Sermon 2/14/21
Created by: Senior Pastor Sarah West
Sermon Series: Living in the Light
Title: A Light Like No Other
Scriptures: Mark 9:2-9
Mark 9:2-9
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Today is the final Sunday of our series Living in the Light. For six weeks we have explored scriptures that talk about darkness and light. We have examined what it means to be called children of light and to discern God’s presence in the dark. We have wrestled with Christ’s call to be a light to the world, a city on a hill and like Paul, to have our entire life transformed by the light of Christ.
Today we are invited to step away from our daily tasks and to go with Jesus and Peter and James and John up a high mountain. There, apart from the world, we witness an astonishing thing. Jesus is transfigured, light radiates from him, a light like nothing we have ever encountered. We find ourselves completely surrounded by a divine cloud of God’s presence and hear God’s voice. God’s actual voice speaking. The next thing we know Moses and Elijah have appeared and they are speaking with Jesus. It is as if for a moment the boundaries between heaven and earth dissolve and the temporal distinctions of past, present and future come together as one. What we think of as reality falls away and all that is left is light - the pure bright light of God’s presence and it is amazing and terrifying.
This is one of those passages that leaves me with more questions than answers.
What exactly did Peter and James and John see and experience on that mountain?
What was it really like?
Would I have wanted to have been there - or would it have been too overwhelming?
Why did Jesus go up the mountain in the first place? Was the transfiguration for his own benefit? (to be encouraged by the great prophets as he prepares to set his face to Jerusalem and his death) Or for the benefit of the disciples? (so that when they witness Christ’s death and the deep darkness of fear they can recall this moment of light and have hope?) Or both?
Why did Jesus order the disciples not to tell anyone about what they had witnessed?
Why did the transfiguration take place at this particular moment in time?
The whole scene seems so hard to conceive. What difference does it make in my daily life, my world, my reality?
Obviously I do not have answers to all of these questions, nor do I have time to tackle all of them in my meditation today. What I would like to do is focus on a couple of insights that I came across in my studies this week. They will barely scratch the surface of the mystery of the transfiguration of Christ, but I hope they will shed some light on our path.
The first insight I want to explore is the idea that not all light is the same.
Or to put it another way - “All that glitters is not gold”
The apostle Paul wrote:
. . . the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4
The story of the transfiguration sends a clear message - If we want to know God, we need to look to the life of Christ where God’s light is most clearly seen. However, we often fail to recognize this true life-giving light because we are distracted by all of the false lights vying for our attention in the world. We live in a world that constantly seeks our attention - “Look over here, focus on me, I’m so shiny”.
This may sound cliche - but when I think about the false lights of the world, the first image that comes to mind is Times Square in NY City. Now don’t misunderstand me, I love NYC and when we lived in upstate NY we took our family on a couple of trips to see the sights and visit museums. I can still recall my very first time visiting Times Square. I was 30 years old. I had seen it on TV, Dick Clark’s NY Rockin Eve, but it couldn’t compare with standing on the sidewalk with the energy of the city buzzing in my ears staring up at the lights streaming across the buildings. Everywhere I turned my eyes I could see the dizzying and dazzling array of the lights of this world.
Sparkle of Wealth: stock market scrolling constantly across one screen
Bright spot light of Media: movie ads, television promos, news programs
Shiny lure of Consumerism of all kinds (food, fashion, entertainment, possessions)
As I reflect on the lights of Times Square and what they represent I am reminded that
Not all light is good light:
Those who have designed these beautiful lights to lure us in do not necessarily have our best interest in mind.
It reminds me of the Anglerfish. Maybe you have seen a picture of one before. They are a funny looking fish. Attached to their bodies is a lighted, dangling lure that looks like a fat, juicy worm. The anglerfish entices prey close with the glowing lure, then pounces.
Not all lights in our world are life-giving. My other thought about the lights of Times Square, and the competing lights of our world, is that they are exciting but honestly they are also exhausting. They are an endless stream demanding our focus and attention.
