THE FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION
August 6, 2017
Trinity Episcopal Church
Searcy, Arkansas
Readings:
Exodus 34.29-35
Psalm 99
2 Peter 1.13-21
Luke 9.28-36
In today’s Gospel reading from Luke, Peter, James, and John, the iconic three disciples, are shown something beyond their wildest imaginations, something that stunned them, that shocked them, that no doubt confused them. They see Jesus transfigured in radiant light, dressed in dazzling white, speaking with Moses and Elijah on a mountain.
In that moment, they caught a glimpse of the divine nature of Jesus, the Word of God. This divine nature was always there–it wasn’t anything new, because Jesus had always been fully God and fully man. Maybe they had seen glimpses of it before on the road, as Jesus taught and healed the people. But they had never seen it quite like this.
Peter’s response has always stuck with me. Let us build three dwellings, one for each of you. Now why in the world would we do that? Peter, just a few verses earlier in the same chapter, had confessed that Jesus was the Messiah of God, the Christ. But he does not yet appear to understand what he confessed. He does not understand that Jesus is shining with the Light of who he is: God Incarnate. Peter, only a few verses earlier, had heard Jesus tell of his death and resurrection in Jerusalem. But he does not seem to understand that yet, either. Peter does all manner of works in the Name of Jesus, has seen healings and miracles and signs galore, confesses Jesus as the Messiah and is named the Rock on whom the Church will be built; and yet, Peter suggests building three dwellings, he will deny Christ three times, and he will flee as Jesus hangs on the cross.
Peter has seen a revelation of who Jesus Christ is. But his response reveals that he comes down off the mountain, not with clarity of vision and purpose, but confused, feeling his way in the dark, still trying to figure all of this out, maybe with more questions now than ever before.
St. Peter may be the patron saint of those of us who like to take two steps forward, one step back; those of us who feel our way in the dark, trusting in God, but maybe trusting in ourselves a little (or a lot) more; those, like me, who think we have it all figured out, the world by the tail, only to fall flat on our faces.
But, my friends, that’s what faith looks like. Faith is a journey with God. It is getting up each and every day and dedicating ourselves to continuing down this road with Jesus, even when–especially when–we don’t know where the road is going. Faith is putting all of our trust and hope in God, and knowing that we are forever held in that Love and Peace that passes all of our understanding, even when we have no understanding. Faith is returning to God, time and time again, when we fall down, when we can’t make out the future, when we get caught up in other things and neglect our relationship with God. Faith is not something static. No, faith is dynamic; it is something that grows in us as we grow into our relationship with God. Faith does not mean we have it all figured out. By no means! No, faith means we are going to stay on this path, we are going to put our hope in God and God alone, despite not understanding everything.
That’s St. Peter’s story. Two steps forward with Jesus, and then one step back. But then he gets up and continues on.
Faith like this takes incredible courage and strength. It is hard to trust, if we are honest with ourselves. If you’re like me, it is difficult, sometimes it feels impossible, to hand over the reins to someone else–even God Almighty! No, I’ll continue on my own. I’ll figure it out by myself. I’ve got this handled.
But when we realize that we can only depend on the grace of God to see us through; when we give God our concerns, our worries, our trials; when we make that difficult step, things begin to happen.
You know, searching for a rector, going through a transition like this for as long as you have, can seem like feeling your way in the dark. Maybe you feel a little bit like St. Peter on the mountain before the spectacular show of light, sitting there in the dark, not knowing quite what to do, perhaps feeling a little confused, just trying to stay awake. Or maybe you feel like St. Peter coming down from the mountain after the Transfiguration, still in the dark, still confused, still trying to figure it all out. It can be tempting to despair after a while, I think.
But Jesus is in this. Maybe, on this mountaintop of transition, he is showing you something deeper, calling you to a new place, preparing you for something new coming down the road. Maybe you won’t recognize it at first; it might take time to see the effects. There may not be clarity right now, and questions may remain; but Jesus is still the Chosen, and he’s still with us.
Look for Jesus. Keep walking with him. Put your faith in his never-failing grace and endless love. And prepare to be blown away by the unexpected.
Storied Grace 