Transfigure Us

Matthew 17:1-9

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent; that makes this Sunday the last Sunday of Epiphany, the Sunday on which we celebrate the transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus’ transfiguration marks the pivotal point in his story. Up to this moment, Jesus had gone about healing the sick, raising the dead, and teaching others about the Kingdom of God in the area surrounding the Sea of Galilee. But after the transfiguration,

“he intently set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51)

The story of the transfiguration of Jesus is one of only a few that appears in all three gospels. This transfiguration takes place about three years into Jesus’ three-and-a-half-year ministry. The disciples had followed Jesus for months and years; they had seen his miracles; they had done miracles in His name. They knew something about the power and the reality of who Jesus was, yet, when He began to talk about dying, it was staggering to the disciples, and they began to wonder if He really was the Messiah.

Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a high mountain away from the others. Together with Peter’s brother, Andrew, these three disciples have been with Jesus the longest since Jesus called them away from their fishing nets alongside the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:18).

“Transfiguration” is “a state change from one thing into something quite different while retaining one’s original nature.”

The purpose of the transfiguration of Jesus was so that the “inner circle” of His disciples could gain a greater understanding of who Jesus was. Jesus underwent a dramatic change in appearance so the disciples could behold Him in His glory. The disciples, who had only known Him in His human body, now had a greater realization of the deity of Jesus, although they could not fully comprehend it. Transfiguration would give them the reassurance they needed after hearing the shocking news of His coming death.

A face shining like a sun, clothes of dazzling white, a voice from a cloud: something powerful was occurring on that mountaintop, but it was difficult for the disciples to comprehend. They had known Jesus as a teacher, a healer, and even a prophet like Elijah or Jeremiah; each of these was a role that Jesus filled, but none alone captured his complete identity.

Matthew tells us:

“Just then, there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.” (Matthew 17:3)

Remember that Peter, James, and John were just small-town fishermen, not educated scholars. But even they knew that Moses and Elijah were not only the two most influential figures in Jewish history but were the two people who would one day announce the arrival of the Messiah. Moses and Elijah had both been dead for a thousand years or so. Yet, there they were.

The appearance of Moses and Elijah symbolically represented the Law and the Prophets. But God’s voice from heaven said

“Listen to Him!”

– clearly showing that the Law and the Prophets must give way to Jesus. Jesus is the new and living way replacing the old, the fulfillment of the Law and the countless prophecies in the Old Testament. Also, in His glorified form, they saw a preview of His coming glorification and enthronement as King of kings and Lord of lords.

The voice from heaven instructed Peter, James, and John to do one thing:

“listen to Jesus.” 

Forget your thoughts and plans; listen to Him. As God had declared from the heavens,

“He is My Beloved Son.” (Matthew 17:5)

Above all else,

“Hear Him.” (Matthew 17:5)

And while they were lying there, quivering with fear, Jesus touched them and said,

“do not be afraid.” (Matthew 17:7)

The second thing they saw in the transfiguration was the promise of eternal life. In Jesus’ earthly life, he was a humble carpenter and rabbi. But when Jesus’ face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light, Peter, James, and John got a glimpse of his true identity as our resurrected Savior. Soon, they would see him arrested, put on trial, beaten, spit on, and nailed to a cross. They would witness him die an agonizing and shameful death. If only for a moment they needed to see the resurrected Jesus in his glory and majesty. They needed to know that God’s story would end in victory and everlasting life.

Peter was the one who noticed it first. He just always seemed to be the one that caught things more quickly. Matthew said that while they stood there:

“He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” (Matthew 17:2)

They were trying to figure out what was happening; they needed some assurance of their future.

We all need that assurance.

I am sure we’ve all faced change that has caused us to stumble and fall, paralyzed us, or left us overwhelmed. We need to regain our balance and get our feet back under us, stepping into a new life when we aren’t sure what that looks like or if there is a new life awaiting us.

Jesus speaks a word to and for you and me. Are we listening to that word, to his voice?

“Get up.” (Matthew 17:7)

“Get up.”

But it’s more than “get up.”

