Reflections
Luke 9:28-43
Exodus 34:29-35
If I began the sermon this morning by telling you that God loves you - while standing in front of you with my hands on my hips, all the while impatiently tapping my foot with a frown on my face and a note of impatience in my voice – you might not believe or remember what I said about God’s love. We always say that actions speak louder than words, and in this case my posture, my tone of voice and my face tell a different story than the words I spoke and the intentions I hoped to communicate.
Our posture and countenance, the outward expression of our body and face reflect the internal state of our mind and spirit. Often when we are dog tired and weary inside – we look dog tired. When we are feeling good and hopeful – we look that way. Dr. Albert Mehrabian, a psychologist and researcher who specializes in studying and measuring non-verbal communication, says that when three elements of communication are congruent, emotions are conveyed successful. Mehrabian says that words account for 7%, our tone of voice accounts for 38%, and our body language accounts for 55%” of our communication attempts which are successful only when those three elements are congruent or in harmony with one another.[1]
In other words - our words, our tone of voice and body language should all reflect the same thing. Both of our scripture lessons this morning remind us that as followers of Jesus Christ - our words, our voice and our actions should all reflect our relationship with Jesus Christ. And when we are grounded in God’s love and spend time with Jesus in prayer, worship, and service and in community with one another, we will shine and reflect the love of Jesus out into the world.
Our stories today are about transformation. They are mountaintop stories – and in the scriptures good things often happen on the top of mountains! The story from the Hebrew Scriptures is about Moses on Mount Sinai and his change in appearance after coming face to face with God. The Gospel story is about Peter, James and John climbing another mountain with Jesus and seeing his transfiguration with Moses and Elijah. These two stories are theologically linked, and they are both stories of hope which remind us that when we take time to be with God and nurture our relationship with Jesus, we will reflect that love in our outward appearance and shine that love to others.
In the story from Exodus 34 Moses had gone to the top of Mount Sinai to speak to God face to face for the second time. Earlier in Exodus, Moses had climbed to the top of the mountain, which was filled with “the glory of the Lord.” Exodus 24 says that the glory of the Lord was “like a devouring fire on top of the mountain” and it was there that Moses spent forty days and forty nights. He talks with God face to face, receives all kinds of detailed instructions as well as the laws of God, or the Ten Commandments. When Moses comes down from the mountain the first time, the people had grown impatient with his absence, and had begun making sacrifices again to false gods. This action by the people had made God and Moses pretty angry and so Moses breaks the tablets that held the Ten Commandments. After awhile Moses and God get things straightened out, and Moses goes back up the mountain again, spends another forty days and nights in the presence of God and receives the commandments again. However this time something happens to Moses’ appearance during this personal encounter with God. Moses’ face now shines and reflects God’s glory. I would imagine that if one came face to face with the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God, some of that majesty and glory would rub off on you. In the passage today Moses’ face is transformed! His face shines so brightly and brilliantly – that when he goes back to the people– he has to put a veil over his face so that he can talk to them. “The people of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone; and Moses would put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.”(34:35)
In Luke, Jesus takes three of his disciples with him up the mountain to pray; Peter, James and John – the inner circle of three. Now these three are still learning what it means to be disciples and honestly sometimes I think they really never get it. They are so human. Luke chapter nine is full of learning moments and new experiences for the disciples. They had just been commissioned, sent out to heal and teach, they had fed the five thousand, and Peter confesses to Jesus that he is the Christ and it is then they all head up the mountain because Jesus needed to pray. While Jesus is praying he is transformed in such a way that his expression is changed and his clothing is brilliant and dazzling. Jesus is shining! Two men of faith appear with Jesus and are talking with him. They are Moses the leader of the Exodus and the lawgiver and Elijah the prophet who was the one who the people expected to return to save them.
Meanwhile the disciples apparently were very sleepy. These two followers of Jesus Christ – are tired. They are weary and they are overwhelmed and the story tells us that they are a bit confused about what is happening. Confusion often happens to all of us when we are very weary, full of fear or overwhelmed – sometimes we don’t have clarity of vision, or a sense of purpose. The disciples don’t know what to do or what to say. Peter suggests that maybe they should build three booths or shelters, for these three people of faith. Peter clearly does not understand the situation, and he believes that Jesus, Moses and Elijah are all equal. The text even says “Peter did not know what he was saying.” They are still a bit sleepy and overwhelmed by what has happened when a cloud overshadows the entire mountain and covers them. We are told that they were afraid.
