Text: Luke 9.28-36 Thesis: Mountains prepare us for the valleys Mountains & Valleys Grace UMC, Zanesville Feb 7, 2016 8:15; 10:30am Thesis: Time on the Mountain prepares us to live in the valley. Acknowledgements Good to be back! Thanks to Rev. Dennis Baker, Rev. Wesley Anderson, Mr Todd Sands, and the youth for your spirit-filled inspirations over the past few weeks. Thank you for your continued support, care and concern for our family! I continue to be amazed by the outpouring of love and kindness! The past month or so has been an emotional roller coaster ride. Highs and lows. Mountains and Valleys. ATTENTION Opening~ Get Off the Mountain! (part I) It was the Fall of 2000, and I was Hiking up the Chimneys in the Great Smokey Mountains...it was the kickoff retreat for our Confirmation class that year. The climb was difficult. Painful. Dangerous. Slippery. It took a couple hours to finally reach the top. But once we made it, we wanted to stay. The view is incredible! Can we just stay up here all day? Do we have to go back down? Little did we know that those words would come back and haunt us. (Circuit Rider trip ~ October 2000) Mountains and valleys high points and low points; celebrations and frustrations; triumphs and tragedies; Moments when we feel Closest to Christ and moments when our Faith is Tested; From Glad > Sad > Mad > Glad > Bad > Glad; Victories and Defeats; life is like a roller coaster, with its twists and turns, hills and drops; peaks and valleys; ups and downs. Life is filled with Mountains and Valleys ~ ER runs, hospital stays, hospice visits, deaths, funerals, relational challenges, legal battles, financial uncertainty, spurts in sports, on again, off again, teen and family drama it has been quite a ride! And this is only February! Mountains and Valleys! The mountains prepare us for the valleys. The valleys help us appreciate the mountains. Mountains give us a new perspective. A fresh outlook. Renewed spirit. new strength. Courage. Hope. The big picture.
Valleys are where we spend most of our time, and possibly have the greatest impact. Claim Statement~ This morning you may FEEL STUCK where you are. You may feel like you are facing a steep uphill climb. You may be longing to get off the path. You may be hanging on for dear life. Maybe you have been on the mountaintop or in the Valley, and simply wish to stay there. My friends, this morning, I invite you to experience the glory of God s holy presence on the Mountaintop and to live the life of faithful discipleship in the Valley. I invite you to begin this journey with Jesus, which will take us through suffering and death. But ultimately leads to the Promise of Eternal Life. This morning we come to a familiar story told in three of the Gospels. It is the story that marks the end of the liturgical season of Epiphany (season of light) and signals the beginning of the Lenten Journey, which officially begins on Wednesday, with the Ash Wednesday remembrance of our mortality. It is the story of the Transfiguration. Luke 9. 28-36~ Transfiguration According to David McKenna, former President of Asbury Theological Seminary, the Transfiguration is about God affirming Jesus as His Beloved Son. He writes: As God had affirmed Jesus for His Servant Ministry at His baptism, He now prepares (Jesus) for His suffering. (McKenna, Mark, communicator s Commentary, 1982, p.185) Just about a week before the trip to the mountain, Jesus prepares His followers for the coming suffering, death and resurrection. 22 Jesus told his disciples, The nation s leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. They will reject him and kill him, but three days later he will rise to life. (Luke 9:22 CEV) The mountains prepare us for the valleys. Jesus was preparing His disciples for this Journey we call Lent. It was a journey that would take them through difficult times, pain, suffering, humiliation, mockery, public execution. He followed that foretaste with the call to discipleship: 23 He said to all the people: If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me. 24 If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will save it. (Luke 9:22-24 CEV) About a week later, Jesus takes Peter, James and John on a day trip up a mountain. It was an unforgettable trip. Mountains, in ancient times, were viewed as holy places~
points of contact with the Divine. After all, their pinnacles nearly reached the heavens. Peter, James and John might have thought this day long retreat up the mountain was a chance to get away from the others, or maybe to find out what all this talk about suffering was all about, or maybe just a time to get in touch with God, or just to get some exercise. A Change of appearance~ Suddenly, while Jesus was praying, His appearance began to change. His clothes became dazzling white. The Greek word used to describe what happened is the same word that we translate as metamorphosis or morphing. Then, two men appear~ Moses and Elijah. They represent the Law and the Prophets of the OT, witnessing to the Messiah. Both Moses and Elijah had their own Mountaintop experiences. [Moses on Sinai (Exo. 24.15) and Elijah on Horeb (I Ki 19.8).] and neither of them left a known grave (Deut 34.6; II Ki 2.11). The conversation among the three focused on Jesus Exodus~ how He would fulfill God s plan of redemption for the world. Delivering people out of slavery to sin and death. Another Exodus! Similar to His Baptism, the transfiguration of Jesus marked a significant stage in the revelation of Jesus as the Son of God. Truly, His glory is revealed. (New Bible Dictionary, Transfiguration, p. 1212, GH Boobyer, AM Ramsey) In the midst of this supernatural experience, Peter blurts out~ This is great! We need to capture this feeling! Let s take some pictures! Let s have a cookout! Let s stay here forever! Why don t we build a permanent structure to remember this experience?! ~ Peter wanted to stay on the mountain and avoid all the suffering all the pain all the humiliation in the valley. Instead, they return the very next day to the valley and the needy crowds. For, as Bruce Larson puts it: That s where Jesus belonged, and that s where you and I belong. We can t live on the mountaintop. Jesus moved from the mountaintop to the valley of need because that s where the gospel is relevant. (Larson, Luke, Communicator s Commentary, 1983, p.174) Just then, a cloud enveloped all of them and a Voice spoke: "This is My Son, My Chosen One. I AM Your Father, Listen to Him. and then, Jesus was there alone. The disciples were stunned and speechless. They remained silent about this long after it had happened. Problem~ Some of us want to stay where we are. Sometimes that is the mountain. We like our Rocky Mountain high. We like to be on Good ol Rocky Top! We like to be King of the Hill. King of the Mountain. We like to be the Master of our own Destiny. We like to have things go our way. We like it when we are liked. It makes us FEEL GOOD!
