I have a friend named Sam. He is a big fellow – about 6’ 4”, weighing about 275 lbs. of pure muscle. When Sam was younger, living in Israel, he was a professional soccer player. Sam knows the importance of good physical conditioning not so much as an occasional hobby, but as a way of life. It probably will not surprise you to know that I see Sam most often at the YMCA.
A couple two weeks ago, Sam approached me while I was walking on the treadmill.
“I see you are back. You must be trying to loose some weight again!” he said.
“Yes, I need to loose about 20 lbs.!” I said.
“You know, I could help you with that!” he said. “If you want I could show you how to use the free weights to help you get in good shape.”
“That would be great!” I said. Then Sam said something that really bugged me!
“You know, if I train you I could really help you look good in a few months!” he said.
“Do I really look that bad now?” I asked.
He did not reply.
Sam did not mean to make me fee bad. In fact, I really did not take that much offense. His comments did do one thing for me. They lit a fire under me and they gave me a compelling vision for a possible future. If I eat a proper diet, exercise daily, and follow Sam’s training regime, this middle-aged, out-of-shape, overweight preacher standing before you can be transformed into a major hunk! (At the very least, I can get rid of this extended waist).
When you are moving toward the future, it is good to know where you are going. It is good to have a vision of how things are going to look down the road a bit. If you want to loose weight and gain some muscular definition, it is good to have a mental picture of how you are going to look as you go through the process.
The same is true for most every other endeavor in life.
The couple who sacrifices now to same more to put their children in college has a mental picture of their son or daughter being launched into a successful career.
The student who enters college to receive an education to pursue a career has a picture of themselves in that career at some later point in their lives.
The athlete who spends extra hours in the gym to increase their strength or hone their skills has a picture of being one of the elite in their field of endeavor.
It is good to have a picture of the end game in mind. It is good to have a vision of how things are going to turn out. Such a vision can help inspire you now to keep on keeping on. Such a vision can inspire you to run farther, to lift more, to save more, to study more intentionally.
The author of the biblical book of Proverbs knew this. It is what prompted him to write, “Without a vision, the people perish!” The opposite is also true! “With a vision, the people prosper!”
I think this may have had something to do with Jesus motivation for allowing Peter, James, and John to become privy to the event recorded in today’s scripture reading.
Jesus set out for a private prayer retreat in the mountains, inviting James, John, and Peter to accompany him. They prayed together for several hours. It started to get late. James, John, and Peter were getting a bit sleepy and were ready to turn in for the evening when something amazing happened. The text says that Jesus was transfigured. That is a fancy word simply means that his appearance was transformed into something different. His face began to glow. His clothes became as bright as flashes of lightening. It was an awesome experience. Now if they were not enough, the disciples discover that Jesus was not alone. Two of Israel’s ancient heroes, Moses and Elijah, had joined Jesus on the mountain.
This was not a typical, normal, everyday experience—even for Jesus. Something special was happening. The disciples understood this. The appearance of Elijah and Moses confirmed the identity of Jesus as the Messiah. The transfiguration was a revelation of the presence, power, and glory of God. It was an epiphany. It was an eye-opening appearance of God. It was a vision that revealed the truth of who Jesus really was. It was also a vision of who they could become if they were to stick with Jesus. Stick with Jesus and they could reflect the glory of God the Father.
Jesus has allowed Peter, James, and John to catch a glimpse of the glory of God so that they could see what was in store for them if they remained focused on Kingdom business.
Still, the vision was not enough. The vision needed a voice to interpret its meaning.
Peter tried to become that voice.
Excuse me, Jesus, I’d like to say a few words. To begin James, John and I would like to thank you for letting us see this marvelous sight. We feel blessed to be here! Now that we have witnessed this event, I know what we are supposed to do. We need a building program. We need to build a great church to commemorate this fantastic event.
Peter’s reaction is interesting. He has witnessed a revelation of God’s glory. What is the first thing he wants to do? He wants to build something. He wants to erect a new sanctuary. He wants to build a new education building and fellowship hall. He wants to create a new institution. Peter wants to build a great church.
That is our typical reaction to the glory of God. We want to box it up and wall it in. We want to plan it, program it, and give it some policy parameters. God reveals God’s majesty and glory, and we want to tie it down and control it.
I was in a religious bookstore not too long ago. I went to the section related to church growth. I previewed about a dozen books. Each contained strategies, ideas, and techniques designed to help the church grow. The authors spoke about the importance of pastoral leadership, prosperous finances, a good location, adequate parking, ample space, accessible facilities, and attractive landscaping. One author identified these as the “keys to an effective church.”
There is a lot of similarity between these authors and the inclination of Peter on the mountain. All believe that the primary purpose of the people of God is to build a great church. Jesus, however, is not concerned with whether his people build a great church. Instead, His intention for us is that we “reveal the greatness and glory of God.”
