I’ll admit it. I want answers. I always want answers—I didn’t do so well in classes on good communication skills when advised that asking a partner, client, child, etc. a question that begins with the word “Why” is a bad idea. Apparently asking a person ‘why’ they did something puts them on the defensive. Who knew? I wasn’t even good at it as a child. My mother used to call me “yes, but”. Why? Well because when she would finish a long explanation as to why I could or couldn’t do something, she would ask me if I understood—after years of my same answer, she must have known what was coming: “Yes, but…” and I would proceed to ask more questions. Only in the later decades of my life have I begun to make peace with unanswered or unanswerable questions. Fortunately, God doesn’t mind if we ask ‘why?’ though the answer is not always forthcoming in the way we might seek. Today’s scripture leaves me with ‘why’ questions on many fronts—why at that point in the story, why on a mountain, why Moses and Elijah, why Peter, James and John and since they were the ones Jesus chose, why weren’t they with it enough to stay awake? I’ve meditated again this year on what we call “the transfiguration” around these ‘why’ questions. This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of that long, reflective period we call Lent. On this Sunday, it is as if we are looking over the edge of Lent—it’s off in the distance, almost here. I believe that God knows that we need something to sustain us through those long days of denial and self-reflection. Even for those of us who do not come from a tradition where we take seriously the call to “give up” something for Lent, most of us, in our spiritual lives, recognize the importance of this season as a time of preparation for not only Easter Sunday, but the pain and suffering of Holy Week which precedes the glory. Many Biblical scholars believe that this story is a prediction of the coming glory of the Resurrection and eventual Ascension of Jesus. Kinda like a movie trailer—to make us want to see the rest of the movie. I believe this story is an interruption in the everyday life of the disciples—a call to see Jesus as Jesus Christ, sent from God. We know that by now, the people (including the disciples) had been completely caught up in what Jesus was doing—the miracles, the teachings—the Transfiguration calls them back to who Jesus was and for us, who Jesus IS!
For those of us who have lived beyond the flatlands of Florida, we know that you get the best view up on a mountain—I don’t think we should ignore the fact that Jesus took the three disciples up a mountain to pray. Matthew, in his version, is careful to tell us that this was a ‘high’ mountain. In the transfiguration of Jesus, we hear God calling us to stop looking in front of ourselves, behind ourselves and all around ourselves, and change the angle from which we view the world. By changing from where we look, we are called to a changed perspective. On the nights that I drive back from Orlando in the dark, I particularly enjoy coming over that little rise on 441 just after 466 and right before Kohl’s. The lights of The Villages are spread out before me and I am reminded every time I get to that point in the road, that this is the community Open Circle is called to reach. I get a little shiver every time I see the scene (not just because I’m grateful that this is now my home—although I joke about it being The Promised Land) because I am filled each and every time with a sense of the possibilities for Open Circle and the blessings God is prepared to pour out on Open Circle as we move forward as we are led. So God calls us to change our perspective—to see beyond what we can imagine and look to what God can imagine. Getting beyond our limited sight when we are on the ground and going with Jesus up on the mountain to watch and pray leads us to new vistas of God’s grace and glory. We are wakin’ up to glory all around us.
I am an historian by nature (hence the importance of the ‘why’ questions) and I particularly like the fact that Jesus was seen speaking to Moses and Elijah. Translations differ on the way they express what Moses and Elijah were speaking with Jesus about. Exodus, departure, going out, decease, and even death. We do not have any idea of what they said to him, but we suspect that God sent them to prepare and transform Jesus into readiness for what was soon to come. They were present for Jesus only, no gospel writer revealed the exact words of their conversation; we know that Jesus’ face was shining, perhaps in understanding and peace, and that he was transfigured into blinding light for a few moments. I believe that in The Transfiguration, God shows us that the wisdom and words of those who have gone before us are available to us and that we, like Jesus, can be transformed by them.
Why Peter, James and John—you know sometimes you almost have to feel sorry for Jesus, what a sorry lot of disciples he had—some would betray him, none understood most of the time what was really going on and this is not the only time they had trouble staying awake. Jesus was about the “least of these” and he certainly had some of the ‘least’ among his disciples. What better way to illustrate that God can use anyone than to show what this motley crew of folks could do when led by God’s spirit through the teachings and leadership of Jesus Christ. Peter, wakin’ up to glory before him has absolutely no idea what to do next— so he babbles something about building tents and it being good for them to be there—you know, I can identify with Peter—wakin’ up to glory before him, obviously surprised with no idea what would be the ‘appropriate’ thing to say—I’d probably babble, too…and then, poof, they were all immediately enveloped in clouds and Moses and Elijah were gone. God speaks directly at this point—to these same bedraggled, tired disciples and says “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” God is wakin’ them up to glory. And this is not the first time we have heard these words from God—at Jesus’ baptism and now, just before Jesus turns to go to Jerusalem, God says, “wake up—understand well, this is My Son—I chose Him, listen to Him!” God reaches out to us again and again, and calls us to listen to this Jesus. I believe that this is the time God is calling all of us to become true disciples, regardless of our talents, age, or previous inclination, to stay awake and listen.
Now you remember poor, tongue-tied Simon Peter—last week when Jesus found the fishing sweet spot, he didn’t know what to say either. However, fortunately, from an historian’s point of view, there are two small epistles in the New Testament that are reportedly written or at least influenced by this same Simon Peter. In those epistles we are able to discover that Peter at some point came to understand the significance of what he and the other two disciples saw on this mountain. These letters are written to unknown people who were clearly experiencing some kind of persecution for being Christians. Peter is calling these folks to remember everything that God has done for them. This is what Peter has to say about his experience in that letter: “By divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know God, the one who called us to God by means of marvelous glory and excellence. And because of this glory and excellence, we have been given great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share God’s divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires… Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught…For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to Jesus, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.” Peter notes that, “Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.” Peter has clearly found the path to wakin’ up to glory and shares it with those he cares about.
I challenge you to be open to wakin’ up to glory as it shines among us, here in this community. I invite you to surprise yourselves by allowing God to be wakin’ you up to glory in the next steps in your life. And, finally, as Peter shared with those he loved, I welcome your own stories of what it is like to be wakin’ up to glory as God leads us inward, outward, and forward. Blessed be God’s name. Let us go forth to share the good news of wakin’ up to glory!
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