February 10, 2002

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany

Transfiguration Sunday

Matthew 17:1-9 NT p. 17 or 1201

[1] Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.

[2] And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.

[3] Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

[4] 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."

[5] 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!"

[6] When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.

[7] But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid."

[8] And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

[9] 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."

[NRSV]

"Eyewitnesses Of His Majesty"

(2 Peter 1:16-21)

Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn

2 Peter 1:16-21 NT p. 219 or 1521

[16] For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.

[17] For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

[18] We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

[19] So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

[20] First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,

[21] because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

[NRSV]

INTRODUCTION:

In 1975 Brigham City constructed a brand new pistol range for their police officers. So they decided to open it in style. They invited a team of crack marksmen from the Utah Peace Force. The idea was that one of these crack shots would step forward and break the ceremonial ribbon with a single bullet. It was a total disaster. Five hundred bullets later the ribbon remained impressively unspoiled.

According to an eyewitness, it was only cut when an officer stepped forward and 'let go with a shot gun' at pointblank range, leaving the ribbon in smoldering shreds.

Don't you just love stories like that? I really love it when the stories can be corroborated by eyewitnesses. Those eyewitnesses make the story more believable. They give it some credibility and move it from the realm of hearsay. That's why the detectives in all the crime shows and in real life canvas the area of a crime scene looking for eyewitnesses. An eyewitness, most times, can clinch a case.

In today's reading we read about the Transfiguration. We heard Matthew's account of what happened there on the mountain top. But ask yourself this: "If Jesus only took Peter, James and John with him, how did Matthew know what happened?" Well, the obvious answer is that either one of the four or all of the four, told him what had happened. They were eyewitnesses to the event.

They were Eyewitnesses Of The Majesty Of Jesus. And that's what Peter is saying. Listen to it from Eugene Peterson's Paraphrase in The Message: 2 Peter 1:16-21

[16] We weren't, you know, just wishing on a star when we laid the facts out before you regarding the powerful return of our Master, Jesus Christ. We were there for the preview! We saw it with our own eyes:

[17] Jesus resplendent with light from God the Father as the voice of Majestic Glory spoke: "This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of all my delight."

[18] We were there on the holy mountain with him. We heard the voice out of heaven with our very own ears.

[19] We couldn't be more sure of what we saw and heard - God's glory, God's voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. You'll do well to keep focusing on it. It's the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for daybreak and the rising of the Morning Star in your hearts.

Peter doesn't sound the least bit hesitant does he? There's none of this, "I know you're going to find this hard to believe but . . ."

Instead, Peter proclaims the Good News of Jesus with confidence. Why? How? Because he was an eyewitness.

I. WHAT HAPPENED:

A. So, let's look at what happened. This passage begins with the words, "six days after." We need to back up those six days to understand. It was then that Jesus revealed to the disciples that He would be going to Jerusalem to face the cruelty of the cross and die for the sins of the world. They were stunned. to say they were shocked is an understatement. For six days they stewed on this. For six days the weight of this decision oppressed their souls and spirits.

Then on the seventh day, or the "Sabbath" day, Jesus took his three closest companions, Peter, James and John and ascended the Mount. And it was there, in the presence of Moses and Elijah that the guesses and wishes and calculations were proven to be true. Jesus face shown with the glory of heaven. He stood robed in the raiment of Heaven. And if that wasn't enough, the very voice of the creator of all that is, spoke.

Out of the mystery of the cloud. Out of the same cloud that lead Moses and the children of Israel through the Wilderness came God's voice. It was the same cloud into which Elijah was lifted upon the wheels of a chariot of fire. It was the cloud of God's glory; the cloud of God's presence. The significance of this cloud and the heights and the seventh day wasn't missed by any one of the disciples.

The reality of God was there. No wonder they hid their faces. But it wasn't out of fear. It was simply because God is so Holy. God is too awesome to look upon. So God comes in the cloud. And out of that cloud comes the voice of God.

To the disciples at the foot of the mountain, it just sounded like thunder. But to Peter, James and John it was the voice of God. And God said: "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!"

What if they had stayed behind? What if the disciples had sounded like sulky surly kids: "Do I have to go? Can't I stay home and watch TV? This is so boring? You make me do everything you want. Why can't I do what I want?" If you've got kids, then you've probably heard these and more.

Luckily that's not what they did. They went and we have been richer because of their eyewitness account of his once in a lifetime event. Any doubts they had were taken away, for the moment.

B. But the old adage is true "What goes up, must come down." As much as Peter wanted to stay in the moment. As much as Peter wanted to revel in the majesty, Jesus' mission would not be fulfilled if they stayed on the mountain top. Jesus couldn't fulfill God's purpose for His coming if they stayed there trying to relive the glory and majesty of that moment. So they had to come down.

They had to step off of the mountain top and back into the every-day-ness of the ordinary world. But in so doing, they could never be the same. Their close encounter of the Holy kind left them changed. You could see it in their faces. And you could hear it in their voices.

You could see it and hear it and feel it, even years later when Peter wrote this letter. That experience became an anchoring point; and even a measuring rod for Peter and some of the others. Just like Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus became an anchoring point for him. Why?

Because they had been Eyewitnesses of the Majesty of Jesus. They had been eyewitnesses to the glory of God. They knew what they had seen. They had all seen the same thing. And it changed them.

