In talking about my call story, I’ve shared that there was absolutely no way, ever, that I was going to be a pastor. As my willingness to accept my call ebbed and flowed over the course of about 6 years, one of the moments that affected my ability to accept my call happened while sitting in a little chapel in Jerusalem. As we gathered at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, in the chapel where the English-speaking congregation met, I was amazed by how many people had gathered in that space from numerous countries. Some of us were brought there during our week-long trips, while others lived and worked in Jerusalem, and still others were spending a few months volunteering and accompanying the Palestinians. I honestly don’t know if I have ever felt closer to God than that worship experience, despite the fact that almost ten years later I can remember very few details about the actual service. To me, it felt like such a powerful representation of the body of Christ language that we often talk about, while also being one of the most welcoming worship services I had ever been a part of. For me, it was an encounter that would change my experience with God forever.
While our Transfiguration story today is full of captivating details and Jesus’ radiant brilliance shining before these three disciples, at the heart of this story is a very similar word: transformation. Because, at the heart of our story, we see a development in the faith of Peter, James, and John; one that is so profound that they struggle with how to even talk about it with others. It is a moment in which they saw God differently, and it would change their lives moving forward. Which, honestly, can happen when we experience a life-changing and faith-shaping event. It changes us in ways we can’t even describe.
But, before we can talk too much about their faith in this story, we need to go back just a little bit earlier in Luke Chapter 9. This story, while powerful on its own, gains even more when we look at the fuller context of Luke 9. Shortly before today’s Gospel reading, we get the story of Jesus asking the disciples who the crowds say he is, as well as who do they say that he is (Luke 9: 18-20). Their answers on behalf of the crowds include “John the Baptist,” “Elijah,” or one of the other prophets (Luke 9:18), yet it is Peter who correctly identifies Jesus as the Messiah (Luke 9: 20). Peter’s identification of Jesus feels like an important detail in our story today, especially when Moses and Elijah appear to Peter, James, and John on top of the mountain with Jesus (Luke 9: 30). Representing the law and the prophets, their presence also helps to solidify for these disciples that Jesus is not in fact, Elijah, as some of the people suspect. These three disciples, the first three who were called to follow Jesus, have been transforming their faith along the way as they come to understand more fully who this Jesus actually is and what it means for the world. And it also gives a summary of what God has been doing through this connection of the law and the prophets to Jesus.
I love the story of Transfiguration because at its heart, it is the continued development of the faith of these three disciples in a way that builds on stories of the past. We still have God continuing the tradition of speaking from a cloud and proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God (Luke 9: 35). They might not be able to look upon God, after all God speaks through cloud and smoke because it was believed that no one looked upon God and lived, but here in Jesus we have the tangible, visible Son of God. And the command that goes with is to “listen to him” (Luke 9: 35). This is where I remind us that listening in the Biblical sense also involved action. It went beyond just hearing what was said but truly taking it to heart. By doing this, God continues to establish Jesus’ authority to teach and preach, just as was done at Jesus’ baptism. And, that reminder is needed because Jesus still has a lot of tough things to say, and the people won’t always want to listen. In fact, it would be a lot easier if they didn’t listen to what he was saying, if they could continue living in denial about what is happening in their world.
The other reason why I love this story is because the disciples want Elijah and Moses to stay, they are ready to build tents for them so that they can continue dwelling among the people (Luke 9: 33) and are a bit surprised when Jesus appears alone again shortly after (Luke 9:36), but I think it also highlights the ways that God is working in the world and how seemingly short relationships and encounters can have a dramatic impact on our lives. When it comes to thinking about who or what has impacted our faith over the course of our lives, it’s often a mix of long-term and passing experiences. Yet, no matter who or what has that impact on you, may we continue to be open to the ways that God is working in the world and is transforming us in the process, even when it’s not quite as shiny and sparkly as Jesus’ Transfiguration on the mountaintop. It brings them hope, just as these encounters bring hope to us.
Ultimately, these stories from the ninth chapter of Luke lay the groundwork for what is to come. I want to make note of the fact that our Transfiguration story today is also sandwiched between the first two of the three times Jesus foretells about his death. Jesus wants to make sure that, even if they don’t know how to talk about it and he forbids them from talking about it anyway, the disciples understand just who it is that is teaching and leading them. These stories are preparing the disciples for what Jesus’ teachings are truly about, and why it will matter so much that he will be tortured, killed, and rise again. This is the bridge in which we enter the season of Lent, when we too are left with these warnings and stories about how Jesus will be killed only to rise again, and as we hear those stories of betrayal and torture during Holy Week. Look at what God has done throughout history and what Jesus is saying will happen to him in the near future, and listen to him. Trust him and ultimately trust God, that God knows what is happening and why, even if it doesn’t make sense to us.
In my quarterly newsletter article, I talked about how Lent isn’t another season of “shoulds,” but at the same point it is the season when we really focus on what is at the heart of our faith and how God is transforming us as well. Lent is a season in which we get to return to God and focus on our relationships with the world, but in a way that transforms us. It isn’t just about going through the motions so that we can “do Lent perfectly,” but it involves looking at why we are doing the things we chose to and how it is impacting us and our communities. I’m sure I’ll talk about this more through Lent, but for now, I want to say that I love getting the Transfiguration story right before Lent because it leads us into Lent with our eyes open to the ways that God is working in the world. It reminds me of one of my favorite hymns, “Light Dawns on a Weary World.” May we continue to be open to the ways that God is moving and working, knowing that it will probably be in ways that we could never even imagine. And, in the midst of these things which we cannot understand, may we trust in God and God’s faithfulness throughout history when we think about all the ways we and the world still have left to transform. And, may we live in love and hope, following this light that is dawning.