A more literal translation would be something like “be raised up,” “be aroused from the sleep of death,” or maybe even “be resurrected.”

If that’s true, and I believe it is, then it means that every change – whether good or bad, wanted or unwanted, joyful or sorrowful – is illuminated with divine light and filled with God’s presence.

Listen to him. Be raised up. Do not be afraid.

What if those words are holy wisdom for times of change?

What if they are how we step into our own transfiguration?

Maybe it wasn’t Jesus who changed on the mountaintop; perhaps it was Peter, James, and John. The transfiguration opened their eyes, and their seeing changed so that everywhere they looked, they saw Jesus for the first time as he had always been.

What If?
What if the church lived out its life in such a way others could not help but see the transfiguration?

What if Christians were so different that society looked to see the working of the congregation?

What if Christians were the people, children and adults pointed their fingers at and said, “Hey, look at that!”?

What if we so lived the love, salvation, peace, and hope of God that we seemed out of place in the world around us?

What if we were truly transformed into the very people of God? Wouldn’t it be fun, exciting, and wonderful if people lined the sidewalks around our churches to see what makes us so odd?[1]

Transformed people – that is what is needed now!

Transfigured people who let their lights shine, have radiant smiles, and tell glowing reports of what God has done in Christ and continues to do in the Holy Spirit. Transformed Christians need to share with others the coming attraction of God’s reign.

The transfiguration story says there is only one voice to listen to. The voice of God speaks from the bright cloud overshadowing Peter, James, and John,

“This is my Son, the Beloved; with him, I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5)

What if, during change, we sought to hear and listen to that one voice, the voice of Christ? What if we kept our ears open to what He is saying in our life and world today? We must let ourselves become aware of, and attentive to what He is saying and doing, let His concerns and desires become our concerns and desires, and let His way of engaging life and the world become our way of engaging life and the world.

It would mean that whatever changes come upon us do not have the final word. There is another voice. Jesus’ voice is always larger and more powerful than all the other voices. Amid change, Jesus speaks of a word of life, a word of hope, a word of forgiveness, a word of mercy, a word of beauty, a word of generosity, a word of courage, a word of love, a word of healing.

Jesus moved down from the Mount of Transfiguration and toward Jerusalem, where He would be lifted on another distant hill and die. And there, He would give forgiveness for this world’s sin, banishing death, and conquering the devil. So, we, too, move forward, bearing our crosses in faith, trusting not in our self or efforts but in the grace of God to see us through and to bring us at last into His glorious kingdom.

And that is enough. He has loved us enough to die for us.

Let us pray:

Lord, we thank you for all you’ve done for us. We pray that you would guide our hearts, and help us to grow into the persons you want us to be. Rather than following our own ways, please purify our hearts and make us more like you. Guide our paths and help us take steps that will guide us toward your plan for our lives and not our own whims.

In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen

Delivered at Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Columbus, OH; 19 February 2023

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[1]      Stephen E. Loftis, Transfigured, Sermons.com

Hey, You Have Dirt On Your Face!

Genesis 3:19

This Wednesday, we begin the church season of Lent, a time of reflection as we wait for the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. This forty days begin after Shrove Tuesday, a day when we stuff our faces and tummies with all the sweets and our favorite foods. Then during Lent we ‘give up’ something; we give our favorite food or drink up so that we can suffer as Jesus suffered prior to Easter.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten Season. Ash Wednesday is the day that we are marked with just a little ashes; we do this by choice. 

Just a little ashes – that’s all it is. 

And what are ashes? They are the product of burning something away. They are what is left over after fire passes over or through something. They are the waste after the heat and light are gone.

So why do we put This (for lack of a better word) dirt on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday? Where did This strange tradition come from and what does it mean? 

Well, these ashes are a symbol – like so much in our services. The Bible tells us that 

we came from the dust and to the dust we shall return (Genesis 3:19). 

We are told that God formed us from dust of the earth and breathed life into that dust. Without This breath or Spirit of God we would be just like these ashes: lifeless.

In Biblical times it was common for people who were mourning to dress in rough clothing and put ashes on their heads. Hence the expression, “Sack cloth and ashes.” However, instead of all over our heads, we put a cross of ashes on our foreheads. 