II. GLIMPSES:

A. Okay? So it changed them? So what? What difference does it make? What difference does it make to me? Well, maybe you can see what difference it makes through this little skit.

B. You see, it doesn't take the mountain top experience of Peter, James or John, all it takes is a glimpse of the glory and majesty of God in Christ. And we can catch that glimpse in a million places. In a smile. In a word. In a sunrise or sunset. In a giggle. In a tear. In a kind deed. In an intelligent person or one who's a bit slow like the character Ollie.

But the most profound place, the most moving place to get that glimpse is in the face of another. Or for someone else to see it in our face.

When the Spirit fills us it is noticeable in how we act and live. And the presence of the Spirit starts gleaming through our faces whenever we start bearing witness to Christ. When we start to tell about the glory and majesty of our Savior, His glory and majesty shine through. We have our own small transfiguration moment right there.

Let me give you another glimpse of what that glory looks like in our faces today.

I found a very powerful illustration in a sermon preached by Dr. Julian M. Aldridge in 1999 at Myers Park United Methodist Church. He found it in the North Carolina Christian Advocate under the heading, TURNING HATE INTO LOVE.

It involves a United Methodist minister named Mark Lykins and a layperson named Steve. Steve is a former Ku Klux Klansman. Steve was active in promoting racial hatred through intimidation and meanness.

This minister and his spouse, also a clergyperson, were appointed by the Methodist Church to start a new church in Durham, NC. The initiators thought it would be a fast track church. They began with Bible study in living rooms. The core group soon realized God was calling them to reach out to all people. They became a multicultural, multiracial community of Christian Faith representing seventeen different countries in the Durham area.

When the Church sought to purchase land, they ran into difficult resistance. The KKK was agitating and picketing. Their temporary church building was vandalized. Bricks smashed the windows of the minister's car.

That was ten years ago. Recently, Mark Lykins was participating in a Walk to Emmaus Weekend. Emmaus is a time of spiritual retreat. It was there that Mark encountered a man who thought he looked familiar. In a conversation, Mark learned about this committed lay person's previous experience with the KKK. It was then that the light dawned.

Something the man said, confessing his past, made Mark realize this was the person who had thrown the bricks through his car windows. Mark looked Steve in the eye and said, "Steve, I have every right to knock you flat on the ground for the grief you caused me, my family, and all my friends; but, because I have been forgiven by God, in the name of Jesus Christ, I forgive you! And, you are now my brother!"

They embraced. They cried. Other men began to sing, "Sing alleluia to the Lord."

This didn't happen because this former KKK member sat down and, first and foremost, decided on his own he would change from hate to love. No! The transformation happened because God revealed Himself in the face of Jesus Christ. And this man, in the midst of that revelation, saw with the eyes of faith and said, "Yes!"

Steve's life has never been the same since. He became a new person, the possessor of new life! (2)

And I dare say, that through Steve's tear stained, repentant face, Rev. Mark Lykins was able to see the face of Christ. And as a consequence, he was able to give the forgiveness he needed to give so the weight of his anger could be lifted from his heart. The cloud of God's glory had descended. The voice of God had spoken.

CONCLUSION:

Boxer Muhammed Ali is one of the most popular boxers of all time. His popularity is worldwide. Before his 1971 fight with Joe Frazier, Ali boasted: "We're gonna decide once and for all who is King! There's not a man alive who can whup me. I'm too smart. I'm too pretty. I am the greatest. I am the king! I should be a postage stamp - that's the only way I could get licked!" (3)

"We're gonna decide once and for all who is King!" said Ali. That was decided a long time ago on a hill outside Jerusalem. That was decided on a cruel cross.

Six days before the transfiguration, Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem and the cross so that we could know that He is the King of Kings. In the next few weeks we will be doing the same thing. We'll be doing a "Cross Examination" if you will, of our selves as we prepare for Easter. The Christian Season of Lent begins Wednesday night with an Ash Wednesday Service.

Lent is a time to intentionally seek out the presence of God's glory. It's a time when we seek that cloud of God's presence. It's a time when we study and think and pray and reflect so that we too can hear the voice of God and have the confidence of Peter, James and John.

Why? Because you and I have been called to be Eyewitnesses Of His Majesty. You and I are called to exhibit the same confidence as Peter and let the light and glory of Christ shine through us for others to see. The Scripture says that when Peter, James and John "looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone." [8]

Let the glory of God and the light of Christ shine in you so that all anyone sees is "Jesus, alone."

This is the Word of the Lord for this day.

________________________________

Bibliography

1. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), January 1993 Taken from Cannibals in the Cafeteria, by Stephen Pile, submitted by Robert Strand, Park Crest Assembly of God, Springfield, Missouri

3. Michael Green, The Expositor's Illustration File, 1982, 1985.

Other References Consulted

Dynamic Preaching, Jan/Feb/Mar 2002 Vol XVII, No. 1. (Seven Worlds Publishing, Knoxville, TN)

Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series VI, Cycle A, (CSS Publishing, Lima, OH, 1998) SermonPrep Version.

Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series VII, Cycle A, (CSS Publishing, Lima, OH, 2001) SermonPrep Version.

Sermon Mall - www.SermonMall.com

Lectionary Homiletics, Volume XIII, Number 2, February 2002, (Lectionary Homiletics, Inc. Midlothian, VA)

Homiletics, January/February 2002, (Communications Resources, Inc., Canton, OH)