SERMON: FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION GOSPEL OF MARK 9:2-9 FEBRUARY 11, 2018 BY: REV. KAREN KENNEDY

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1 SERMON: FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION GOSPEL OF MARK 9:2-9 FEBRUARY 11, 2018 BY: REV. KAREN KENNEDY PRAYER FOR THE FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION AT THE TRANSFIGURATION, GOD, YOU SHOWED JESUS IN GLORY, A GLIMPSE OF WHAT HIS DISCIPLES WOULD SEE IN HIS RISEN LIFE. BLESS US IN OUR HUMANITY, WITH AN AWARENESS OF YOUR PRESENCE, LEADING US TO SHARE IN YOUR DIVINE LIFE EVEN IN OUR DAILY STRUGGLE. HELP US TO DEEPEN OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS, CHANNELS OF YOUR GRACE THROUGHOUT HISTORY, AND SIGNPOSTS FOR OUR JOURNEY. AMEN. (Lourdes Prayer Requests) 1 Today is the, Feast of the Transfiguration. An ancient feast which began in the early Christian centuries celebrating the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ. Transfiguration is defined as: A complete change of appearance into a more beautiful or spiritual state. Three Gospels; Mark, Matthew and Luke include the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus, and each state that there were three witnesses: James, John and Peter. No other disciples were present. 1 Lourdesprayerrequest.com

2 2. The Transfiguration is one of five major events in the life of Jesus: These events being: Baptism, Transfiguration, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension. The Transfiguration story is in the very center of Mark's Gospel. It sets in between the Baptism of Jesus and his Resurrection. The Transfiguration is a pivotal event in the ministry of Jesus. Many things have taken place, leading to this moment. But, as Jesus and his disciples begin their journey towards Jerusalem, Jesus' focus is changing, turning towards the cross and the events that would lead him there. Mark's Gospel reading for this morning opens with the words: Six days later. We cannot be sure exactly what six days later refers to. We do know it follows the confession of Peter, and seems to refer to six days after Jesus calls on not only his disciples, but those who have gathered around him, to pick up their cross and follow him. The disciples, especially Peter, are in a bit of a dilemma and seem to be struggling with their own understanding of the events that have taken place. When Jesus asked his disciples, Who do you say that I am? Peter responds by confessing Jesus to be the Messiah. Jesus is quick to silence him, sternly ordering the disciples to secrecy. As Jesus begins to share with the disciples the events that would take place: his betrayal, suffering, death and resurrection, Peter undoubtedly shocked and confused, begins to argue with Jesus and Jesus is quick to rebuke Peter, quite harshly. It is not hard to understand Peter's emotions in all of this. He had his own expectations of what it would mean for Jesus to be the Messiah. He left everything behind to follow Jesus. He witnessed with hope and awe as Jesus performed miracles and drew a large following wherever he went. How could it possibly end with his betrayal, suffering and death? For Peter and many others, Jesus was the long awaited Messiah sent by God to free them from the oppression of Rome. Imagine Peter's shock as Jesus spoke of his betrayal, suffering and death.

3 3. The Gospel Story begins with Jesus taking Peter, James and John with him up a high mountain. None of the three Gospels name this mountain. One can only imagine how the three disciples must have felt being invited to accompany Jesus to climb high upon this mountain, apart from everyone else. Jesus invites Peter, James and John to share in an extraordinary event, a very intimate sharing of his identity, a quick glance in the unveiling of the resurrected Jesus. They would see for just a moment, a triumphant Jesus in all of God's glory. They would be a witness to the mystery of his divinity and his humanity, a witness to the miracle of his Transfiguration, high upon a mountain, on an ordinary day. In Biblical stories, mountains have often been referred to as holy or thin places. Places where ordinary people have encounters with God. It is in this thin place where Peter, James and John see Jesus, transfigured before them. A complete change in his appearance, His clothes were dazzling white, a white that no one on earth could bleach them. (Mark 9) An important difference in the Transfiguration story is that, Jesus does not perform the miracle on someone else, this time, the miracle happens to him. There is a change from within Jesus that shines outwardly, the disciples witness an outward sign of an inward grace. Not only were the disciples amazed by Jesus' appearance, they were amazed that Moses and Elijah were standing beside him, Moses and Elijah; Law and Prophet. Mark writes that they were talking with Jesus, but does not reveal what they were saying. All three Gospel accounts state that the disciples were terrified by what they were seeing. Again, Peter speaks from his emotions, terrified and excited, he blurts out, We should make three dwellings, one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Peter believes that it is good for them to be there and seemingly wants to treasure the moment by keeping Jesus, Elijah and Moses high upon the mountain top. 4.

