Sidney UMC - Transfiguration Sunday - 02/27/22 - Sermon - “A Mountain Top Experience!”

                                   Sunday 02/27/22 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:     “A Mountain Top Experience!”                                

Old Testament Scripture: Exodus 34:29-35                                     

New Testament Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

Gospel Lesson: Luke 9:28-43a

          We all have had those moments in our lives that we wish would last forever. Maybe it was a graduation, a wedding, an award, or something else. In that moment, on that day, that week, or that month you were truly on the mountain top. You were on top of the world. Take a moment as I am talking and think about those moments in your life that you felt invincible. Those moments where everything seemed perfect, and you were filled with joy, hope, and love.

          A moment in the past five-years for me, was when I got ordained as an Elder in the United Methodist Church. I knelt before our bishop, and he put my red stole around my neck. I had spent 8-years training and preparing, and the day had come when I was an ordained pastor. I was told that I had an extra spring in my step-in church the day after that.

          While I am still honored and blessed to be an ordained pastor, “The Mountain Top Experience” faded. By this I mean, that excitement leveled out, as such things often to. Yet, having mountain top experiences is something that we all encounter. I have had mountain top experiences with God, and maybe you have to.

          It is different for everyone in their faith walks in this life, but I have noticed that for many of us, the strength of our faith sometimes has its peaks and its valleys. There are times in our lives where our faith in Christ is unbelievably strong, and there are times that it is not as strong. As I am talking, you can probably think of times in your life of trial and struggle. Maybe in that time you were closer to God than ever before, or maybe God seemed further away. For many people, our faith is like a light that seems to shine brighter sometimes and is not as bright in other times. I think sometimes that the slings and arrows of life can affect how close we are to God. The hope is that over time we stay close to God no matter what. Yet, some people I talk to tell me that sometimes their faith is strong, and sometimes it is not as strong. It is not a matter of no longer having faith, but the peaks and the valleys of our faith during our lives. Also, the church exists to encourage, minister to, and to love each other.

          This morning is a celebratory day in the life of the church. This morning on this “Transfiguration Sunday” we celebrate “A Mountain Top Experience!” While our faith journeys can lead us to places of stronger or weaker faith, this morning is one of strong and mountain top faith. It is interesting that in the bible, in both the old and the new testament that there are times in the scripture that Moses, Jesus, and others climb up to renew, or pray, or to rekindle. There is connection with going up there, as it is closer to the heavenly realm.

          Some churches have massive high ceilings, and some of these churches are painted beautifully, as to draw your eyes up, heavenward, as if you are gazing up a mountain. Some people have the bucket list goal of climbing the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. There is just something powerful about “A Mountain Top Experience!”

          On this our Transfiguration Sunday, we have the miracle of Jesus being miraculously transformed on the mountain top, and we also have our old testament reading from the Book of Exodus, which talks about Moses going up the mountain. This mountain that Moses goes up, Mount Sinai, is where God gives Moses the 10-Commandments. The Book of Exodus reading, once again, picks up where Moses is coming down the mountain from communing with God. Moses was with God and was in God’s presence. Imagine what that “Mountain Top Experience” would be like?

          Starting in Exodus 34:29 it says once again for this morning:

²⁹ Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. ³⁰ When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. ³² Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. ³³ When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; ³⁴ but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, ³⁵ the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him (Ex. 34:29-35, NRSV). 

          So, when Moses comes down from Mount Sinai once again, with the 10-Commandments, after communing with God, the presence of God made Moses’ face shine brightly. This scared everyone, and as a result Moses began wearing a veil. He would remove this veil when speaking to God, but it put it back on after speaking to God, so his face would not scare the Israelites.

          The Apostle Paul even references this in our new testament reading from 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 for this morning. Once again beginning in 3:12 it says:

¹² Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, ¹³ not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. ¹⁴ But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. ¹⁵ Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; ¹⁶ but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:12-18, NRSV).

 

          So, the Apostle Paul is saying that if Moses had to wear a veil to cover the bright shine of his face from being with God, then all the people saw was a veil. A veil or a mask can cover our face, but it can also hide who we are underneath it.         The Apostle Paul also argues that through Christ the veil is lifted. Through Christ we can see the fullness of God shining as the sun, as our choir anthem is called for this morning.

          The difference with Moses in our Book of Exodus reading, and the Apostle Paul discussing it in our 2 Corinthians reading for this morning, is that Jesus, God in the flesh in our gospel of Luke reading for this morning, once again, goes up the mountain. Jesus doesn’t go up the mountain to commune with God, but rather Jesus goes up the mountain as God in the flesh. Moses’ face shined bright after being with God on the top of Mount Sinai, and the Israelites were scared of this. The Apostle Paul, once again, criticized those that a fear of this, saying that with the veil on Moses’ face the Israelite people could not see the light of God. Through Christ the Apostle Paul says we can see the bright shining love of God.

