Transforming Our Heart
Matthew 17:1-9
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.”
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So this is it! This is the last Sunday, where we focus primarily on the act of discipleship. And it could not have been more fitting to end with the scene we happen upon this morning. As usual, the disciples don’t seem to understand what is going on (or at least appear to not understand what is going on), when Moses and Elijah appear next to Jesus has been cloaked with a blinding radiant light. What happens afterward is a nod to our response when we experience such glory, such a revelation. And we will discover that as we dive into this passage, the problems the disciples wrestle with are still the same questions that we ask ourselves today. The question being, “What does it mean to live as people who have been transformed, touched, by the glory of the living God who has a claim on our lives?”
The disciples should be people we look up to as people of faith. We should look up to them not because they are perfect models of faith, but because they are imperfect models. They encapsulate what it means to wrestle with the questions regarding faith and what it means to live as people who have been touched by the transforming love of God. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much for us to see the many ways in which we have failed to live as people who have been touched by God’s life-altering love. The creation that God had called us to care for has been poisoned, the bonds that were supposed to unite us have been shaken by hate-filled and fear-filled ideologies, and a desire for profit over compassion has corrupted the sacredness of breaking bread and sharing without asking for anything in return. It’s enough to make us stop and ask whether we can still feel, still see, the glory of God in our midst.
That is why it is essential for us to go up to the mountain like the disciples. It's an opportunity for us to get away from the busy-ness, the chaos, and the hurt of the world. It's not running away or retreating, but taking the time, we need to be reminded of how God's glory still shines through even the darkest of days. It may be in that moment of our mountain top retreat where the demands and teachings of Jesus sink in, and begin the process of change within our hearts. In order for us to hear Jesus, and I mean really hear Jesus, we need to start with ourselves. Our own hearts need to be aligned with what Jesus is telling us. It’s something that we have been emphasizing throughout this whole series on what it means to be a disciple and a follower of God. And this reminder is reinforced one again by a voice that booms out from the heavens, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him, I am well pleased; listen to him!"
And that is where things get complicated because living out the teachings of Jesus means that we have to change what is at the very core of our lives. It means we cannot think of ourselves as individual units that are only concerned about ourselves, but as people who are connected with everyone and everything that God has created. Irenaeus, an early Christian theologian, once said that, "[T]he glory of God is the one who is living." What does it look like for the glory of God to be in us? Because if our lives do not reflect the glory, the radically transformative glory of God, then what are we doing? We cannot try and engineer our own solution by ignoring the calling that God has given us. We cannot ignore the plank in our own eye and obsess over the speck that is in someone else's eye. It's only when we hear, embrace, and act on God's transforming love and justice that we become people who are truly living.
It might be helpful to think of ourselves as mirrors that reflect the glory of God. There was a meme that I saw this past week that had a caption that read, “If we are created in the image of God, does that mean we are all God’s selfies?” It’s funny to think of ourselves as “God’s selfies,” but there is truth to what is being said. Our ability to love without borders, our ability to give without expectations, is not something of our own doing, but by the grace and power that comes from God. And it is something that cannot be contained to one moment or one experience, as Peter learns after he suggests that they build monuments for Jesus, Elijah, and Moses. As Jesus converses with Moses and Elijah, we are reminded of how God has worked through the lives of a multitude of women and men who learned that satisfaction is not gained through earthly treasures, but by carrying out God’s love, justice, and reconciliation.
As we end this series on discipleship with a reflection of what it means to be transformed by God, we have a chance to pursue that mountain top moment of clarity as we enter into the Season of Lent. May we be challenged this Lenten season by the words and teachings of Jesus. So that by the time we come out of our introspection, we are ready to tackle the hard work Jesus requires of us. Because we are not people of this time or place or country, but people who have been called to something more. So how are you going to let your lives be a reflection on the life-altering love of God?
We can strive to be better members of the community, showing our love for others and creating a space for voices that have long been silenced.
We can care for this wonderfully and beautifully created world, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it was never ours, to begin with, we are caretakers who have been charged with tending to this amazing gift.
We can go and be generous with how we use our time and talents. Whether it be here in the church or out in the community, our skills are meant to be shared.
We can continue to use and find new ways to use our facilities to be a place where people from all walks of life, of all backgrounds, of all economic statuses, no matter someone's life story, can find a place to grow whether it be in one of our services or community programs.
If we live like this, if we are willing to take on this hard work, and that is something we need to ask ourselves, then we will discover what it means to be an accurate reflection of the light and glory that comes from God. In doing these things, we live out a belief that faith is not for ourselves, that God is not ours and ours alone. We must be receptive to the reforming power of God's claim on our lives. And in doing so, our inward and outward change will impact others. Faith is communal, love is communal, and embodying these things, we tell the world that our hearts have been transformed for the benefit of all. Amen.