The Rev. Canon Kimberly Reinholz
Cathedral Church of the Nativity
Feast of the Transfiguration
February 15, 2015
There are three
Sunday’s that traditionally preachers dread: The Sunday after Easter or
Whitsunday, Trinity Sunday, and the feast of the Transfiguration. Whitsunday is dreaded because how do you
follow up the resurrection? Trinity Sunday is dreaded because how can you
explain the Trinity without committing heresy. Transfiguration Sunday, today,
is dreaded because honestly we don't know what the heck is happening in this
story. I thought I has escaped this
horror because Tony was supposed to preach this weekend, but he’s stuck in
Texas (poor guy) stranded by weather.
So I am going to try to not get caught in the trap
of the transfiguration. I will fully and
honestly admit that I am not sure what happened there that day, I am not sure
what the difference between transformation and transfiguration are, I am not
sure what it means to say that Jesus shone dazzling white, or what significance
it may have. I have no idea what Elijah
or Moses said to Jesus on that mountaintop.
Instead of going down those rabbit holes, and focusing
on what we don’t know about the events of that day, I will instead focus on
what we do know. What we know is that
Jesus and his trusted companions Peter, James and John went up the mountain to
have some time apart, to have some time alone together. As a good friend of mines friend used to tell
us, all relationships need time to “re-inflate” if you think of our
relationships like hot air balloons every now and again we need some fuel for
the fire, and we need to be lifted up again.
This time on top of the mountain for the disciples and Jesus was that a
time to rejuvenate.
I can only imagine how exhausted Jesus and his
disciples must have been. In the 8th
chapter of Mark’s gospel, we learn that they have fed 4,000 and taught them
about the nature of God’s generous heart.
Jesus has healed a blind man at Bethsaida and Peter seems to finally
understand that Jesus is the Messiah.
They take a break from their ministry they go up the mountain to pray
and reconnect with one another and with God.
Mountains are holy places, and scripture is full of
references to them. In Genesis you have
Mount Ararat where Noah’s ark landed, Exodus gives us Mount Sinai where Moses
received the commandments, Mount Zion is where David lays the foundation for
the Temple, and Mount Carmel where Elijah encounters God. However, this mountain is nameless they were
in the hills outside of Galilee heading towards Jerusalem and they went away to
get away. They just needed a
break. So Jesus leads them up the
mountainside to have some time apart.
We know that they went together. Unlike other times when Jesus went away alone
to pray he brought Peter, James and John along this time. Why exactly we don’t know. Mark doesn’t elaborate. Its one of the wonderfully frustrating things
about Mark’s gospel that there isn’t much in the way of explanation.
In the other synoptic accounts of the
Transfiguration in Matthew and Luke’s gospel the story is more fleshed
out. The Matthean account has James,
John and Peter cowering in fear and being assured by Jesus that they shouldn’t
be afraid. In Luke’s Gospel we learn
that Elijah and Moses were the ones who predicted the things to come for Jesus
as Christ. However in Mark’s gospel we
get none of this. We are only told that
they were there – together the 4 of them- Jesus, James, John and Peter.
Now if you remember that these are 3 of the core 4,
James and John and Andrew and Peter were the first disciples whom Jesus
called. (I do wonder where Andrew was
an why he didn’t come up on the mountain with the rest but I digress) These
form the crux of the community of believers and followers. These would become
the first Christians after Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. These first called are the ones who have been
away from home the longest. They have
been hearing these sermons and parables day in and day out. They have be watching and waiting and
wondering when Jesus would do what they expected him to do, to free the Jewish
people from oppression to storm the ramparts of Jerusalem. They were probably
getting frustrated with all this teaching and wandering already and wondering
when the show would get on the road.
Imagine being in their shoes for a minute, you’ve
left your families, friends and businesses to follow this guy and so far he’s
not doing what you expect him to do.
What he is doing is talking in riddles, and basically calling you an
idiotanytim e you ask questions. You’d probably be feeling a little run down,
unappreciated and exhausted right?
So Jesus takes the leaders of the community for a
time apart, for a time to reconnect with one another and with God. It’s a retreat, time apart, time with one
another, time with God. We all need this
now and again. We all need this whether
we are leaders in a community if we are vestry members, heads of ministries or
missions, if we are the ones who do all the dirty work, or if the most we can
do right now is get our selves to worship on occasion, we all need to be
reminded that we are beloved, we are special and we have gifts which are
essential to the community .
I only wish all of our retreats were as fruitful
and transformational as this one. This
time something miraculous and earth shattering happened and I cannot begin to
break that apart for you, like I said, I don’t know what it means that Jesus
was transfigured. I do know that it was
amazing.
The other thing I know is that Moses and Elijah
showed up. I don't know how, and I
don’t know what they said (like I said in the Lukan account they have something
audible to say but in Mark, not so much as a word is audible). But they were there. And I believe that the reason they are there
is to remind the disciples that they were not the first followers of God. They were not the first to be disillusioned,
they were not the first to believe they knew God’s plan and then have it turned
around in an instant.
If we remember a little bit about Moses, he was
called to lead the people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. He was to lead them to the Promised Land but
he wouldn’t get to enter it himself.
Talk about disappointment.
However he was faithful and followed God and led the Israelites through
the desert. Even when he knew he
wouldn’t see the fruits of his labors himself.
Elijah likewise, was called by God to lead his
people, and instead of being welcomed with open arms his life was threatened
and he was forced into hiding and lived in the desert as well. Eventually he was able to lead the people of
Israel back to a relationship with God, and return them to a righteous state as
a nation, but not before his whole world was turned upside down
Moses and Elijah are reminders of where the people
of Israel have been and where they were going, they are there to remind James,
and John and Peter that what they expect might not be what they
experience. However nostalgic eyes
prevail when the James, John and Peter, see Moses and Elijah conversing with
Jesus. Peter especially, wants to honor
them by making them shelters on the mountain.
He misinterprets the presence of these past figures remembering their
glorious histories, not necessarily their whole stories.
How often do we also remember with rose colored
glasses where we come from, where we have been, and the lives of those who come
before us? We as Episcopalians believe that we are surrounded by a cloud of
witnesses – those who have come before us, those who have sat in these pews,
those who have stood at this altar rail, those who have walked these aisle
continue to have a role in our life as a church they help us to know where we
come from, but they do not dictate where we will go.
We are walking and
listening and waiting and watching for the Lord to appear to us. We are a people who are living in the light
but we are waiting to be enlightened and we have heard these stories over and
over and over again. We are a people who
are in need of time apart a time to reconnect with God, to reconnect with one
another so that when the light appears we can respond to it not with our own
expectations but with refreshed and renewed lives that will change the world
around us.
When we go to the
mountaintop may we see Peter, James and John.
May we see Moses and Elijah. May
we see the cloud of witnesses who trod the path, which is set before us. May we see God and know God and follow God,
especially when we are tired, disillusioned and disappointed that things aren’t
going the way we expected. Amen
