Last Epiphany

The Rev. Martha Frances

Yr. C, Last Epiphany

14 February 2010

Text:  Luke 9: 28-36 [37-43]

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

      Thank you all so much for worshipping with us today.  As we celebrate the culmination of my ministry here at Hope, & both Hope parish & I look forward to the new chapter in each of our ministries, all here at the end of the season of enlightenment at Epiphany, stories about journeys to the mountaintops & re-visioning of life & ministry are quite appropriate.  I invite you to open your eyes & hearts to what new vision God has for you at this time in your life which you might carry into your Lenten meditation & worship for the next 6 weeks so Christ's glory might be fully revealed in your life in the miracle of Easter.

      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) 

      Well, you've probably heard sermons on these scriptures many times, so it's likely you've been told the Transfiguration is all about dealing with a mountaintop experience.  Right?  Though the Transfiguration might warn us, along with Simon Peter, not to linger on the mountaintop, that's not ALL this scripture is about, so we're going delve into these transformational scriptures.. 

      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 we've ever had.  The thing about Jesus' appearance with Moses & Elijah & his face & clothing's becoming dazzling white is that this is a one-of-a-kind appearance.  Surely, it reminds us of other earlier epiphanies like Moses at the burning bush or his face showing dazzling white when he came down the mountain, another story we read this morning.  Surely, Elijah encountered God at the mountain cave 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 when 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 inaugurating 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 which he knows will mean his crucifixion. His attention is now focused on training his closest followers for the costs of discipleship. 

      Immediately before today's lesson, Jesus has made his first passion prediction, & the disciples have only just begun to recognize 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 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 best pay heed. 

      The disciples must still be in shock from Jesus' prediction 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? He certainly seems to know what he's talking about? The healings & miracles are certainly real enough.  "So what's up?" the disciples might be saying while ascending the mountain for another of Jesus' long periods of prayer. 

      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, & 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.  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, though Jesus' ministry won't end with the success for which his disciples had hoped, he is nonetheless the messiah.  Jesus' destiny is to go to Jerusalem to face certain death, but all is not lost; his death is actually a modern-day exodus.  The people of the original exodus didn't really become Yhwh's chosen until after 40 years in the wilderness.  They formed a new covenant with God & a new identity with each other.  Later, 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 three disciples couldn't have explained all this to each other, much less to the larger group of disciples.  Perhaps that's why they were terrified & kept silent, telling no one what they had seen.  Miraculous things like the transfiguration happen at certain times in our lives, & we are seldom able to explain them.  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.  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's 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 bridge between the 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 during the Easter season, we must undergo the work of staying honest with God & ourselves we practice during Lent. 

      Ash Wednesday begins the 40 days of Lent.  In the next few days, we can consider what God asks of us during this holy season.  You might 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 what God calls you to focus on, both for yourself & for Hope.  I can't determine for you what your Lenten discipline should be, but I'll offer some suggestions which might be helpful.

      First: prayer time. Spending regular quality time with God will open you up to God's transformation in your life.  There are many 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.  You might covenant with a friend or two to read & then discuss an enlightening book.  Bookstores & Amazon highlight good Lenten meditations.

      In addition, 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.  At this hinge time in Hope's communal life, evaluating mission & vision for the future is crucial.  A spiritual director can be an invaluable help. 

      Certainly, though Lent is more introspective than other times of the year, we should reach out to our neighbors at this time.  At Diocesan Council yesterday, we celebrated a new companion partnership with Southern Malawi, watching Bp. Doyle & the Malawan bishop James Tengotengo signing the covenant of partnership.  In this time of economic downturn, the Diocese of Texas puts feet to our hopes in beginning a new outreach with Malawi.  We are incredibly wealthy here in Texas in comparison to our partners in Southern Malawi.  How can Hope reach out to others in a mutual relationship of give & take?  How can your own stewardship covenant for 2010 be fleshed out during Lent for you to give sacramentally of yourself.

      The Diocesan Council just completed yesterday marked a new beginning in the life of the Diocese.  +Bp. Andy asked us to reach beyond "playing it safe" in our spiritual lives & pray the prayer Sir Francis Drake prayed which began "Disturb us Lord. . ." with various ways we can grow beyond the status quo. Council passed a resolution of Unity within the Diversity we find in our Diocese which was crafted by a coalition of some of the most liberal leaders in the Diocese alongside others who are most conservative.  +Bp. Andy asks that 2010 be a year of prayer regarding the Anglican Covenant with a task force to design a method for study of our different stances on sexuality and biblical interpretation so that we may effectively focus on growing the church with a missionary spirit for sharing the Good News of God in Christ.  Hope will have a regular opportunity to be aware of & connected to the activities of the Diocese since our own Elizabeth Dowell has been elected to the Executive Board.  Let's celebrate Elizabeth's new position, but we also give thanks to Cornelius Perry who was also willing to run for Executive Board.  Please thank Elizabeth & Cornelius for their giving of themselves.

      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.  There are opportunities during Lent to balance introspection and caring for our world in sacramental ways. 

      I would remind you of Martin Luther King's last speech as he strengthened those who supported the sanitation workers in Memphis the night before his death.  He shared, "Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." 

      Mountaintops may be exhilarating, but God calls us to look at the dailyness of our lives & give them up to God.  May you & I be open to God's call to us this Lent.