          In looking at our gospel of Luke reading for this morning, once again, it says speaking of the Transfiguration of Jesus starting in Luke 9:28 this:

²⁸ Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white                 (Lk. 9:28-29, NRSV).

          For those people that have seen any Superman movies or television shows, you might remember that Clark Kent very quickly changes his clothes in a phone booth and comes out as Superman. For the very young here, a phone booth, is one of the ways that we made phone calls outside before cell phones. In the same way that Clark Kent in an instant became Superman, Jesus in an instant looked completely different. As Jesus prayed, suddenly his face and his clothes became a bright and dazzling white color. He was Transfigured or changed. According to www.dictionary.com, the word “Transfigure” means:

“to change in outward form or appearance; transform.

to change so as to glorify or exalt” (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/transfigure).

          Like Clark Kent emerging from the phone booth in an instant as Superman, Jesus suddenly is changed, and he looks shiny and amazing. The story does not end here once again though. Picking up in 9:30 the gospel continues on saying, once again:

³⁰ Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. ³¹ They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem”    (Ex. 34:30-31, NRSV).

 

          So, after Jesus is Transfigured, or miraculous and suddenly changed to a shiny bright white, then beneath Jesus Moses and Elijah appear. They were talking with Jesus’ about his coming crucifixion and resurrection.

          Moses, the man that went up Mount Sinai in the old testament Book of Exodus to commune with God, and came down with his face shining, is now talking with Jesus. The great old testament Prophet Elijah is also talking with Jesus. Moses and Elijah are on the mountain top, beneath Jesus, seeking his wisdom, his holiness, and his love. Moses communed with God the Father on Mount Sinai in the Book of Exodus, but this morning Moses and Elijah are communing with Jesus, the Son of God.

          In typical Apostle Peter fashion however, instead of just watching and taking it all in, Peter acted impulsively. Once again, our gospel of Luke reading picks up in 9:32 saying:

³² Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³ Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. ³⁴ While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” ³⁶ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen (Lk. 9:32-36, NRSV).

 

          Just like the Israelites fear of the shining face of Moses, Peter feared Jesus being Transfigured and talking with Moses and Elijah. A cloud then overshadows the mountain, as it also did in the Book of Exodus, and God the Father speaks. God the Father says this is my Son:

“This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”

 

          Then suddenly Moses and Elijah were gone, the cloud with God the Father’s voice was gone, and Jesus’ appearance returned to normal. In an instant the transfigured Christ returned to his normal appearance. The gospel then concludes with Jesus, Peter, James, and John coming down from the mountain, and Jesus healing a demon possessed boy. After the boy was healed, all the onlookers were astounded at the greatness of God.

          When I read through and studied and prayed about the three scriptures that we read for this morning from Exodus, 2 Corinthians, and the gospel of Luke, the big takes ways for me are: 1. Never underestimate what God can do, and 2. Never dismiss, hide from, or shy away from what God is actually doing right in front of you.

          When we encounter God’s love, God hope, and brightness of Christ, do we run away and hide? Are we fearful? Do we try to build tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, or do we receive the gift, the teaching, the blessing, the hope, the love, the life, and yes, the light that God is giving us?

          Jesus was transfigured this day, not to impress Peter, James, and John. Jesus was transfigured this day not to just show us how brightly he could shine, but rather he was transfigured this day, so that Peter, James, and John could see the splendor of God through Jesus. When we get a glimpse of the life, love, and light of God, then friends, this can change or transfigure us. The light of God shone through Jesus this morning, to show us the power and the love of God, but also to show us that the light of God is in us.

          Jesus was transfigured this day, to show us that the life, love, and light of God can change us. Let us not run from it, let us not high from it, and let us not try to work around it. I would like to close this message by reading a verse from one of my favorite hymns in our United Methodist Church hymnal. This hymn, number 717, is “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”. The Battle Hymn of the Republic was written in 1861 by Julia Ward Howe, and many Union soldiers sang this hymn during the United States Civil War. Verse four of this hymn says:

“In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in His bosom That transfigures you and me; As He died to make men holy, Let us die to make men free; While God is marching on” (UMH, 717).

          As our Union Soldiers sang in the US Civil War, and have been singing ever since, Jesus was transfigured, so that we might be changed, so that we might be transfigured. When we are changed, when we are transfigured, then God can use us to transform Sidney and the world. Happy Transfiguration Sunday. Amen.