[9]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.
Believe it our not, this is one of the most dreaded Sundays in the Christian year for folks who use the Lectionary for their preaching. Why? Because it deals with the Transfiguration of Jesus. Generally, this is one of those "What does that mean and how am I supposed to explain that?", sort of passages. It's difficult because, like the little boy told his mother, we "don't really know how it works." And when you don't know how something works, it's hard to explain.
Just look at this passage. Jesus invites Peter, James and John to go up on the mountain to pray. Jesus takes sort of a midweek mini retreat and invites three of the four original disciples to go with him. They were ecstatic. Then up on the mountain top they're praying up a storm, when all of a sudden Jesus flips open his communicator and says, "Two to beam down Mr. Scott." And then there's Moses and Elijah standing with Jesus. Like an episode of Star Trek, Moses and Elijah are suddenly standing there like two ghosts from the past. They appear right out of thin air.
Scripture says the disciples were terrified. I've always wanted to tell the author, "No fooling?" We would have been terrified. Out of the clear blue the guy we've been traveling with for the past two or three years starts to glow and shine like some special effect in a science fiction movie. And then ghosts of two of Israel's most powerful and beloved ancestors are standing with him. You bet we'd be terrified. Then just as suddenly as they appeared, Moses and Elijah are gone and Jesus is back to normal. But not before we hear from God. And not before Peter sticks his foot in his mouth. Talk about a strange passage.
What are we supposed to make of this passage? And how does it fit into our daily lives? Our stewardship campaign? Our building program? Or anything else?
Do you remember the movie "Leap of Faith" with Steve Martin? Steve Martin plays Jonas Nightingale, a traveling evangelist; a con man using God and faith and religion to prey upon the unsuspecting in order to line his own pockets. There's one scene where Jonas comes out on stage in a white coat. The lights go down. He pulls the coat off, flips it inside out and puts it back on. Then a spot light hits him and a thousand beams of light shoot off in every direction. The coat is covered with tiny mirrors. He looks like a walking ballroom light. But it's all show. It's all razzle dazzle. He's not really pointing to God. He's pointing to himself. He's in it for the money. To him, the congregation is nothing more than suckers to be fleeced.
B. Contrast that with what we see taking place on the mountain. Jesus took Peter, James and John to the mountain top so they might renew their spirits and gain some spiritual insight.
But Peter didn't get it , right then. You sort of get the impression that Peter could have served as the head of our building committee. He was some kind of ready to build wasn't he.
And you can't really blame him. Talk about a Kodak moment. All those Biblical figures gathered in one place. Once he got over his fear of the unknown and recognized the glory of the moment, Peter went into action. He wanted to memorialize the event. He wanted to build a Booth, a tabernacle, a shelter in which to worship. But Jesus said, "No. Our work isn't on the mountain, it's back down in the valley." And that's when God got Peter's attention by speaking up.
Basically God said, "Be quiet and listen." Mark's Gospel puts it this way: God said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" So, one of the things we can learn from this passage is to listen. To listen to God and to listen to Jesus, the Son of God.
A very nervous airline passenger began pacing the terminal when bad weather delayed his flight. During his walk he ran across one of those life insurance machines. It offered $100,000 in the event of an untimely death aboard his flight. The policy was just $3. He looked out the window at the threatening clouds and thought about his family at home. For that price it was foolish not to buy, so he took out the coverage. He then looked for a place to eat. Some airports now carry a pretty good variety of eateries so he settled on his favorite - Chinese. It was a very relaxing and calming meal until he opened his fortune cookie. It read: "Your recent investment will pay big dividends." He took a different flight. (2)
B. The poor guy lost his focus. He let little things get in the way and distract him from his purpose: to get home and from the knowledge that flying is the safest form of transportation.
We do the same with our relationship with God. We let other things, less important things, less meaningful things, sometimes even trivial things distract us from our purpose which is to love and serve God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. We let other things get in the way of our relationship with God. When what we are called to do is stay focused.
We're called to stay focused and we're called to help others, especially our children and youth to stay focused on Jesus. That is what is behind all of our youth and children's programs. A desire to help them listen to God and to focus their lives on Jesus only.
Did you see the article in the "Faith and Inspiration" section of the Star Telegram Saturday about Joe White's Baby Boomer Bible Study? It was a really good article. In reading it you may have missed the little article next to it entitled, "Impress a teen ... go to church." According to the Princeton Religion Research Center publication, Emerging Trends, a survey conducted with teenagers shows that teenagers are impressed by adults who go to church or other places of worship. 81% of the youth polled said that "With all the talk of the need to instill a sense of values in young people and for positive role models, there is one simple positive step adults can take - go to church or another place of worship." p. E-3
Our best influence is our own action and our own personal relationship with God. It helps us stay focused and live a faithful life. And it helps others stay focused as well.
They were transformed by this experience. But it wasn't an instant transformation. it was on ongoing, slow, day by day process. If it had been instant, Peter wouldn't have run away at the crucifixion or doubted prior to Pentecost. For some, like the Apostle Paul, transormation happens overnight. But most of us get transformed a little at a time, like building up your savings. We are transformed gradually by a faith relationship with Jesus and with others who love and serve Jesus. We're transformed through the guidance and presence of God's Holy Spirit in our daily lives. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
And that's good because Christianity is not in the business of "information about God" but "transformation by God."
B. Our stewardship is one of the ways in which God transforms us. As we grow in knowledge and faith, we come to realize that all we have and all that we are come from God. We don't really own anything but are simply managers or stewards of the gifts God has given us. Stewardship is the good management of God's gifts.
A member of another Church wrote: "For many years of my adult life, I thought of giving to the church much like children handle their allowances. I'd take care of the goodies I craved first and if anything was left over, I'd put it in the offering plate. Then one day my teenaged daughter gave me a half-eaten candy bar for my birthday. She said she'd spent all her money and that was all she had left.
It didn't bother me that I didn't get something nice from her. What concerned me was that I never taught her about priorities. Her gift to me was an afterthought, a leftover. I wasn't important enough in her life to be placed ahead of all the silly things she spent her money on.
My hurt from that experience caused me to take a long, hard look at my relationship with God. I had pretty much squeezed God out of my life, except on Sundays. God's work was not a priority in my life. God got whatever I had left.
That's all changed now. I've grown up in my giving. I now make the church and the work of God top priority in my budget, instead of giving insulting leftovers." (3)
This persons concept of stewardship was transformed. Through listening to God and focusing our lives on Jesus only, our lives are transformed, our relationships with others, especially our families and friends, are transformed. And the influence, both direct and indirect, that we have on others is transformed. Not through razzle dazzle but through the presence of Jesus in our lives.
CONCLUSION:
God is working a work of transformation in our Church. Both physically, through the building we are about to build and spiritually, through our faithfulness and commitment. God is working a work of transformation in our Church. Our challenge it to continue to listen to God and to focus on Jesus only. We may not "really know how it works" but when we listen to God and focus on Jesus only, God's work of transformation will continue.