Why?

These ashes are also a symbol of repentance. They symbolizes the beginning of Lent – a time of reflecting on our shortcomings, our limitations, our failings. 

These ashes are also a symbol that we are sealed in Christ. When we are baptized, the priest seals us with the sign of the cross. This cross of ashes is also a reminder of that same baptismal mark of Christ. The Book of Revelation tells of an angel marking the faithful so that when the end of time comes they would be protected. The mark was a mark of ownership – of belonging to God.

The ashes are from burned palm branches – the palm branches from last year’s Palm Sunday and a symbol again. The palms are a symbol of victory. We remember the victorious ride of Jesus on Palm Sunday leading quickly to his death. With these ashes we remember that our victories are but ashes before the glory of God. These may be just a few ashes, but as you see, they mean a lot.

These may be just a few ashes but they mean a lot. They may be seen as a symbol of our need for God. That without the teaching and examples of Jesus, without his resurrection, we would be nothing but dust and ashes. If they are a symbol of our repentance and mourning, they are also a way of showing on the outside world if we truly keep our Lent, what is happening on the inside. And that we are once again striving to be like our Savior.

Yet in the midst of our repentance we remember we are forgiven and marked as Christ’s own. The very burning away of our sin by the fire of God’s love makes us God’s own. And as His own we are children of God and will overcome death through the cross of Jesus.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. But Lent is not a merely forty days of deprivation and reflection. It is preparation for truly participating in the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is about dying to an old identity defined by our culture, our traditions, our habits and even our families, and being born into a new identity centered in the spirit of God. It means dying to an old way and being born into a new way of being. . . being centered in God.

It is about dying to deadness, that daily routine of our lives that we trudge through, oblivious to the needs of other and the call of our Lord. It is a time of reminding ourselves of God’s love and God’s reality. It is a time to be lifted out of our confinement, removing those feelings burden and mortality, of fear and doubt. 

These ashes that will be placed on our foreheads remind us that we are mortal. These ashes remind us we have only one earthly life. 

How do we spend these forty days of Lent?

• We have forty days to open ourselves to God who created and loves us. 
• We have forty days to face ourselves, confident in the love and acceptance of God.
• We have forty days to remember that we are dust and to dust our bodies will return, but with God’s grace our spirits can be transformed and we can learn to live THIS life more fully, allowing God’s love to transform us.

So as we come today to have the sign of the cross placed on our foreheads, may we open our hearts, admit our helpless to save ourselves, and accept the grace and forgiveness that marks us as a redeemed child of God. Let us rejoice in This simple symbol of our salvation.

So if you see people on the street with a ‘dirty cross’ on their foreheads, you will know not to say: “Hey, you have dirt on your face”

Let us pray:

Dear God, We know that the only true security we can ever have is in your love. Please give us the wisdom as we seek to use our time, our talents, and our treasure to honor you and bring others to you.

In Jesus name I pray. 

Amen.

The Season of Lent

For those of us raised in the church (particularly the Roman Catholic Church), we never really talked about the Season of Lent. We just knew we had to be on our best behavior and give up something (the most common being chocolate). 

The name word is a German word for Spring (lencten) and the Anglo-Saxon name for March – lenct –because Lent usually occurs in March. The Lenten Season is another example of Christianity borrowing from other traditions through the ages to help make worship more familiar to the people.

The word “lent” also means “lengthen” and stands for that time in spring when the days grow longer.

FACTS ABOUT LENT
During the time of Jesus and the early church, there was no observance of Lent. In 325 CE, the Council of Nicaea established the Lenten Season. The original period of Lent was 40 hours spent fasting to commemorate the suffering of Christ and the 40 hours He lay in the tomb. Lent was lengthened to 6 days and then expanded to 40 days in about 800 CE. The six Sundays in Lent are not included, so Lent is 40 days, corresponding to Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness.

‘Forty’ is a magic number, not only for Christians but also for a lot of other faiths: 

• Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai when God gave him the Ten Commandments
  
  
• The great flood lasted forty days
  
  
• Moses and the Hebrew people wandered for forty years in the desert after leaving Egypt.
  