Have you noticed our society’s interest in “spiritual” things?
92% of all Americans say that they believe in the existence of God
Religion books are our society’s fastest growing segment of book publications.
TV shows and movies often have “spiritual” or “religious” themes.
Yet despite what seems to be overwhelming evidence in our cultures interest in “matters of the spirit”…
Worship participation in the USA is only 37%
Fastest growing statistic in church life is the number of congregations closing
80% of all congregations in Virginia are declining
Think about what is happening. People are hungry for answers to spiritual questions—but they are not looking to find those answers in the church. People in our culture no longer see the church as a place to find God. Instead, they see it as a place to find people doing church.
They see our religious rituals and traditions – but not a revelation of a God
They see us imparting biblical information – but not experiencing spiritual transformation
They see us wanting to build a great church – but they hunger to see and touch God
Can you see what is happening here? Can you see a difference between what happened in the person of Jesus at the transfiguration and the way Peter responded to that event? The very face of Jesus brought to light the power and presence. He became a compelling portrayal of God’s glory. On the day of his transfiguration, Jesus revealed a great God. Peter responded by pushing around a few rocks and trying to construct a new sanctuary. He wanted to build a great church.
I like the way Luke editorializes about what Peter said. Listen to Peter’s words again:
“Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us build you a building!”
Luke editorialized in parenthesis, saying, “Peter, The Rock—did not know what he was saying.”
Peter—rock solid to the core—was clueless.
I do not think we can trust Peter to adequately interpret the meaning of this grand and glorious vision. Fortunately, his is not the only voice that speaks in this story. There is another voice. It is the voice of God Himself. So, how does the voice of God interpret this event?
Right in the middle of Peter’s PowerPoint presentation about a great new church, God speaks.
“This is my beloved Son; listen to him!”
How do we reveal the greatness of God to the world? The voice of God answers that question.
“This is my beloved Son; listen to him!”
Listen to Jesus!
Of course, this means more than simply using our ears to hear words and sounds. We do that all the time and frankly, it is not enough. The Greek word used in this verse is not talking about hearing—it is talking about heeding. When the voice of God from heaven says “Listen to Him!” it is a clear instruction to heed the teaching of Jesus.
In a society that says that teaches security and stability can be found in financial gain, the church can reveal the greatness of God by heeding the words of Jesus which say: “Go, sell what you have, give it to the poor and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me!”
In a word of vengeance and violence, we can reveal the greatness and grace of God by heeding the words of Jesus which say: “When somebody strikes you on the right cheek, turn also to that person the other cheek.”
In a culture that teaches people that the only way to get ahead is to step on others, we can reveal the greatness of God by being transformed by the words of Jesus who said: “In God’s kingdom the first will be last and the last will be first. The greatest among you will be a servant to all!”
Listen to Jesus.
We can reveal a great God to a spiritually hungry world if we allow ourselves to be transfigured (transformed, changed) by the word of God and the Spirit of God. .
“This is my beloved Son! Listen to Him!”
We also can reveal the greatness of God by the ministry we offer.
What was the first thing Jesus when he came down from the mountain?
In the moments that immediately followed Jesus transfiguration, he returned to the valley of human suffering and engaged in acts of ministry. A father brought his very ill young son to Jesus, and Jesus healed the boy.
How did the people in the valley respond to the ministry of God through Jesus the Son? The text says that they “were all amazed at the greatness of God.”
We reveal the greatness of God by giving ourselves away in ministry, just as Jesus did.
We find out where our world hurts, and we help.
We find out where the world is hungry, and we feed.
We find out where the world is broken, and we fix.
We find out where the world is lonely, and we visit.
We find out where the world suffers abused, and we stand for justice.
We find out where the world’s lost are hidden and we get them and bring them to God.
That’s what Jesus did! Fresh off the mountain of transfiguration, he reveal the glory of God by giving himself away in ministry.
Jesus said, “The Son of Man has come not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus said, “Whosoever want to follow me, let that one deny self, take up the cross, and follow!”
We spend so much time trying to build up the church – and too little time experiencing God and revealing God’s greatness to the world.
Building up the institution of the church is not a bad thing. It is just not the main thing. At best, it is a byproduct. If we focus on revealing the greatness of God to the world, then God will take care of the growth of the church.
Do you know the greatest plan ever developed for church growth? It is rather simple, incredibly powerful, and profoundly biblical.
The greatest plan for growing a church is that we become a community of people who are opening to experiencing and revealing “the greatness of God” through all we think, say, and do. If we become that kind of people, then people will be drawn to this place. They will come not because of our plans or programs, but because when they are among us, they will see a vision of God’s greatness.
