Sermon from Sunday 15 February

 

Reading(s): Matthew:17-1-9. This sermon was given by Ann Devereux at All Saints and St Mark.

Have you ever looked in the mirror under really bad lighting and thought, “I look good today!” - and then stepped into bright sunlight and thought, “Oh no… what happened?!”

Lighting changes everything. The same face - but a totally different view.

In today’s passage, the disciples see Jesus in a whole new light - literally - and it changes everything they thought they knew about him.

On the mountain, Jesus is transformed before them. His face shines like the sun. His clothes blaze with light. This is not a new glory given to him, but his true glory revealed. The One who walked on dusty roads is the same One who reigns in heaven.

Indeed, for a brief moment, the veil is lifted, and the disciples see Jesus not only as a teacher and companion, but in blazing divine glory that gives them hope for the future. It gives Peter, James, and John a preview - a foretaste of his glory. And God grants them this glimpse of their destination, so they can begin to endure the road ahead.

Celebrating the Transfiguration just before Lent reminds us that the fully human One - who fully enters our life and struggles, and who experiences the reality of violence and death - is also the fully divine One, shining with holy light. The full nature of Jesus is revealed so that we might know who he was and is, and who we are called to become.

It is worth noting that prior to this account, Jesus had just been recognized as "the Christ" at Caesarea Philippi, and told his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem to face suffering and death. This must have been quite a shock; the disciples would have felt uneasy and possibly very afraid. The suffering Christ is the glorious Son, and the Father reassures them by saying: ‘Do not be deceived by what you are about to see in Jerusalem, for the cross does not cancel the crown’.

Then Moses and Elijah appear in the cloud - Moses representing the Law, and Elijah the Prophets - standing with Jesus, alive.

This scene proclaims hope: that God is not the God of the dead but of the living, and that those who belong to him are alive in his presence. For believers, the grave is not an ending but a doorway. Returning to the story, Peter is overwhelmed at this point and wants to build shelters for each of them, perhaps to stay in that moment. Could Peter be wanting glory without suffering, and permanence without the cross?

And where are we in the story? I think we are probably with Peter, wanting to build three dwellings so the holy ones can stay like this forever. When something wonderful and beautiful happens, we don’t want to go back to the mundane and the profane - we want to stay in the numinous, spiritual moment. We too want mountaintop faith without valley obedience. In short, the easy life without the hard stuff.

The Father interrupts Peter at this point with a cloud covering the three men and says, “This is my Son, whom I love … listen to him.” When the cloud lifts, they see only Jesus. This is the heart of discipleship: Jesus at the centre. Jesus alone is sufficient.

Jesus knew that he and his disciples needed to descend the mountain and get on with the work of their lives. The mountain itself teaches us a necessary order - that glory comes, but only after the cross. For Christ first, and then for his followers. This preview of Jesus in glory strengthens faith, but the path still runs through sacrifice, trust, and surrender and still speaking the words: “Be ready,” or “Be prepared,” for the King will return in unveiled glory.

The Book of Matthew records that at the point of the Transfiguration the disciples bow down in fear, yet Jesus comes and touches them, saying, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” The King James Version uses the phrase, “Arise, do not be afraid,” suggesting also the power of the Son of God and his resurrection.

The question we may wish to ask is not whether he will come, but whether we are listening.

The radiant Son on the mountain is the same Saviour who went to the cross, and the same Lord who will come again. As dark clouds cover the sun, it is easy to let the dark events of life hide from us the glory and presence of God. Even when we lose our grip, we can be assured that we are in the hand of God — who says, “Arise, do not be afraid.”

Here are some words written by a Jewish prisoner on a wall in Cologne, Germany:

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining.
I believe in love even when I cannot feel it.
I believe in God even when he is silent.

As we are reminded over Lent, the true fast is to seek justice and practice compassion. It is not just a personal test of courage and conviction between Jesus and us - even though the disciplines of fasting, increased prayer, and giving, have inspired and purified many believers over the centuries.

But if it is just a test of wills, then we are missing the point. We fast to give up distractions - not create them. We fast to gain compassion for the hungry - not to demonstrate our own righteousness. And we fast to learn dependence on God - not to prove our own willpower.

Blessed are those who are ready when the glory once glimpsed by those disciples, is finally revealed to us all. Even so, come, Lord Jesus the Christ. Come, speak in tones and images we cannot ignore, and remind us that we are called to be bearers of light.

Amen.