Sermon preached by The Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
The Last Sunday after the Epiphany
I have rediscovered a passion that I had as a child. The last few years we have taken vacations in the summer where we have been close to mountains, and I have taken that opportunity to do some rather long hikes that included climbing to the tops of mountains. I’m not talking about technical climbs, where you need ropes. All I needed were good shoes with plenty of tread and poles to help save my knees.
Last summer we spent some time in Colorado where I climbed to the top of Mt. Pagosa, which is along the Continental Divide. Linda doesn’t share my passion for climbing, so while I’m climbing alone, she stays on level ground and reads, or shops! When I got to the top of the mountain I walked for several miles along the ridge of the Continental Divide, most of the time with no other human being around. The vistas were indescribably beautiful.
When I’m out there in the beauty of creation, walking for miles, hour upon hour, it’s incredibly peaceful, and I always find myself doing a lot of thinking and praying. And I want you to know that even when there’s not another soul around, you’re always with me. I think about you and I pray for you. And I think about my ministry and what God is calling me to do and to be. In those times I feel that God talks to me. I don’t hear voices, but God gives me new insights and ideas.
In encountering God on the mountain I’m in good company. In the Book of Exodus we’re told that Moses went up on Mt. Sinai and spent forty days and forty nights. It was there that he met God and was given the Ten Commandments. In the First Book of the Kings we’re told that Elijah, the greatest prophet of Israel, went up on Horeb, the mount of God, in order to encounter God. It was on Mt. Horeb that Moses encountered God in the burning bush that wasn’t consumed. It’s on Mt. Horeb that we read that Elijah did not hear God in the wind or in the earthquake or in the fire, but in a still, small voice. God said to Elijah, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with a sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life to take it away.” It was on that mountain that Elijah discerned what God wanted him to do. He calmed his fears, assured him that there were others who had not forsaken him, and gave him the direction he needed.
Likewise, hundreds of years later our Lord took three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John, up on a mountain to pray, to be with God. While Jesus was praying, the three disciples had a tremendous experience in which they witnessed Jesus with two others who had mysteriously appeared with their Lord. The figures were Moses, the Law-Giver, and Elijah, the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. Luke tells us that Moses and Elijah were speaking with Jesus about what he was about to face when we went to Jerusalem. In other words, they were speaking to him about his impending suffering and death.
This was truly an epiphany for Peter, James, and John. They knew Jesus was the Messiah. Peter had recently confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. What that meant exactly, no one knew at that time. Now Jesus is seen with the two greatest figures in the history of Israel, Moses and Elijah. Peter’s response was to make a memorial right there on the mountain. He proposed that they build three booths, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus. He most likely came up with that idea because of the Jewish festival of the Feast of Booths, or the Feast of Tabernacles, in which the Israelites commemorated annually the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai to Moses. But what was happening on this mountain was not the giving of a new law. It was a much greater reality.
And then they heard the voice of God: “This is my Son, my chosen; listen to him,” and when they heard that revelation, Moses and Elijah had disappeared. Only Jesus remained.
What lessons can be drawn from this account of the Transfiguration? First of all, it is one more epiphany, or revelation, of Jesus as the Messiah, revealing his nature and calling for a response, not only from Peter, James, and John, but also from us as well. We can dismiss it as just a pious legend, or we can accept at face value as a revelation from God of the nature of Jesus, leading us to him as Savior and Lord. If you dismiss it, then you can forget the next lessons we can draw from this account.
Secondly, it is another example of Jesus as a man of prayer. There is no one closer to God than Jesus. In fact, he is God. Yet he needed prayer and regularly sought out times to be with his heavenly Father in prayer. Jesus sets the example for all of us to pray frequently and regularly.
Third, prayer does not take the difficulties of this life away from Jesus. In fact, this particular incident in our Lord’s earthly life served as a time of preparation for the ordeal he was about to face in his suffering and death. We often view prayer as an attempt to escape the difficulties we are facing, and sometimes God does give us what we ask for. But more often, prayer leads us to deeper levels of commitment, taking us into the fray, rather than out of it.
That is one reason we don’t resort to prayer more often. We fear what it might lead up to. You see, in prayer one of the things that happens is that we are lead to discern God’s will, and his will is often contrary to the wills of us sinful human beings. Are you having trouble in your marriage? Take it to God in prayer. But don’t think that God is going to say, “If you’re having some problems, then you should get out of the marriage. After all, I want you to be happy.”
I realize that divorce is a very complex issue, and that there are times when divorce is the lesser of two evils. But divorce is certainly not where God is going to begin. He is much more likely to say, “Work at it. That’s what your vows are for. Remember, you said ‘For better, for worse.’ And that person you met that you think would be so much better to be married to than your husband or your wife—you need to cut off the relationship with that person immediately if your marriage is going to have a fighting chance. Happy Valentines Day!”
Jesus is revealed as God’s Son, he gives us the example of a life grounded in prayer, and just because we pray doesn’t mean life is going to get easier. It might just get harder as a result of discerning God’s will. Yet, God doers indeed want us to be happy, and true happiness can only come from living in accordance with his will. When we do that, we experience that peace that passes understanding.
You and I don’t have to go to Colorado to meet God on the mountaintop. We are on the mountaintop right now, communing with God. He gives us this opportunity not only for our own good, but for the purpose of sending us into the world in witness to him. That may not always take us to comfortable places, but it will give us peace.