This brings me to my second observation for today. If we want to draw close to God and enjoy the light God offers, it helps to get away from the distracting lights of this world. I realize that mountaintop experiences like the one described in our passage today are not commonplace. We can’t exactly make them happen. And yet there must be something important about stealing away: going up a mountain or out to a quiet and solitary place. We see Jesus throughout his lifetime leaving the crowds behind and seeking out places to pray and commune with God.
As we begin the season of Lent this week, a season of prayer and self-examination, of drawing closer to God, it is good to be reminded of our need to set aside time to steal away to be with Jesus. I appreciate that things are a bit more challenging this year, we are cooped up in our houses. The frigid temperatures and bad weather aren’t helping either. Not like we can go out and sit on some lovely hillside to commune with God. And yet we have this, our lovely sanctuary, open 5 days a week for quiet prayer. Even at home, it can be as simple as closing the door and lighting a candle and entering into a time of prayer.
The final insight I want to pass along comes from the 5th century religious thinker Pseudo-Dionysius who wrote a book called “The Celestial Hierarchy”. He describes the Light of God and the Light of Jesus this way:
"Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights." But there is something more. Inspired by the Father, each procession of the Light spreads itself generously toward us, and, in its power to unify, it stirs us by lifting us up. It returns us back to the oneness and deifying simplicity of the Father who gathers us in. For, as the sacred Word says, "from him and to him are all things." Let us, then, call upon Jesus, the Light of the Father, the "true light enlightening every man coming into the world," "through whom we have obtained access" to the Father, the light which is the source of all light. -Pseudo-Dionysius 5th or 6th century
The Celestial Hierarchy
This is a rich quote with a lot to chew on. But the central idea is this - God’s light has the power to unify and unite. It gathers us in, it returns us back to oneness with God, with Christ, with all that was and is and is to come. I know for me, this understanding of the transfiguration, of looking to Jesus Christ as the source of light that gathers us together and unites us, has meant the most to me this year. We have just been through a year of isolation and cultural division. Even though we can finally glimpse a little light at the end of the tunnel, we are still facing a season of Lent and Easter physically apart from one another. I know I am not alone in longing for a deeper sense of connection and community. Pastor Shelby and I and our elders have had several conversations over the past few months about how we as a church can come together, to be in community, to share in the love and light of Jesus Christ. And to share Christ’s love and light with the world.
Through prayer and conversation we decided to take this season of Lent to focus on Community. To explore how we are still united as the body of Christ, even while apart. Our staff and worship committee and elders have come up with some creative ways to deepen our connection with God and one another throughout the next 7 weeks of Lent, Holy Week and Easter. I want to invite you to take part in any or all of these opportunities.
Beginning with Ash Wednesday this week, and throughout the Sundays of Lent we encourage you to join together in worship as we explore what the scriptures teach us about being God’s community. Our elders are leading weekly bible studies based on the Sunday scriptures. These small group discussions are a great way to dig deeper into God’s word and forge stronger spiritual connections with one another through study, sharing and prayer.
Because prayer is our primary vehicle for connecting with God and one another, Shelby and I will be introducing a new prayer practice each week of Lent. We encourage you to try them out and explore new ways to deepen your connection with God through prayer.
As always, Pastor Shelby and I are available to meet with you either in person or by phone to offer spiritual support.
Lastly, as a community rooted in compassion, we want to connect with our community at large, to share God’s vision of the beloved community with those who may not realize how precious they are to God and may not have a faith community to love and support them. This year we are erecting a community prayer wall that will be located near the food pantry and Boyer St. entrance. Anyone and everyone is invited to tie a ribbon on the wall and offer up their prayers. Markers will be available if you want to write out your prayer. Or you can simply select the color of ribbon that matches the type of prayer you want to offer - Red for Help, Green for Joy, Yellow for Thanks, Blue for Sorry. It is a great way to reach out to someone you know who is struggling. You could invite them to come with you to visit the prayer wall. Or you could tie a prayer ribbon on their behalf, take a picture and send it to them to let them know God cares for them.
Lent is a special time of year to dedicate ourselves to follow Christ, our life and our light. The only thing better than walking this 40 day journey of Lent is walking it together.