4 February 2007

Text: Luke 5: 1-11

Other Readings: Isaiah 6: 1-8 [9-13]; Psalm 138; I Corinthians 15: 1-11

“Jesus calls us o’er the tumult of our life’s wild, restless sea” we just sang this morning. Has your life seemed like a wild, restless sea lately? I know at times mine has. This great hymn, the theme song of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, is really the theme of all our readings today. First, let us look at the “call” stories we have in our scripture selections.

What a spectacular setting for God’s call to Isaiah! God is on the throne &, even before God gets a chance to speak, Isaiah is already back-peddling: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, & I live among a people of unclean lips;” he replies upon the angels’/God’s appearance. God’s seraph touches his mouth with a live coal, forgives his sins, & offers him the chance to become God’s ambassador. Isaiah responds in 5 of the most significant words in scripture: “Here am I; send me!” Hmmm, seems like I’ve sung that somewhere before.

Paul’s own description of God’s call follows the same pattern as God’s call to Isaiah. Paul’s call follows many appearances Christ made to the disciples after his resurrection, finally to Paul himself. Paul says he is unworthy—as one untimely born, the least of the apostles—because he persecuted the Church.

Christ obviously didn’t take no for an answer with Paul, & it was by God’s grace that he was equipped for the great missionary work ahead of him. His response—“. . .by the grace of God I am what I am”—echoes Moses’ conversation with God on Mt. Sinai, not Popeye self-declaration. Paul’s frenetic activity for the spread of Christ’s kingdom speaks for itself. Paul’s proclamation has resulted in the Corinthians’ coming to believe.

Finally, we come to Jesus’ call to his first disciples—the 4 fishermen—beside Gennesaret Lake, better known as the Sea of Galilee. Jesus’ popularity has caused him to resort to drastic measures to be able to reach the crowds. He borrows Simon’s boat & they put out from shore so he can better speak to the crowd. Then he tells Simon to launch his boat once more & let down his nets. How does Simon Peter react? He argues with Jesus, telling him that they have already been working fruitlessly all night. But then he agrees to do as Jesus has asked & indeed puts out the nets. What a miracle! So many fish that they fill both his boat & that of his partners James & John!

At this point, we see Simon’s self-centeredness. Does he thank Jesus for this amazing catch of fish? No, he responds by moaning about how sinful he is & pleads with Jesus to disappear! Of course, Peter always over-reacts, & here is Jesus’ first encounter with Peter according to Luke. Peter might have wallowed in his self-pity, yet Jesus does not allow that. Jesus calls Peter out of himself to do the work of netting people, hauling them in to build up the Christian community, & really to lead that community, all with the help of his brother Andrew, his partners James & John, & the other folks Jesus calls to discipleship.

Notice they left everything in order to follow Jesus. In the group-oriented culture around the Mediterranean Sea, people didn’t see themselves as independent individuals but rather relied on the social unit of the extended family for their livelihood & indeed for their identity. We independent Americans may have a hard time relating to the drastic steps these disciples took to haul off & follow Jesus, but their departure must have left gaps in the interdependent family structures. Jesus’ band of disciples became a non-traditional family for each other.

But that’s ahead of our reading today. When Peter steps out & follows Jesus, he has no clue as to what will follow. Peter steps out in faith only after Jesus reassures him with the now-familiar, “Do not be afraid” & then promises “from now on you will be catching people” or, as one translation says, “you will net people.”

With Isaiah, Paul, & Simon Peter’s calls to action, a pattern emerges: First, God initiates the action. God does the choosing. God chooses according to God’s qualifications, not according to those whom we humans consider worthy. Second, the person God chooses obviously doesn’t consider him or herself worthy & gives God excuses as to God’s poor judgment in choosing him or her. In modern-day language, we call this whining, sitting on our pity pots. Third, God doesn’t take “no” for an answer; God goes right ahead with God’s plans & urges the person to respond positively. We often say that God doesn’t choose the equipped but equips the chosen. That applies to each of you too, not just to the preacher! Finally, the chosen one responds & then acts on God’s calling her or him out.

Now all 3 of these examples are men, but this same pattern applies to women. Remember God’s call to Mary that we usually call the “annunciation”? The angel comes & initiates the call. Mary is astonished & tells the angel he must have knocked on the wrong door; she can’t have a baby as she is still a virgin. Gabriel replies that God can accomplish more than we humans can ask or imagine. Mary responds “then let it be to me according to your Word.” And she brings forth the Savior of the World. God’s call is not limited to one type person or group & we’re often surprised at those God chooses for a particular task.

As we ponder Christ’s call to each of us, I think it is comforting to realize that this is an ongoing call to conversion, not just a one-time deal. Paul eludes to the ongoing progression of conversion & growth in faith in the last line of the Corinthian reading for today when he says, “. . .and so you have come to believe.” You may remember a man who comes to Jesus for his child’s healing. He says, “Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief.” Conversion & response are not a one-time deal, you see.

I hope you haven’t sat back & thought smugly during this sermon, “Well, I’ve already accepted Jesus as my Lord & Savior, so these call stories don’t apply to me.” Just as Jesus’ call is not to a select few but to ALL, so is Jesus’ call to a lifetime of growth in faith & in ways to act out our faith. Each time we respond in love & obedience to Christ’s call to us, we’re strengthened for the next call to be faithful. It is when we get too comfortable with our faith walk that we are most likely to stumble. Christ calls us over & over to turn again & follow him.

Finally, I want to make it perfectly clear that these call stories are examples not of the call of special extra-talented people to be professional Christians. My brothers & sisters, this call to conversion & to living life with Christ & in a Christian community is to ALL of us. Some days I know we all want to say with Peter, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” If Simon Peter could say that & then become the leader of the apostles, then not one of you is so sinful that you are exempted from the call to discipleship. We’re all in this together, you all. We’re ALL, every one of us, invited—actually urged—to a lifetime of conversion & new life in Christ

And don’t think that you’ve got all the time in the world. Christ is incredibly patient, but why not begin to live abundantly right now? What’s more important than abundant life? Whatever holds you back from conversion to new life today, shed it, let go of it, & let God fill that void in your life. Epiphany is the time of year when we explore all the many places & persons God calls us to engage with enlarging & strengthening God’s reign on earth. Soon, we will enter the season of Lent in which we are made ready once again to respond as an Easter people, “Here I am, send me!” What is holding you back? Can you give it up to God?