The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to Matthew
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” (Mt.17.1-9.)
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About eighty years ago, my aunt Lizzie was awakened from her sleep by the sound of her husband urgently calling out her name, “Oh Lizzie!” “Oh Lizzie!”
What was unusual about that, was that her husband, my uncle Dick, wasn’t in the house. He was away fighting in the war.
She felt a real unease at this, but dismissed it as a dream, or something, and tried to go back to sleep.
Soon afterward, a telegram arrived to tell her that Dick had been killed in Tobruk, when a shell hit the truck he was riding in with other soldiers. It seemed to her that he had called out to her at that moment he had died.
He was a thousand miles away, and yet she heard his cry.
It’s a strange story, isn’t it? It’s the sort of thing that we half believe, or dismiss as coincidence, or just as something that cannot be explained.
There are lots of stories, just as strange. You may have heard some yourself.
We have one today, told in the Gospel from Matthew, the story of what happened to Jesus on the mountain as seen by Peter James and John.
Matthew tells us that there on the mountain, the disciples saw Jesus completely changed. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
They also heard the voice of God telling them, “This is my own dear Son and I am pleased with him. Listen to what he says.”
A strange story, and hard to explain. Hard to believe.
But in the second letter of Peter we have his recollection of the event, and he says, “We didn’t make this up, as some say, but we saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes.”
Then there is a similar story in the Old Testament account of Moses. He also went up a mountain to meet with God, and when he returned his face shone so full of the glory of God that people were afraid, and he had to wear a veil until it had worn off.
Is God telling us that He will make our countenances shine with His glory? Not really. I think we are being told that God loves us so much that he will actually intervene, in this world, He will show Himself in some way, to encourage us in our pilgrimage.
And I think the way we need to be encouraged in our pilgrimage these days is to know that the one we follow – Jesus the Christ – is real, and has been real and will continue to be real.
We have experienced the birth stories of Jesus, and we have heard how when he was taken into the temple; two holy people there, Simeon and Anna, were moved by the Spirit of God to tell us that Jesus the baby would become Jesus the Messiah.
We were there at his baptism by John in the River Jordan, when the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove rested on the head of Jesus, and the voice of God was heard saying words similar to those we heard today, “This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
And now we have the Gospel story of Jesus being singled out again as the One true Son of God.
And if we find it hard to believe, then we can hear the words of Peter, one of those there at the time, who tells us it is not a story made up to fool people.
We have the stories of those who saw Jesus after his death and resurrection – hundreds saw him – and the evidence of his great power in the millions of those who have found their lives transformed – transfigured if you like – once they have allowed Jesus into their hearts.
Because having Jesus in your heart is a means of undergoing transformation every bit as wonderful as that seen by the disciples on the mountain that day.
Dark lives, with dark secrets, have been filled with light by the love of Jesus.
Timid men and women have been inspired to great achievement by letting Jesus into their hearts.
People have faced and overcome great danger, through their belief in Jesus.
Transformation!!
Have you experienced that transformation? And if you haven’t, do you wonder why?
And are you open to it? Really open?
What do you do here in church?
Do you listen attentively to the prayers? Or does your mind wander?
Do you hold each name that you hear in the prayer requests, in your heart, and ask God’s love and healing on them? Or do you roll your eyes at the length of the list?
Do you join wholeheartedly in praising him during the hymns, or do you sing so quietly that your neighbour doesn’t even hear you?
Do you enter into the prayers, or do you allow them to go over your head?
Do you look up to God or look down at your watch?
Have you enjoyed worship and praise, or do you tolerate it?
You see if we are only half-hearted in making this weekly connection to God, then we can hardly expect to feel some great transformative sensation, can we?
The question arises: Do you really want to be transformed?
Be careful before you answer because it’s a dangerous thing to be transformed.
Transformation in Jesus might mean that you have to find new friends.
Transformation in Jesus might mean that you have to find a new code for living.
Transformation in Jesus will open your eyes to how you have lived so far, and you may be driven to make great changes to live your new transformed life.
Transformation in Jesus may mean forgiving people you refused to forgive previously; smiling at people you have pointedly ignored before now; apologizing to those you have hurt in the past; mending fences with those you have fallen out with; loving those you have previously hated.
Transformation means complete change.
Someone who is dear to me is going through a hard time right now. I have held that person in my prayers, and asked God to be a real presence in her life, and to bring her through this time. I have tried to invoke God’s presence in her life in such a way that she will be encouraged and uplifted, and relieved of stress and guarded against harm.
I have prayed that she will be brought through this time by His help, because He is the only one who can help at this time.
About three weeks ago I got a form from my bank to be attached to my Income Tax return. The form attests that I have made a payment into my RRSP’s of 9600 dollars.
That, as you know will trigger a tax refund of maybe three or four thousand dollars.
But I never made such a payment.
I had transferred some funds from one fund manager to another, and the bank had made a mistake in showing that transaction as coming from my regular account, rather than from my RRSP account.
If I chose to attach that form to my Income Tax Return, and claim my three thousand-dollar refund there would be little chance it would be questioned.
Even if the bank later found out its mistake – which would be unlikely, no blame could accrue to me. It was their mistake not mine. It is my own money. And of course, if it never came to light, then I would be three thousand or so dollars better off. And I could really use the money.
I could even, if I really tried, keep that transaction secure in the investment compartment in my mind, and separate from the God part of my mind.
Or could I?
Because – how could I ask for God’s help on one hand, and on the other hand perpetuate deceit?
I told the bank and they checked their records, and put everything right. I returned the erroneous form.
I don’t tell you this to show how honest I am, because a part of me said, “It won’t harm anybody, and no-one will ever find out.”
I tell it to illustrate the plain fact that our lives have to be transformed in every department.
It’s a bit like a light bulb. It can’t be half lit. It is either on or off.
That old excuse, “Well everyone does it,” won’t wash any more, once you have been transformed.
That other excuse, “No one will ever know about it,” won’t wash either, once you have been transformed.
The light of Christ will illuminate every corner, or it will illuminate none.
You can’t be half Christian, half follower of Jesus, a half time player.
Former President Bush, in one of his speeches about combating terrorism, said that countries that wouldn’t aid in the fight against terrorism would be considered terrorists.
What he was saying was that if you are not with us you are against us.
Jesus said the same thing.
If you are not with me, you are against me.
Think about it.
If we are only half hearted Christians, then obviously, some of the things we say or do will not be compatible with being a follower of Jesus.
We will be against him.
Peter says in his letter, that the things we have seen and heard about Jesus, and the things written about him are certainly true. He says that we should continue to pray and pay attention to the way we follow Jesus, and keep on praying until the daylight comes, and the morning star rises in our hearts.
It’s being attentive, isn’t it? It’s being purposeful in our pilgrimage.
It’s being different. Totally different.
This is my own dear Son. I am pleased with him. Listen to what he says.
If you are not with me, you are against me.
But if you are with me, I will be with you to the end of the age.
Amen.