  
• Jesus lay in the tomb for forty hours before His Resurrection
  
  
• The forty days of Lent represent the time Jesus spent in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry. During those forty days, he faced temptation and doubt and purified Himself for His upcoming ministry.

Lent is a time of preparation for Easter when the faithful rededicate themselves, and converts are instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. Today, in liturgical churches, the Lenten Season is intentionally set aside for examination, instruction, repentance and prayer. This Season is one of preparation for all the people of God for the joyous Resurrection of Jesus.

During Johann Sebastian Bach’s day, the organ and choirs were often silent during Lent. The thought was that there should be no music or beauty as we reflect on the crucifixion of Jesus.

We often hear that Lent is a time of self-denial, a time to give up something. But Jesus isn’t concerned with chocolate and CDs – he’s concerned with what’s going on in our hearts. Lent is a time to give up those sins in our lives.

• Lent is a time to give up the sin of hypocrisy – acting like a Christian on the outside but being proud and self-centered on the inside.
  
  
• Lent is a time to give up the sin of being two-faced – being a Christian on Sundays but being an unbeliever on Fridays.

• Lent is a time to give up the sin of being lethargic – “someday, I’ll get my act together spiritually. Right now, though, I’m too busy focusing on everything except God.”

What is Lent? Lent is that tax collector who stood in the back of the temple looked down at the ground, and prayed to God,

“Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” (Luke 18:13)

Lent is a time for us to give up our sinful habits, and our sinful attitudes, to stand before God and to ask him to forgive us, to wash our sins away, and to empower us to turn away from our sinful past and to live new lives dedicated to God. And after we lay our sins before Christ, Lent is also a time to give up our guilty; when we know that we have been forgiven. We can say:

• “I no longer have to feel guilty about my sins. I no longer have to beat myself up about how I’ve lived. I have been forgiven. My sins have been washed away by the crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I can start over. I can work hard to be someone who obeys God, who worships God every day with how I live my life.”

• Lent is an attitude of honesty and humility as we confess our sins to God. But Lent is also an attitude of relief and joy, knowing that our sins have been forgiven and that our slate is wiped clean as we seek to serve God with our lives.

Many Christians no longer observe the Season of Lent; they feel they don’t need it. They think that since we are saved by grace, we don’t need to do repentance. But we do!

Lent is an invitation and not an imposition. It is a gift and not a burden if we enter it with our entire person; Lent can draw us into a more profound experience of the power of the Resurrection. Its focus on prayer, and practices of piety, all beckon us to “turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” When understood and entered into Lent can open us to a new experience of freedom. It is an ever-necessary reminder of our mortality –

Remember you are dust, and to dust, you will return (Genesis 2:7)

These next seven weeks are a time for us to look deep into our hearts, to think about our life and how we’ve been living it. What sin will we give up for Lent and the rest of our lives? Jesus will forgive that sin, and wash that sin away at the cross. And Jesus promises to empower us to live a new life that glorifies us.

If people want to temporarily give up certain things for Lent as a sign of love for their Savior, that’s fine. But what Christ is concerned about is what’s in your heart.

In earlier times, the church established days of fasting when one meal a day must be eaten without meat or dairy. And Fridays were specified as a non-meat day (I remember as a child that Friday was fish and macaroni and cheese day). These dietary restrictions have been, for the most part, lifted. In place of these are suggested donations to charity and social justice work. 

Many churches do not recognize the Lenten Season, primarily because it is seen as a distinctly Roman Catholic commemoration. But, over time, few other churches have adopted the Lenten observances. 

SHROVE TUESDAY 
In many places around the world, the last day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent is celebrated as a final fling before the solemn days of Lent. Shrove Tuesday takes its name from “shriving” or forgiving sins. The French call it “Mardi Gras”; the Germans “Fausching”; “Pancake Tuesday” in England, or “Carnivale”, Latin for “farewell to meat.”. “Fat Tuesday” is common because people needed to use up household fats before the 40 days of Lenten fasting when no fat is allowed.

