In the Presence of God
Luke 9:28-36
Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Eli’jah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they wakened they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three altars, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Eli’jah” - not knowing what he said. As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my son, my Chosen; listen to him!” And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
Today is a special day in the life of the church. To mark this day, as you can see, the liturgical color is white, marking purity and renewal. Today is a special Sunday because it marks Christ’s transfiguration… it is special because it marks the beginning of Lent… the 40 day walk towards Easter.
You perhaps noticed that there are several similarities between Christ’s transfiguration and Christ’s baptism with very good reason. Christ’s baptism marked the start of his ministry. It was a time where Christ was renewed in the Holy Spirit and validated by the Father through the blessing, “This is my son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Christ’s transfiguration is very similar in that it marks the start of his walk towards Jerusalem, the start of his journey to the cross, the beginning of his redemptive purpose. And we see similar markings, Jesus being renewed by the Holy Spirit and validated by the Father through another blessing, “This is my son, listen to him.” From this point onward, Christ was walking towards his death.
You know, as I sat down to write my sermon this week, this sermon presented me with some very big problems. I usually try to find a common point between the scripture text and something you and I can really get a hold of from our own lives, a life application touch point, a modern day parable, perhaps even a life experience, but this week I just really couldn’t find anything. What happens on top of that mountain is such a unique experience that I simply can’t find that a parallel.
Imagine what it would have been like, to be there on top of that mountain… Jesus glowing in a splendor, in the presence of Moses and Elijah, then a cloud… you feel an awesome presence, and then those words… “This is my son, listen to him.”
What an amazing moment. What an absolutely astonishing and shocking event. It is something that we are simply not prepared for as humans, something that even the disciples were not ready to deal with. I love Peter’s response… scripture says, “not knowing what to say… he asked Jesus if they should build three altars!” It is a very human response… something special happens, we know we should respond somehow, so Peter looks down at the ground and his brain eeks out the one simple idea it could muster, “Pile up some rocks!” I love the way “The Message” bible puts it… “He blurted it out without thinking. And while he as babbling on like this, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them.”
It was a truly holy and spiritual moment, and the best that Peter could do, was mumble incoherently and offer what can best be described as a “bad idea.”
It is not the first time where humans have failed to find words or actions in the face of the almighty. Even looking to our old testament scripture today we find people fearful of seeing the reflection of God’s radiance upon Moses’ face. They didn’t even come into direct contact with God, they simply came into contact with someone else who had come into contact with God. It is like that saying, I know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy who came into contact with God. And even that is enough to strike awe and fear into the hearts of the Israelites.
And Moses’ reaction is strikingly odd as well… he starts to wear a veil whenever he isn’t speaking to God, hiding the radiance that shows upon his face.
I guess it is hard for us to really come to terms with something we will never truly understand. Coming into contact with God is something we are never truly ready for.
Karl Barth, the famous theologian, was on a streetcar one day in Basel, Switzerland, where he lectured. A tourist to the city climbed on and sat down next to Barth. The two men started chatting with each other. “Are you new to the city?” Barth inquired. “Yes,” said the tourist. “Is there anything you would particularly like to see in this city?” asked Barth. “Yes,” he said, “I’d love to meet the famous theologian Karl Barth. Do you know him?” Barth replied, “Well as a matter of fact, I do. I give him a shave every morning.” The tourist got off the streetcar quite delighted. He went back to his hotel saying to himself, “I met Karl Barth’s barber today.”
How often do we come into contact with God through nature, through other people, through the movement of the Holy Spirit yet fail to see it as God moving in and through our lives?
Even more so, how often do we make that same mistake here in church on Sunday morning? How often do we miss the presence of God here during our worship service? How often are our thoughts pulled away from God on Sunday mornings? Do we really come to church focused on God, or focused on ourselves or other things?
I would like to give you an example of two men attending the same church, at the exact same service, at the exact same time. The first man heard the organist miss a note during the prelude, and he winced. He saw a teenager talking when everybody was supposed to be bowed in silent prayer. He felt like the usher was watching to see what he put in the offering plate and it made him boil. He caught the preacher making a slip of the tongue five times in the sermon by actual count. As he slipped out through the side door during the closing hymn, he muttered to himself, “Never again, what a bunch of clods and hypocrites!”
The second man heard the organist play an arrangement of “A Mighty Fortress” and was thrilled at the majesty of it. He heard a young girl take a moment in the service to speak her simple moving message of the difference her faith makes in her life. He was glad to see that this church was sharing in a special offering for the hungry children of Nigeria. He especially appreciated the sermon that Sunday—it answered a question that had bothered him for a long time. He thought as he walked out the doors of the church, “How can a man come here and not feel the presence of God?”
Both men went to the same church, on the same Sunday morning… and each found what he was looking for.
Do we sometimes miss the fact that God is present with us here on Sunday mornings? Do we go through the motions, do our duty, sign that we were in attendance, then go on our way, never seeing that God was with… that God IS with us, even now. As we gather as brothers and sisters, He is with us. As we sing the songs of praise, He is with us. Even as I give the sermon, He is with us. Today, you have come face to face with God as you meet with Him in worship and praise.
So now I have a question for you. Whether or not you have seen or felt God’s presence today, he is here… you have been in the presence of God. So how are you going to respond? Are you going to hide your face, cover the light of your faith like Moses did in our old testament scriptures today? Are you gonna react like the disciples and respond in an awkward way… not knowing exactly what to do… reaching for the closest rocks to pile together?
Is there perhaps another way for us to respond? Is there some way for us to react to the presence of God here with us now, to react to God present in our lives that doesn’t either make us cower and hide our light or respond like bumbling baboons? To this point, I have kept our third scripture verse in my back pocket. I refer us to it now.
2 Corinthians 3:12-18
Since we have such hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not see the end of the fading splendor. But their minds were hardened; for to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their minds; but when a man turns to the Lord the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
You see, Paul understood how transformative being in the presence of God can be. He himself experienced it first hand when Jesus first appeared to him. And so he writes, that in response to coming into God’s presence, we do not hide ourselves like Moses nor shriek away… but behold God’s great glory… and come away changed.
Paul wrote that we change from one degree of glory to another, meaning that each time we come into contact with God, every time we come to church on Sunday we are strengthened, renewed… changed. We learn new things, we grow older in the faith, we gain new insights… we can even realize new or hidden gifts.
With that also comes a huge responsibility. When we come into contact with God, we reflect his glory just as much as Moses reflected his glory. As Paul cautions us… we should not cover ourselves as Moses did, but as Paul puts it… we should be “bold.”
You have come to church this Sunday, you come into the very presence of God, and if you are willing, open, and seeking you will definitely be changed this day. In a matter of speaking, your face will shine with the glory and radiance of God as you reflect God’s glory to the world. If you have not felt the presence of God this day, I encourage you to pray, to continue to come to church and continue to seek him, for He is here. And on the other hand, if you have felt his presence today, I encourage you to be bold. To go out letting your lives reflect the glory of God that has been given you this day. Continue coming to church as week by week you too will be changed from one glory into another, as we grow as Christians. As Christ was strengthened and renewed in the presence of God this Transfiguration Sunday, so are we strengthened and renewed in the presence of God every Sunday.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
