Today we celebrate the Transfiguration of our Lord. As we will see, the story has much in common with Moses’ ascent up Mt. Sinai as well as well as Christ’s own Baptism. Understanding the Transfiguration may be a bit easier if we could read Greek, for the word from which we get Transfiguration is metamorphothe, a word that is probably better understood by us than is Transfigure. We think immediately of the fuzzy caterpillar, which withdraws within its cocoon and emerges a magnificent butterfly. That said, I must confess to you all I am always a bit dumbstruck by the prospect of putting the Transfiguration of our Lord into words. As the great George Buttrick noted, “I have never dared preach on the Transfiguration: it is the shekinah [the glory] of the New Testament. I shield my eyes and bow my head…” With such a posture, let us hear the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ, as told by Matthew. Matthew 17.1-9. Hear the Word of the Lord.
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Did you catch any of the parallels? If you recall, the Baptism of Christ was the first Sunday of this season of Ordinary Time and today is the last Sunday of Ordinary time. So the two stories make somewhat of bookends around this season. Let’s start our look there, with the bookends. Both stories revolve around the central character of Christ, and both develop with a profound theophany. A theophany is an epiphany (you all remember what that is right? When someone gets it!) about God. It is when God reveals Godself in a dramatic way. Both stories are theophanies where God is revealed in Christ. In both stories, God is revealed visually and audibly. In the Baptism, God is revealed as a dove, and in the Transfiguration God is revealed in a cloud. The truly striking similarity is the voice of God. In both instances, the voice of God says, “This is my son, whom I love. With him I am well pleased.” So here we see God, at the major shifts in Jesus’ life, giving love, affirmation and authority. It happens both when Jesus’ life transitions from preparation to ministry, and when his life transitions from ministry to the cross. God is there.
The startling similarities are even greater as we consider the Old Testament lesson we looked at with our children. It is a part of the larger story of the people of Israel. Israel’s story really comes to life as they emerge from the waters of the Red Sea and into freedom. Their faith is put to the test as they wander through the wilderness. Often they grumble about being hungry and thirsty. The wilderness of temptation is sometimes too much to bear. Then we come to our lesson for today. Moses goes up the mountain, and spends six days there as God’s glory appears in a cloud as an all-consuming fire. On the seventh day, Moses is called for a face to face with God. Thus he enters the cloud, receives the law, and is sent back to his people only to find they have grown tired of waiting and built for themselves an idol. Back to life as usual.
In a very similar way, Jesus ministry came to life as he came out of the waters of baptism. Following his baptism was a period of intense temptation. It was a period including the traditional story of temptation but also including Jesus’ struggle with that which lay ahead and his announcement that indeed he must die. Jesus’ trip up the mountain, like Moses’ happens after six days. The glory of God is revealed in a cloud and the voice of God is spoken audibly. The stories are eerily familiar.
So why do we spend our time looking at all the similarities? Because it will help us to note the differences. There are several differences, but one stands out true to the spirit of Transfiguration. That difference is seen in verse six. “The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.” I talk quite frequently of worship as our response to the revelation of God. Finally, the disciples get it. Finally, they fall down and worship the Lord. Finally they give a proper response to recognizing God in their midst.
We must be careful not to be too harsh on Peter, James and John. Moses & the Israelites had their moment as we saw today. The ending of that story is quite telling. Moses spent forty days on the mountain receiving the Law. When he descended back to the people, what did he find? He found worship. But it wasn’t worship of God – it was worship of a golden calf. In his anger, Moses shatters the stone tablets. He confronts Aaron. Aaron makes excuses. Moses gathers the Levites. The Levites kill 3,000 of their friends and family. This is a far cry from falling face down in worship.
In the story of Christ’s baptism, you recall, John and Jesus debate about who should be baptizing whom. Jesus finally wins, he comes up out of the water, God descends in the form of a dove, God’s voice proclaims the divine sonship of Christ, and Jesus heads straight for the wilderness, where, like the Israelites of old, he was tested. No mention of worship there either.
The disciples’ falling on their faces stand out because Matthew wants it to be perfectly clear that the only fitting response to God revealed in Christ is worship. The disciples fell flat on their faces with fear we are told. It may sound strange, but their fear really helps us to understand the nature of our worship. Their fear will also help us transition into the Lenten Season that will begin Wednesday as we celebrate the Service of the Ashes.
Holy fear is not that much unlike terror fear. It is a result of realization that two unlike things, that cannot exist in one another’s presence, are indeed together. For instance, I hear a window break – I hear footsteps. I know someone is in my house and both of us cannot exist peacefully there together. Or you go to work in the mill. When you are around a blast furnace, or molten metal, I dare to say there is probably a healthy awareness that you cannot exist in the presence of that heat. You would be completely and instantly consumed. I think it is fair to call that awareness fear. Aweful tragedy occurs when that fear disappears. When that fear quits producing precaution – when that fear abates and you are not as careful as you ought – when fear recedes and you no longer respect the thing to be feared, bad things happen.
At the Transfiguration, the disciples come to an awareness that they are in the presence of holiness. They realize, instantly, when confronted with the holiness of God, that sin and holiness do not mix. Darkness cannot exist in the presence of light. Because of sin, humanity cannot exist in the presence of divinity. The disciples are suddenly quiet aware of this and are helpless to do anything but acknowledge the holiness of God, while at the same time acknowledging their own unworthiness, and they fall face down – call it fear – call it worship – call it whatever you want.
We are mere mortals, and we have no business mingling with the likes of God. We have all sinned. We have all fallen short of the glory of God. We are all unworthy to be in the presence of such an awesome and holy God. And yet, so often we treat worship like we are going over to Bill and Ted’s house to watch a football game. So often we treat worship like a phone call to our cousin Eddy. So often we treat worship like a family reunion so distracted by chitchatting with those around us that we miss the profundity of coming into the presence of God.
There is only one reason we are able to enter the presence of Almighty God, and that reason is Christ. The only reason humanity and divinity can come together is because it came together in Christ – fully God and fully human. The only reason we sinful mortals can enter the presence of His Holiness is because our sin has be covered, and we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ – the perfect sacrifice. They only reason we who are in the dark can come into the presence of the Eternal Light is because the eternal light came to us in the person of Christ – the resurrection – who endured the darkest of darkness and transformed it into the light of holiness. He came, he died, he was raised again. Now he lives forever in each one of us so that we too may be transformed… we too may changed… we too may metamorphosized… we too may be transfigured so that our lives now shine, like Christ’s, with the light of his glory and holiness. How great is our God! And all we can do is fall flat on our faces, filled with fear and trembling, awe and worship to the glory of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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