We also like our Spiritual highs! It is great to be in the house of the Lord, worshiping and praising God with our whole being! Laughing, singing, praising, fellowshipping with other brothers and sisters in Christ. Serving God and Serving others. IT JUST FEELS GOOD! We feel closer to God in our Bible studies, personal devotions, prayer time. Spiritual renewal retreats. Quiet time. Sunday school class. Times when we can grow closer to God and to others. For some, it is the music that draws us closer to God. For others, it is being with other Christian disciples. For still others, it is hearing the scriptures read and the gospel proclaimed. For yet others, it is getting our hands dirty and doing something in the community or world to show God s love to someone. Whatever it is, it FEELS GOOD! Some participants of the Walk to Emmaus or Chrysalis or Kairos, find that experience to be life-changing. Transforming. Transformational. Some may even change their appearance a transfiguration of sorts. Sometimes, when we become new creatures in Christ, we change physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. And those around us take notice. Moses had that experience when he saw God face to face. his face changed its countenance. Its very appearance was completely different. There was a glow about him. like he had been in the presence of the Living God. (Exodus 34.28-35) Elijah battled the pagan gods of his day, calling down fire from heaven to engulf a saturated altar with his sacrifice. When the battle ended, he feared for his life, not wanting to return to the valley. (I Kings 18.38-19.14) Stay Here Forever! Peter didn t want to leave the mountain either. After all, Elijah and Moses appeared with Jesus, whose garments became dazzling white. It was like being at the Hall of Fame! There may be some of us who like to move from one mountain top experience to another. Think about it. Wouldn t it be great if you could live in such a way, that you were always on top of the mountain? You never had to leave the mountain top. You could just go to the next mountain top?! You FEEL GOOD all the time! Some of us may wish to do that with our faith journeys. We long for those spiritual highs to continue all the time. We don t want to come down! We like being close to God! we don t like coming down to reality! After all, it is too dull, boring, lifeless. No action!
But Jesus didn t stay on the mountain. He went up to pray and be alone and seek God s wisdom but He didn t stay. He used the time on the mountain to be renewed, strengthened, encouraged, uplifted, prepared for whatever was next. The mountains prepare us for the valleys. When Jesus and PJJ descended the mountain, they had a lot of work to do. teachings, healings, miracles, demon-possession. And most of all, preparing for the suffering that was to come. Jesus had been preparing the disciples for it. Suffering and pain was on the way. Rejection. Humiliation. Mockery. Punishment. Crucifixion. Death. It was not a pretty picture that Jesus painted for His followers. But it was coming. It was all part of the Master Plan. The Mountain of Transfiguration prepares us for the Valley of Lent. Sometimes we want to stay in the valley. The valley of despair. Discouragement. Depression. Despondency. Deep, dark valleys. Sometimes we prefer being in the dumps. being a victim. CONVICTION (solution) We are beginning a Journey from the Mountain to the Valley to the Mountain called Calvary. On the way, we will revisit familiar stories and learn from our Biblical ancestors. We will experience the highs and lows of that incredible week we call Holy Week. We will stop in Jerusalem where the evil plot began; we will recount the act of betrayal and, like Pilate, we will wash our hands of our guilt; and then, we will come face to face with the cross. Our Lenten Journey begins with coming down from the mountain of transfiguration to the valley of pain and suffering. The mountains prepare us for the valleys. CONVICTION Get Off the Mountain! Part II When we boarded the bus, it began an ascent up through the mountains, looking for a place to simply turn around and head back down the mountain. But as it climbed up and made sharp turns, the engine seemed to chug and chug and sputter and pop. It didn t sound good! At last, the driver pulled over to the side of the road to check the engine. After a quick analysis, they tried to start the bus. Nothing. Nada. Zilch! It was not going anywhere! So, the leaders quickly got their heads together and formulated a plan. Everyone off the bus! It s time for a break. But we just got on! As it turned out, this particular bus was equipped with a built in kitchen unit, conveniently stored in the luggage bays on one side, so we ate most of our meals off the bus on that trip. And now, on the side of the road, temporarily paralyzed, the bus was like a portable concession stand in the mountains!
After eating lunch and exhausting what was left of breakfast and snacks, and still trying to figure out the problem, the leaders huddled together again. Someone needs to get help. So, one of the drivers and myself flagged down a park ranger, who took us to the Visitor Center, a ways down from where we were. The driver tried to find a mechanic to work on the bus, while I tried to seek alternate transportation and housing plans for that night. In the end, the bus remained on the mountain, immobile, while several park trolleys ushered the youth and leaders safely off the bus. The local UMC provided some pickup trucks to pick up all of our belongings~ sleeping bags, duffel bags, pillows, stuffed animals. Our home for the night would be a nearby motel in Gatlinburg, while the local United Methodist Church provided us with a place to gather and regroup. That night, and the next day were spent in downtown Gatlinburg. Plans had changed. But that was okay! Because WE were never so glad as we were to get off the mountain! (Circuit Rider trip ~ October 2000) SUMMARY Life is filled with Mountains and Valleys. The Mountains prepare us for the Valley. The Valleys are where we spend most of our time.. The Mountains strengthen us, renew us, invigorate us for Life in the Valley. Amen.