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Transfiguration Luke
9:28-43 2/18/07
“Shine, Jesus,
Shine”
Driving to church Friday morning, I had one of my pet peeves
triggered. As I was waiting for the light to change at McClellan and
Rt. 19 a driver made an overly wide turn from McClellan and almost
hit my car. Not surprisingly, the driver was making the turn with
only her right hand because she was holding a cell phone to her ear
with the other (and talking on the stupid phone too).
Everywhere you go today people are talking on their cell phones
while doing other tasks - walking with friends, eating a meal, even
shopping for groceries. Why in the world can’t people wait to talk
on the phone until they’ve gotten home, to the office or at least,
have pulled of the road safely?
You may be wondering what in the world this rant of mine has to do
with the Transfiguration of our Lord. There weren’t any cell phones
back then, nor was there any indication that Peter, James or John
wanted to instantly report their experience to others the way people
with cell phones seem to.
Transfiguration, after all, is about the three apostles seeing Jesus
in all His Godly glory. It was an experience of theophany - a
manifestation of God -, not electronics. It was an experience of
light, not sound, except, of course, for the voice from the cloud,
saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to Him.
Jesus, the itinerant rabbi, showed Himself to indeed be the Holy
One, the Son of God.
He took time to pray, to connect with God and God’s light shined
through Him.
The timing of this event and the placement of it in the larger story
are significant. When Jesus comes down from the mountain, He begins
His long journey to Jerusalem and the cross. His teachings will
focus now on what is ahead and what it will mean for the disciples
and for the world. The disciples will listen but not understand
We don’t have many theophanies or epiphanies any more. In fact, my
guess is that fewer and fewer people are having any experience of
God in the hearts or their lives.
One reason for this relates to that driver with the cell phone. We
have allowed ourselves to become so busy, so over-burdened with
activities, so hurried, that we probably wouldn’t recognize an
experience of the holy if God was standing right in front of us.
I very intentionally used the word, “allowed” in that sentence. Our
over- active schedules are almost entirely a matter of freely made
choices. We choose to get involved in too many things. We choose to
let the world dictate our priorities and our values. We choose to
live on the superficial level that our busyness leads to.
And in so choosing, we miss the hundreds of theophanies God offers
us each day. No, Jesus doesn’t appear in dazzling white robes on a
mountain for us, nor does a voice come from the clouds. (If you hear
a voice from the clouds these days, it’s probably the weatherman
warning of more snow)
But, we could see God’s hand in the little wonders of each day - the
sunlight sparkling on an icy branch, the missed accident, the
promise of real spring shone by herb plants or flowering bulbs sold
in the supermarket.
We could also see God in people all around us - the neighbor who
helps us out, the child smiling up at us, the stranger who gives a
compliment, the person in need, even in the picture of a child
starving in war-torn Darfur.
Most importantly, because of our busyness we miss hearing God speak
to us. We don’t leave time in our schedules for Bible study and
meditation. We don’t allow space in our mental processes for the
stillness that allows God to speak in our hearts. Sadly, we’re so
busy planning - perhaps even planning to build dwellings to house
Jesus - that we fail to hear God say, “Shut up and listen to
Him.
And thus, we, like the disciples, may listen but fail to understand
what Jesus is saying to us even as we worship on a Sunday. We may
not fully grasp or appreciate the words, “This is His body given for
you” and “This is His blood, shed for you”
Another reason we don’t have theophanies or epiphanies any more is
that after the Transfiguration, after the cross and resurrection,
after Christ ascended back into heaven, He left instructions for
those who would listen were that they (we) are to be
God’s epiphanies now.
When we choose to make time for experiencing God’s glory in our
lives and His presence in our hearts, we take on the glow of
the Holy. When we allow ourselves to experience the true wonder of
what Jesus did for us and let that wonder show in how we speak and
act, we let Jesus shine through us.
Then, instead of living such time crunched lives that we need to
talk on cell phones as we drive, we could consciously and ardently
pray the words of the hymn:
Lord the light or your love is shining,
In the midst of the darkness shining, Jesus light of the world shine upon us, Set us free by the truth you now bring us, Shine on me. shine on me. Shine Jesus shine Fill this land with the fathers glory Blaze, spirit blaze, Set our hearts on fire Flow, river flow Flood the nations with grace and mercy Send forth your word Lord and let there be light. Lord I come to your awesome presence, From the shadows into your radiance, By the blood I may enter your brightness, Search me, try me, consume all my darkness, Shine on me. shine on me. As we gaze on your kindly brightness. So our faces display your likeness. Ever changing from glory to glory, Mirrored here may our lives tell your story. Shine on me. shine on me. (words by Graham Kendrick)
Amen.
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