4 This time as Peter speaks, it is not Jesus who intervenes, but it is the voice of God that intervenes and quiets Peter. Jesus stands with two of the most prominent figures of the Hebrew Scriptures. Moses, representing Law and Elijah, representing Prophet. Jesus embodies both law and prophecy. God once again reveals the identity of Jesus, This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him. God lifts Jesus to a place of honor that is above Moses and Elijah. Just as God spoke to Jesus at his baptism, God also speaks at his transfiguration, but this time, God is speaking to Peter, James and John, not to Jesus. There is so much to see and take in during the Transfiguration. Jesus' appearance was changed, his clothes were dazzling white. There was the appearance of Moses and Elijah, then the shadows of a cloud surrounding them,yet God places the emphasis on listening, not on seeing. God instructs the disciples to listen to Jesus. They must listen intentionally to Jesus with an open heart letting go of their expectations and their fears in order to have a better understanding of what it means to follow him. As they come down from the mountain, Jesus once again instructs his disciples to keep silent and not share with the others the events of his Transfiguration. Jesus realizes his disciples still do not completely understand the events that will take place. Before they can truly understand his ministry and his passion, they must complete the journey, that leads to the cross. If the disciples struggled with their understanding of Jesus death and resurrection, how much harder would it be for the crowds who gathered and waited to understand, Jesus knew it was not yet time. The disciples were not meant to remain at the top of the mountain with Jesus, Elijah and Moses, but what they witnessed in the Transfiguration of Jesus, would offer them hope for their journey, a journey where their faith would be shaken, tested and tried. Often, we can be like Peter. Wanting to stay high on a mountain where everything is clear, dazzling and safe. But like the disciples, we are called to come down the mountain and often we must journey even into the shadows. Our hope lies in the promise that we are not alone on our journey, and in our 5.

5 faith and trust,that God is not only revealed to us on mountaintops, but in the shadows of the unexpected and the ordinary. After the Transfiguration, the disciples still struggle with their understanding of what has taken place, and what is still to come, yet even in their struggle, they gain strength and courage in their faith that allows them to continue on the path of following Jesus. What about us? How might the Scriptures be speaking to us in our time, when there are so many voices calling out to us? We can easily become distracted, fearful and often struggle with our own understanding of what it means to follow Jesus in the world we live in today. A world where the words of Jesus become muffled, harder to hear and even harder to understand. Jesus is the word made flesh, he is the embodiment of God's message to us. In a world that at times seems full of chaos, are we still able to hear God's voice calling to us out of the shadows? Listen to him. When we choose to follow Jesus, we must understand that his words still matter and they speak to us through the Scriptures. They are signposts for our journey. Jesus spent his life trying to help us to understand what it means to follow him, how to listen and understand God's message to us. A message of unconditional love, faith, hope and compassion. A journey that carries us out into the world to love and care for all of God's children and all of God's creation. As we come down from the top of the mountain to continue our journey that will sometimes carry us into the shadows where our own faith will be shaken, tested and tried, let us be strengthened by the unveiling of a resurrected Jesus and listen to hear Gods voice calling to us out of the clouds and the shadows; This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him! Amen. 6.

6 References: 1. A Feasting on the Word Commentary; Feasting on the Gospels, (Mark) Cynthia A Jarvis & E. Elizabeth Johnson editors. 2. lourdesprayerrequest.com 3. Feasting on the Word, Year B, Vol. 1 David L. Bartlett & Barbara Brown Taylor, editors Merriam and Webster Dictionary 6. Wikipedia.com 7. The New Oxford Annotated Bible