February 11, 2024
St. Andrew Church
Rev. Anne McAnelly
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON: Psalm 50:1-6
1 The mighty one, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. 2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. 3 Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him. 4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: 5 “Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!” 6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah
GOSPEL LESSON: Mark 9:2-9
2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
We have just endured several atmospheric rivers soaking our community, causing power outages with wind gusts strong enough to move a porta potty. Just ask David and Sharon. All this moisture produced great snow fall in the Sierra mountains. We are already at 96% of snowfall for the year. When it melts that snow will flow down the mountains and supply water to many communities. What happens up the mountain greatly affects the amount of water we have to supply our needs. Lots of snow in the mountains means more water down below.
Our gospel lesson occurs on top of a mountain, and it affects what will happen down below. Jesus has just told his disciples that “the Son of Man… must be killed and after three days rise again” (Mk. 8:31). Then Jesus asks the disciples to “take up your cross and follow me” (8:34). Now Jesus takes three disciples up a mountain, and let’s listen to what happens. READ
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Today is the last Sunday before the start of Lent. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this reflective and dark season. So, it is fitting that we listen to Jesus’ transfiguration, preparing us for what is to follow, mindful of his suffering and the disciples lack of understanding about his coming death.
Last week we spoke of epiphany where something hidden is revealed. Here we see Mark’s apocalyptic telling of Jesus’ revelation as the Son of Man. Jesus told them, “The Son of Man must die,” but the disciples do not see Jesus that way. So, the dazzling clothes and strange appearances of Moses and Elijah are there to get their attention and reveal, in an apocalyptic way, who Jesus is. According to Chad Meyers, Jesus is the gospel, and the transfiguration is announcing God’s apocalyptic reign. Now if you scratching your head trying to understand the meaning of apocalypse, let me elaborate. “Apocalypse” has come to be used popularly as a synonym for catastrophe, but the Greek word means a revelation. In the Bible, an apocalypse is what happens when someone is exposed to the transcendent reality of God’s perspective. An apocalypse is a confrontation with the divine so intense that it transforms how a person views everything. The disciples are shown Jesus in a different light to transform how they live as disciples once they descend the mountain.
Think of a time when your view, your understanding of a person, changed. Maybe when you viewed your child as an adult for the very first time. Or when a friend became a significant other and how you see them is dramatically different with romantic overtones. Or when a casual friend treats you in a deeply hurtful way and you end that relationship. In each of those instances your understanding of that person shifted. It changed for the better or worse. Jesus’ transfiguration created the space for the disciples understanding of Jesus to change.
On the mountain, the divine is revealed from within the cloud overshadowing them.
God’s voice is heard echoing the words from Jesus’ baptism.
As Jesus emerged from the water, God said to Jesus, “You are my Son, the Beloved.”
On the mountain, God speaks to the disciples saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved.”
Both moments, along with the crucifixion, are pillars to Jesus being revealed as the Messiah. But God adds a directive to the disciples, “Listen to him,” listen to Jesus. In this mysterious and divinely inspired moment, they are to see Jesus as God’s Son and listen to him. Transform your understanding because you have seen Jesus transfigured and speaking with Moses and Elijah.
I will admit that I have used the words transfigure and transform interchangeably. But I learned a nuance this week I want to share with you. One commentator writes, “To be transfigured is to be changed in outward form or appearance. Jesus’ transfiguration does not alter who he is but gives to those who see the changed visage a new understanding of him because they see him outwardly in a different light. When we speak of transformation, we tend to mean a complete or essential change in composition or structure. Jesus on the mountain with Moses and Elijah is not transformed (changed inwardly) but transfigured before his disciples (shown to be other than assumed). He is not made to have a new essential self but an appearance that conveys his standing in the company of Israel’s greatest prophets… The vision the disciples behold removes the veil of Jesus’ humanness to reveal his divinity: wondrous, frightening, powerful, unexpected, and rich, connecting all ages (the prophets Elijah and Moses with Jesus). His external appearance is utterly changed… His transfiguration transforms the disciples in the story and transforms us by removing the veil over our vision” (Working Preacher, Melinda Quivik).
How will we be transformed having ascended the mountain with Jesus?
Will we see Jesus revealed in a new way and listen to Jesus with a new perspective?
As we embark on Lent, I want to share one church’s Lenten theme, “Forty Days of Love.” “Each week members of the congregation were encouraged to show their love and appreciation in different ways. The first week they were encouraged to send notes to people who had made positive contributions to their lives.
After the first service a man in the congregation wanted to speak to his pastor. The pastor describes the man as ‘kind of macho, a former football player who loved to hunt and fish, a strong self-made man.’ The man told his pastor, ‘I love you and I love this church, but I’m not going to participate in this Forty Days of Love stuff. It’s OK for some folks,’ he said, ‘but it’s a little too sentimental and syrupy for me.’
A week went by. The next Sunday this man waited after church to see his pastor again. ‘I want to apologize for what I said last Sunday,’ he told him, ‘about the Forty Days of Love. I realized on Wednesday that I was wrong.’
‘Wednesday?’ his pastor repeated. ‘What happened on Wednesday?’
‘I got one of those letters!’ the man said. The letter came as a total surprise. It was from a person, a man, he never expected to hear from. It touched him so deeply he now carries it around in his pocket all the time. ‘Every time I read it,’ he said, ‘I get tears in my eyes.’ It was a transforming moment in this man’s life. Suddenly he realized he was loved by others in the church. This changed his entire outlook. ‘I was so moved by that letter,’ he said, ‘I sat down and wrote ten letters myself.’
Receiving that letter was a transforming experience for this man. It came from a mailbox rather than a mountaintop, but the effect was the same – his perspective was changed. God breaks into our lives and we are changed” (King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com).
I invite each of us all to write letters of love to people in this church who have been important to you. I will give you all of Lent to do this, share love and appreciation with our St. Andrew family. I believe there are many ways we have touched each other on our faith journeys. And the letters can simply say what you appreciate about the person.
Remember, we are resurrection people!
We live knowing that the Son of Man has risen from the dead.
So let’s tell people about Jesus,
about how he has transformed us and our love for one another.
Soon we will move towards the suffering and death of Jesus the Messiah. May we listen to Jesus and share the love we have with each other as people transformed from hearers into disciples and followers; doers of God’s word. Amen.