And then a voice from the heavens speaks to them and states emphatically that Jesus is the Chosen One. He is not equal with Moses and Elijah. Jesus is the one whom they should continue to follow and listen to. God says; “This is my Son, my chosen; listen to him!”
The disciples and Jesus sit alone and sit in silence for awhile, as they think about what happened. And just as all mountain top experiences end – so did this one - the next day they come down to the valley and get right back into the thick of ministry for a very needy crowd.
These two mountaintop experiences are transformational moments for Moses, Peter, James and John – but they are very different and they each experienced the presence of God very differently. Moses is shining – he had a personal experience with God and it changed his very appearance and made him confident. God’s presence empowered him and strengthened him. He comes back down, gives and explains the Ten Commandments. But not so – with the disciples who were confused from the start. Their own transformation was different – they weren’t changed once and for all. They experienced a whole range of very human emotions and Luke makes sure that we the reader – notice that these disciples weren’t perfect. The disciples were tired, sleepy, confused. They misspoke and they were afraid. They don’t tell anyone what happened. They come back down and they were ineffective and in just a few verses – they are going to argue about which of them was the greatest and most important disciple. They didn’t get it –and they are just like us at times – as we try to figure out our relationship with Jesus and our ministry. Not one of us is perfect – we make progress not perfection.
Peter, James and John continued to make progress. They didn’t give up – they had to keep working at learning how to be a follower of Jesus. They made mistakes and they misunderstood. But they kept following him. And Jesus – knowing their humanness – never gave up on them either. He kept teaching them and asking them to teach and to preach and to take risks on His behalf. The light of Christ still shone through them in their work and in their ministry to others. People choose to believe – the church is formed, transformed and grows. Faith is formed and ministry happens. Progress - never perfection.
Transformation happens - and it happens differently for each one of us. Our transformational moments may be mountaintop experiences – and they may make us confident, assured and bold for Christ. At other times however, we are just “slogging along through the valley”. We are tired. We are weary. We are confused by what is happened in our life – in our homes or with our friends or with our family, with our finances or with our health. We are more like the disciples than we are like Moses. But through the grace of God – we keep going – just as the disciples did.
The key to strengthening our inner relationship with God and Jesus Christ is spending time with them. We have to “practice the presence of God” in worship, prayer, study, and service. Moses spent forty days and nights with God – meaning a long extended period of time. Jesus went up the mountain to pray and he was transformed. Jesus found the energy, the vitality, the strength to do what he had to do - because he took the time to get away and to get closer to God. Jesus was always praying. He was regularly in conversation with God. Prayer was part of his very being and it gave him energy and endurance. Jesus reflected the glory and love of God and his actions matched and were in harmony with his words.
In John 8: 12 Jesus said "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
And Jesus also said on the Sermon on the Mount that we are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way let your light shine before all people that they may see your good deeds, and praise God who is in Heaven.”
I was intently praying and meditating with a burning candle before me on the floor. The candle was one that was both deep and wide. The flame must have once sat on the top of the candle, but over time and use the flame had buried its way deeper and deeper into the middle of the candle. The flame was below the surface of the candle, protected from the wind and the light radiated from the bottom, around the middle and up the sides of the candle. The flame and its reflection danced, it’s light shined and your eyes were drawn to it.
I watched the flame, the light and the candle. Jesus is the light of the world – like the flame. The more we come to the light and spend time with the light; his love buries its way deeper and deeper into the middle of our hearts and souls. The deeper the light of the world goes within in us, the stronger and the warmer the light within us becomes. With the light of Christ deep within us, we are protected from the winds that try to overwhelm us. Then the light of the world radiates and reflects all around us, from the bottom, around the middle and along the sides. We are in harmony with Christ and his light shines out from within us. We are the light of the world, a city set upon a hill. We aren’t supposed to light a lamp – and hide it under a bushel – no! We are to let our light so shine before all people that they may see our good deeds, and praise God who is in Heaven.
Shine Jesus, shine.
This week the Lenten journey begins. May we take the time to deepen the light of Christ within us through prayer, worship, service and fellowship so that Jesus may shine and we may flood the nations with grace and mercy.
Shine Jesus, shine.
Amen
Rev. Deborah J. Blanchard
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