Be Transfigured

Paul tells the church at Corinth, “For it is God who says let the light shine out of the darkness.”  And Mark says Jesus was transfigured in brilliant light before them.  The message of Jesus, the message that God loves us unconditionally, blinds the whole universe with its brilliant radiant simplicity and truth.  God’s unconditional love transfigures all of creation.  The Good News changes everything.  It changes relationships, it changes families, it changes hearts and minds—it changes us into the People of God.

Will you pray with me?  “Unchanging God of everlasting change, thank you for transfiguring Jesus in your love.  Thank you for changing Moses and Elisha and all faithful people through-out history with your transforming love.  And thank you for standing by us as we change into the beloved people you dream us to be.  Amen.”

In our Gospel today, Mark struggles to put into words that which is far beyond words.  The people around Jesus experienced a staggering change from poor Jewish peasants into a tattered band of visionaries who literally changed the world.  Somehow, this ragged band of uneducated Jews began a movement that completely changed the world-- really the only thing that ever conquered the Roman Empire.  Members of this new sect of Judaism transfigured the world with the simple message of God’s unconditional love for everyone.

Transfigure means to change figure or form.  To change from what was into what is now.  To morph from what was into a new thing. To meta-morph—to drastically change, like a caterpillar to a cocoon to a butterfly.

I can’t explain this transfiguration vision that Mark reports.  Is this a spiritual vision that includes Moses the Law Giver and Elijah the first of the prophets?  Some say the vision shows Jesus replacing Moses and Elijah as he remains alone on the mountaintop when they disappear.  Since Mark does not report any resurrection stories at the end of his Gospel, does Mark’s  transfiguration story stand in for Jesus’ continuing life beyond the veil of the cross?  Maybe Mark is foreshadowing a vision of future things to come.  Clearly something changes for Mark at this point.   From here on, Jesus’ ministry becomes more focused toward the cross, more poignant, more passionate.

The Transfiguration occurs as a transition point in our liturgical year.  We depart Epiphany, and turn toward Lent in a strange sudden twist.  But this transition always causes me to wonder about those times in my life when I was transfigured, morphed, changed and transformed.  The way of following Jesus is a new life of transformation, transfiguration, change and sojourn.  Our lives as Christians also reveal light shining out of the darkness and growth into new beings in Christ.  It is all a mystery.  It is all unexplainable, and yet each of us could tell a story where the Spirit of God touched our lives and transformed us, transfigured us from the old into a new birth in God’s love.  The transformational smell of a newborn baby’s breath, the joy of a marriage, the shock of realizing that we are loved by God unconditionally-- all of these are moments of transformative transfiguration.

Of course our friend Peter up on that mountaintop wants to prolong the vision--  let’s build some tents and stay awhile, he says.  I guess we would all like to prolong something this wonderful.  But a voice booms out that reminds of us of the voice that boomed out at Jesus baptism.  “Listen to this son of mine whom I love!”  Many things have changed, but God’s unconditional love does not change.  The world may transform, but God remains the same forever, and in that booming love speech Moses and Elijah disappear.   Oh how I would love to disappear into God’s booming voice of love.  What a way to go!

Can you remember some times when you changed—when you were transfigured?  I remember my first jet carrier landing, my marriage vows to Bill, my ordination vows to God and the church.  Each was a moment that left me completely a new man.  I will join this church next week—it will completely transfigure me as I join you on our spiritual journey together as members of Spring Glen Church.  I have been in a car accident when my entire life passed before my eyes in a split second: I was transfigured as time stood still.  When have you been transfigured in your life?  How did that transfiguration change you?  [long pause…]

In our twenty-first century world, we sometimes struggle with transformational change that cannot be scientifically measured.  But some of our most profound moments as human beings are not measurable moments.  That transformational moment when we fell in love and everything changed.  The birth of a child when everything changed.  The moment we lost our parents or a loved one.  Each of these transitions marked us forever inside with transformational change that does not show on the outside.  And so, Mark also struggles to explain the unexplainable in our passage today, as he tries connecting Jesus’ life-work with his baptism and his resurrection all in a single flash of dazzling bright white light.  Very soon after this transfiguration in Mark, Jesus enters Jerusalem for the final time.  We will travel with Jesus on his Jerusalem journey starting this Wednesday as we walk with Jesus into Lent.  And our Lenten journey will invite us to take some time to again be transformed, to be changed into God’s beloved dream for us.  Lent invites us to be transformed into a new birth as we abandon ourselves into God’s unquenchable love for us.  God loved Jesus with a transfiguring love, and that same God loves us with the same white dazzling flashing completely unexplainable love as God showed Jesus.  If we really believed that we were completely loved by God, that would mean we could love one another without condition or question also.  If we were completely filled with God’s stunning white light of love, we would then love our enemies and also love one another unconditionally.  If we really lived in God’s astonishing radiant love we would live in peace and harmony and good will with all of humanity.   We would stop fighting about politics and economics and differences, because they would disappear into the staggering dazzling stunning white-hot love of the eternal and everlasting God. 

God’s love transfigured Jesus on that mountaintop—and God’s love can and will transfigure us, too, if we but invite it in completely.  We have God’s promise on this.  God loves us so deeply and powerfully and fully and brilliantly that if we accept God’s unconditional love we are transfigured into a completely new birth.  The old things pass away, behold, the new comes.

On the night before Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, he prophetically said, “We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop ... And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land ... Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."  Dr. King saw the coming promised land.  He knew the brilliant bright white light of God’s love.  Moses saw the promised land before he was taken into heaven.  Elijah saw the promised land before he was carried into heaven on the flashing bright white chariot light.  Jesus was transfigured by God’s brilliant bright vivid love on that mountaintop with Peter and James and John.  And how about you?  Go to that same spiritual mountaintop as all these prophets, and let God’s unconditional love settle into your very soul.  Let God’s brilliant love light soak deeply into your every pore and fill your heart.  And then, you, like Jesus, will be transfigured by God’s love.  Amen.