Sunday
02/23/20 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title:
“Mountain Top Experiences!”
Old Testament
Scripture: Exodus 24:12-18
New Testament
Scripture: 2 Peter 1:16-21
Gospel Lesson: Matthew
17:1-9
Friends, welcome
again on this our Transfiguration Sunday. This Sunday in the life of the church
where we celebrate Jesus going up a mountain and being transformed or
transfigured in dazzling white in front of Peter, James and John (Mt. 17:1-2,
NRSV). Or to put it another way, on this day, Jesus is literally visually different
in front of Peter, James and John. In these moments of the transfiguration, these
three disciples experience Jesus in a way that they had never experienced Him
before.
On this mountain, Peter, James and John experienced
something miraculous and amazing. We might call this experience a “Mountain Top
Experience!” When I think of a “Mountain Top Experience,” I think of those
moments in our lives that are amazing and life changing. Those moments where we
felt invincible, felt victorious, felt loved, and felt God’s presence. Those
moments were everything seemed perfect and our worries and problems seemed
miles and miles away.
We all have had many “Mountain Top Experiences!” For me, I
think of graduating from High School and other graduations. I think of the day
that Melissa and I moved into our first apartment and then house. I think about
our wedding day, the day when I said “I do” to soon, and then said it again for
a second time, later in the service.
There have been various moments and days in my life that
were amazing moments. Moments that I wish never ended. Moments were everything was
perfect, and I was at peace with myself, with God, and with the world. As I am talking,
I would encourage you to think about some of your “Mountain Top Experiences!”
Try to remember how you felt in that moment, on that day. It was incredible
wasn’t it?
What’s it like to win the Super Bowl and hold up that Heisman
Trophy, as confetti flies everywhere and the crowd cheers? What did it feel
like to hold your newborn baby for the first time? What did it feel like to
hold your newborn grand-child or great grand-child for the first time? What did
it feel like the day some of you retired? What did it feel like that moment you
went on the best vacation ever? What was it like when you prayed and prayed for
someone who was sick, and they got better? What was it like when God showed up
when you least expected Him to?
Friends, our lives are filled with so many moments and
experiences, and thankfully some of these moments and experiences are “Mountain
Top Experiences.” We also have times though that we might be in the deepest
valleys, as often we are not on the mountain top in our lives. Often in our
lives we are somewhere on the mountain itself, just not on the top. Where are
you at today? Are you in the valley, are you somewhere on the mountain, or are
you on the mountain top today?
In my life, as I said, I have had some amazing “Mountain
Top Experiences” with God. These experiences help me to pursue my call to
ministry. As the pastor of this church, I hope and pray that you have had and
will continue to have “Mountain top Experiences” with God through Jesus Christ,
and the power of the Holy Spirit.
I remember two years ago for example, in 2018 at our Upper
New York Annual Conference, I was ordained into the United Methodist Church. I
had started my seminary studies and my ministry candidacy in 2010, so it had
been 8-years of work, preparation, prayer, sacrifice, discernment, and study.
As I knelt at the altar rail on June 2, 2018, our bishop, Bishop Mark Webb put
his hands on my shoulders. In doing so he spoke Biblical words over me and
called upon the Holy Spirit to fill me and to guide me. He then took my red
clergy stole that my mom Susan made for me, and he put it around my neck. A
clergy stole is supposed to represent a yoke that would go on a plow horse. The
bishop took this red stole, and as he put it around my neck, he looked my right
in the eyes and said, “Paul, you are yoked to Christ for life, and life eternal!”
I honestly wish that day had never ended. What a “Mountain Top Experience!”
The next day, Sunday, I came to both churches that I was
serving at the time. They were very excited that I was now ordained in the church.
Within no time though, I came back down from the mountain top. I realized that
a new title and red stole, while they were great, they didn’t change anything
about the ministry that I was and am still called to. I was still Paul,
ministry was still what is was, and I needed to get back to work. So, I headed
down from the mountain top. This morning,
on this our Transfiguration Sunday, we are very much talking about mountain
tops.
In
fact, in our reading for this morning from the Book of Exodus once again, we
have Moses going up the mountain, more specifically, Mount Sinai. (Ex.
24:12-13, NRSV). Moses is going up the mountain, so that God can give him the
10-Commandments and the religious laws that the people of Israel should all
live by. Moses will receive the actual stone tablets from God, with the
10-Commandments.
The
scripture says that when Moses went up the mountain, that a cloud covered the
mountain, and that “The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai” for six days.
