Sermon: “The Zone of God’s Glory” Speaking of sweet, last week I heard on the news that there are two days in the year in which Americans eat the most. The first of course is Thanksgiving – that’s a no-brainer – and the second is not Christmas or New Years Day – but today. For those of us trying to shed a few pounds after the indulgencies of the holidays, this is not good news. But then again, there’s always tomorrow - so bring on the beer, chili and potato chips. On the liturgical calendar today is The Transfiguration of the Lord - Transfiguration Sunday. It comes early this year, since Easter is early – March 23 rd - about as early as it can be, using the complicated formula we use to date Easter each year, the formula, by the way, which was last revised in the year 1054. Of course for most people, certainly in this country, today is not Transfiguration Sunday but Superbowl Sunday – a relative new comer to the liturgical calendar. According to the NFL Network, nearly one billion people world-wide will watch the game. One billion - that’s about one sixth of the world’s population. Still, I would hasten to remind us that according to several world religion survey organizations, there are now over 2.1 billion Christians in the world – which is one third of the world’s population. So even more people - like you, if they go to church today, on Superbowl Sunday, will also hear and be encouraged by this story of the Transfiguration. Walter Bruggemann, one of my most favorite Bible scholars, writes about this story: The coming of the power of God into the midst of human reality is no ordinary event – and the Bible offers no simple, straightforward reports. Nonetheless, the Bible asserts that God’s sovereign presence does indeed invade and inhabit the historical process. But the Bible must find language to witness to this reality – language that is clear enough to show the reality, yet elusive enough to honor the awe, splendor, the hiddenness, and the mystery of God’s own self.” Our scripture readings today speak of just such events – there is nothing ordinary about them. They are zones of God’s glory – when the mysterious, awesome and hidden presence of God’s glory invades and inhabits our human reality and history. And we are forever changed. In Exodus Moses goes up to the mountain – to receive the Law of God, what we call the Ten Commandments. A cloud covers the mountain – for six days – a reference back to the creation story - and then on the seventh God called Moses to enter the cloud. The giving of the Law is a Sabbath gift to the people. And on this seventh day Moses enters this zone of God’s glory – he goes into the cloud, to stand in the presence of the Holy One. The people – though they are down in the valley – they could look up and catch a glimpse of the glory of the Lord – what the Bible calls the Shekinah Glory – the very presence of the Holy. This Shekinah was like a devouring fire on the mountaintop. But like the burning bush in the earlier days of Moses, this fire does not consume Moses – but rather invades and inhabits him. And you may remember the later of story, of how when Moses later comes down the mountain, his face would reflect this Shekinah glory – and it scared the people, and so he wore a veil over his face. Moses enters - and the people of Israel caught a glimpse of a zone of God’s glory, a plane of existence where heaven and earth met, a zone of super-reality, which from time to time invades our human history – when the power of God enters into our reality – and we are forever changed. In this particular zone of God’s glory Moses received what our Jewish brothers and sisters call the Torah. This is God’s law – not so much a list of do’s and don’t, but rather to be seen as the gracious parameters within which we find life and well being. But when we leave those gracious parameters – and behave outside of them, we do so to our peril. And all of this comes to us from a particular human – divine encounter on a mountaintop – in the zone of God’s glory. Like that story, this story of the Transfiguration of the Lord is another human – divine encounter – another instance of being in the zone of God’s glory. This Transfiguration story begins by looking back to creation story and this story of Moses in Exodus – it begins “six days later.” This is six days after the day when Jesus speaks of his yet to come suffering and death and resurrection. In other words this day, the day of this Transfiguration would be the seventh day. So again this story comes as a gift that of Sabbath rest, of Sabbath well being – no matter what is yet to come. Six days later, on that seventh day, Jesus takes two disciples up a mountain. In the Bible mountaintops are often part of the zone of God’s glory. Going up a mountain is something Jesus would do from time to time - by himself - early in the morning, to pray. Peter, James and John - maybe today they thought Jesus wanted some company – a small spiritual retreat. It seemed clear enough to them - up the mountain - say some prayers - back down in time for breakfast. But then it all changes - and nothing is clear. Up on that mountain the group enters the zone of God’s glory. Jesus is transfigured – he took on an other-worldly, divine, super-natural appearance. You should all be impressed with yourselves – since you likely already know something about the Greek word which Matthew uses here – the word is Metamorpho. Here is a metamorphosis – a change in physical form – a transformation beyond explanation – though here again, Matthew tries real hard: his face was like the sun, his clothing dazzling white. This would surely remind Matthew’s Jewish Christian readers of the Shekinah glory – this glory of the very presence of God – now here upon Jesus. Then two primary players from the Bible show up – long dead – though we read in the 2 Kings that Elijah was taken up into heaven before he died, and in Deuteronomy that God Himself buried Moses – no one saw Moses dead. And now, here they are, with this changed, metamorphisized Jesus. The question of how the disciples recognize these two is not a concern here. For us and for the church this is a sign, a testimony - of the two leading Jewish authorities - the Law and the Prophets – how they come together in Jesus – and all surrounded by the Shekinah glory. This is all of God – God’s will and purpose. Peter – trying perhaps to bring this extra-ordinary, elusive experience back to ordinary time – he offers to make some tents – but then another cloud comes – a bright cloud – and the voice of the Lord: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" Then as suddenly as the whole experience had started, it’s over. The scared disciples, now with their faces to the ground, are gently touched by Jesus – “Get up – don’t be afraid” – words we hear again and again in the Bible – “don’t be afraid.” And when they get up they see Jesus – alone - just as he was before. Now they are now perhaps no longer in this zone of God’s glory. Or maybe they still are, but they can’t perceive it. Either way, having been in the zone for a little while, they are forever changed. Friends, so it is for us – for as we ponder these two stories of being in the zone of God’s glory – we can catch a glimpse of this Shekinah glory – and we can be changed for the good. These stories helped the disciples put the suffering and death of Christ into some larger perspective – reminding them that there was and is much more to Jesus than his earthly, human presence. For after the suffering and death – difficult as they are – there is a greater zone of God’s glory to come – known in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. So for us – by our catching a glimpse of these zones of God’s glory, we too are able to see beyond our present fears – and remember that God still invades and inhabits our human lives – in ways that are not always clear to us - offering us grace and love and help for our times of grief and fear – reminding us that we do not travel this earthly existence alone. One preacher said that these stories offer us the tools for night vision – such that when we are in a dark time in our lives, we can still see the light – we can still know the illuminating presence of the Holy One – and so we can be encouraged for the journey through the night. Now for us this will always be an elusive and mysterious part of our faith - but this does not mean this is any less real or any less true. So may we – having caught a glimpse of the zone of God’s glory – be encouraged and sustained by that glory - and live our lives without fear. And all God’s people said. Amen.
|