ASH WEDNESDAY 
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, the day when the ashes from the burned palms from last Palm Sunday are used to mark the cross on our foreheads. As it says in the Bible,

from dust we came, and to dust we shall return. (Genesis 3:19)

As we mark the last days of Jesus’ journey, let us use this Lenten Season to look at our own lives and move forward in new life to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

On Ash Wednesday, we begin that long walk to the cross, where we see just how severe and terrible our sins are. But we also see how wonderful and profound our Savior’s love is for us. The road doesn’t end there, but at the empty tomb, where Jesus rises from the dead to prove that your sins have been forgiven.

May God bless you as you begin your Lenten journey.

Amen.

‘Miracle Grow’ for the World

Matthew 5:13-20

Unlike some scripture that strikes fear in preachers’ hearts, this scripture has way too many topics that someone could use. But I want to strike at the core of what Jesus tells us who we are.

But first, I must ask you a question:

Has anyone ever told you that you are a pile of manure?

Did it ever occur to you that, according to Jesus, they might be right?[1]

Jesus said,

You are the light of the WORLD (Matthew 5:14) –

something we should be flattered at because Jesus also refers to himself as the ‘Light of the World.’

But what about Jesus calling us the salt of the EARTH – not the salt of the world, but

You are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13)

Jesus isn’t saying,

“You should be the salt of the earth and light of the world.”

Or,

“You have to be….”

Let alone “You better be….”

Instead, he is saying we are

the salt of the earth. . .

As in already are. Even if we don’t know it; Even if we once knew it and forgot it; Even if we have a hard time believing it.

Too often, we take Jesus’ words as commands instead of descriptions.  We start beating up on ourselves because we are not salty enough or not shining our light.  We make it all about ourselves instead of about Jesus. Jesus promised his disciples their very being; he is not commanding or threatening them about what they should be doing; he is promising what they will be in the future. In this scripture, Jesus is making promises and giving out these gifts:

We are the salt of the earth.

We are the light of the world.

Take a few minutes to consider your life over the last couple of weeks and think about how God has used you to be salt and light.

• Your words of encouragement to others
• Your faithful work at your job
• The volunteering you have done
• The prayers offered for people you don’t even know
• The promises you have made and kept.

The salt translation in this scripture is from the Greek words tes ges, meaning ‘of the earth,’ meaning soil. Jesus says we are ‘salt for the soil.’

What if what Jesus really meant was,

We are the ‘Miracle Grow’ for the earth.

But Miracle Grow has never improved the quality of a single ounce of soil without someone first opening the bag. The church is where ordinary fertilizer becomes Miracle Grow and where we go forth to love and serve the Lord by sharing our saltiness with others. The church just might be where the bag must get opened.

Does the rest of Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom of God sound like a warning for us to go out and become the Sodium Benzoate of the earth? The Kingdom of God is most often described by metaphors of seeds sprouting, fig trees blooming, and leaven rising. Do we really feel called out into the world to help keep things as they are?

We need to go into this rising, sprouting, and blossoming the Kingdom of God, feed and nurture God’s people until they grow tall, bloom, and flourish, right where they stand. We can do that by sprinkling a little bit of the salt of the earth, simple gestures of love that help others believe in their worth and worthiness.[2]

Being salt and fertilizing the modern cultural barrenness means getting deep beneath the hard-baked surface and causing significant movement. We have to go out into the world and start fertilizing!

In Jesus’ day, salt was often connected with purity. The Romans believed that salt was the purest of all things. As followers of Jesus, we are committed to preserving Christian principles that keep ourselves and others from ‘going bad.’ As the salt of the earth, we can help prevent spoiling and corruption wherever we find it.

Do you feel called to go into the world and preserve things, or keep them as they are, and maintain the status quo? Jesus didn’t say we are the salt of the meatloaf; he said we are

the salt of the earth.

We are in good company. Being Miracle Grow for the Kingdom of God goes back a long way. In the Book of Genesis, we are told that God toiled in the soil to fashion us.

But are we ready to turn in our stained-glass image of the church for one that is more earthy? Are we prepared to consider that the church has been called to be on top of the compost pile?