On the seventh day, God called to Moses out of that cloud. Moses then entered
the cloud on the mountain top for 40-days and 40-nights. Moses tells us that
the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a “devouring fire” (Ex. 24:12-18,
NRSV). Moses had an amazing “Mountain Top Experience” and no doubt it changed
him forever, like many of our own “Mountain Top Experiences”.
Moses then of course comes down from Mount Sinai with the
tablets that contain the 10-Commandments. I can imagine that for Moses, as I
said, that being up there on Mount Sinai for all that time and seeing and
experiencing the glory of God, must have been amazing. Not only did Moses know
the 10-Commandments, he physically carried them down the mountain. I can imagine
that for Moses this was the ultimate “Mountain Top Experience!”
Also,
when any of us are physically on a mountain top, we are closer to heaven. What would
it be like to climb the world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest? To climb that
great mountain and stand at its peak? Some men and women have made climbing
Mount Everest a life goal.
In a way, Moses climbing Mount Sinai in our Book of Exodus
reading for this morning, is like Jesus leading Peter, James and John up a mountain
this morning. Peter in fact, from his second letter from this morning, tells us
again what happened with Jesus on this mountain. This is what Peter says once again
from our reading from 2 Peter for this morning:
“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. 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.” We ourselves
heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.
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. First of all you must understand this,
that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because
no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit
spoke from God” (2
Pet. 1:16-21, NRSV).
Peter
says in our reading from 2 Peter for this morning once again, that what happened
on this day wasn’t just a myth. Peter said that they were physically there on that
mountain, and that they saw Jesus transfigured right in front of them. Peter also
said that they heard God the father speaking, and that they all witnessed all
of this on “the holy mountain”.
On this day of a “Mountain Top Experience,”
we hear once again what it says in the gospel of Matthew reading for this morning,
about Jesus’s transfiguration. Once again, the gospel of Matthew reading for
this morning says:
“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” (Mt.
17:1-19, NRSV).
When Moses went up
Mount Sinai to receive the 10-Commandments in our Book of Exodus for this
morning, he communed with God. He saw the power, the presence, and the majesty
of God. This morning on this our Transfiguration Sunday, Peter, James and John
see Jesus Transfigured or changed. Specifically, Jesus’ face shone like the
sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. I wonder what it must have been
like to see that. How did it feel? How would it change you forever?
Not only this, in this Transfiguration
experience, Moses and the great prophet Elijah from the Old Testament appear
with Jesus. They are talking with Jesus. Yet Moses is lesser that Jesus, as is
the great prophet Elijah. In our Book of Exodus reading, Moses goes up Mount
Sinai to commune with God and receive the 10-Commandments, but on the mount of transfiguration,
Moses and Elijah are communing with Jesus. Jesus, God in the flesh, the fulfillment
of the Old Testament Law, of the Old Testament prophecies, is the God in the
flesh that Moses and Elijah are speaking to this morning.
In this moment of Peter, James and
John witnessing this scene of transfiguration, Peter asks Jesus if it’s good that
they are present and witnessing this scene. Peter seems nervous and unsure of
himself. Further, Peter then asks Jesus if he should make a tent or a dwelling place
for Him, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Maybe Peter thought that they would
be there for awhile and would need a place to relax and sleep.
At this point of Peter asking these
things, a bright cloud then overshadows Peter, James and John, and God the
Father tells these three disciples of obey Jesus. In hearing and seeing these
things, these three disciples fell to the ground in fear. Peter sure got a good
answer from God!
As these three disciples are on the ground cowering
in fear, Jesus then touches them, and tells them to get up and to not be
afraid. At this point the three disciples look up and see nothing but Jesus,
who is now back to normal. So just like that, Jesus is back to normal and no
longer transfigured, and Moses and Elijah are gone. As soon as this experience
started it seemed, in then ended just as quickly.
So, this “Mountain Top Experience”
ends, and the three disciples go back down the mountain. This amazing life
changing “Mountain Top Experience,” just ends. So, the disciples go from being
on the top of the mountain, and then back down to regular normal life. On the
way back down the mount of transfiguration, Jesus then tells these three
disciples to keep secret what they had seen and heard, until He is raised from the
dead after his crucifixion. Jesus wanted to wait until he was ready for his
crucifixion, and then the story of the mount of transfiguration could be told.
In all three of our scripture readings
for this morning, we hear about “Mountain Top Experiences”. All of us in our
lives have had “Mountain Top Experiences!” It is my hope and my prayer that
this morning and in general, that you remember the joy, the love, the
excitement, the hope, and the peace of your own “Mountain Top Experiences”! Happy
Transfiguration Sunday! Amen.
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