Some years back, there was a sign that used to hang in a locker room that read,

Cause Something to Happen.

It even has its website, causesomethingtohappen.com. My prayer for each person is that they might have the courage to become

• the salt of the Earth,
• the Miracle Grow for others;
• to know God is always in the garden with us;
• to have the courage to spread thin and to sink in, and
• to cause the Kingdom to rise, sprout, blossom, and grow.

WE are the salt of the earth!

I want to tell you a story:

A teacher decided to make chocolate chip cookies with her class of 6-year-olds. They carefully measured the flour, creamed the butter, and mixed in the chocolate chips and nuts. The children all wanted to eat the batter and lick the spoons. But the teacher made them promise to wait.

She planned to have them all eat their first cookie together so they could share in the joy simultaneously. Twenty minutes later, the first batch came out. Oh, the students were excited! They could smell the cookies. These weren’t small, scrawny cookies from a package. No, these were great giant golden and beautiful chocolate chip cookies. Two cookies could make a meal. MMMM, delicious! Can you imagine the smell and the size of them right now?

Finally, the cookies were cooled and ready. Each child grabbed their own. On the count of three, they all took a huge bite. Yuck! Gross! The cookies tasted so bad that each student spat out their cookie! These were the worst-tasting cookies anyone had ever eaten! They tested each batch, and the outcome was the same.

Sadly, all the cookies were dumped. The poor staff couldn’t figure out what went wrong. They looked very carefully at the tried-and-true recipe. As they looked down the list, they suddenly realized they had forgotten the salt. Without salt, the cookies were not sweet. Chocolate didn’t taste like chocolate. What was to be delicious turns into a tasteless mess when no salt is added.[3]  

Our lives can easily be like those cookies.

It has been a little over five weeks since Christmas. Most of us focused on the manger and shared our warm memories of Christmas. Even though the days were shorter than they are now, didn’t life seem lighter? There was an air of hope and expectation. The Baby Jesus was about to enter our lives. Then a short time ago, we were focused on the Star in the East that signified “God with us.” Now it’s a month later, and winter is upon us. The children are back in school; bills are due, and some of us have overspent. It is cold; days are short and dreary for many of us. And where is spring? Isn’t it amazing how the whole focus of our lives and society has moved so far in such a short time?

Can anyone here relate to any of that?

What did Jesus mean by this metaphor of salt? In studying for this message, I found there are many references to salt in the Scriptures —

• 43 references to Salt in my Bible Concordance
• We know Lot’s wife was turned into a Pillar of Salt
• The Bible also refers to the SALT SEA several times, better known today as the DEAD SEA. The Dead Sea has the highest concentration of salt of any body of water in the world; the concentration of salt in the Dead Sea is ten (10x) times greater than any sea or lake on earth. Every liter of its water contains an average of 30 Grams of salt and other minerals.

In the ancient biblical world, salt was a precious commodity.

• It gave flavor and zest to food –

• It served as an essential preservative

• Salt also made people thirst for something more.

Jesus wanted his disciples to give flavor and zest to the world through His teaching

• To preserve the truth as He proclaimed it to the world

• To make the world thirst for more.

Jesus takes a simple image – no ambiguity – no hidden meanings – nothing out of the ordinary — just common, everyday salt. Jesus uses a simple, ordinary substance to teach the people a profound lesson about the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus told us

we are the salt that is added to the world!

Jesus empowers us to purify, heal, nurture, thaw the frozen, preserve, and season the people of the earth. The power of God supports and sustains us and stands with us if we risk whatever it takes to become salt to the world. And when we fail in this effort, God will raise us up and renew us and give us strength to persevere again and again.

We are the salt of the earth.

We’re called to season the world with the flavor of grace. We’re called to help preserve the world from decay. We’re called to help bring healing. And we’re called to make people thirst for Jesus.

Amen

Delivered at Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Columbus, OH; 5 February 2023

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[1]      Rev. William Joseph Adams, Sunday Gospel Talk

[2]      Ibid.

[3]      “A Teacher Decided, Sermons that Work