Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99:5-9 2 Peter 1:13-21; Luke 9:28-36
Mr. Chris Paul, Seminarian
We would usually be celebrating the 10th Sunday after Pentecost today, but today we get a break in our “ordinary time” routine that we have been in for the past several weeks. Today is Transfiguration Sunday. A feast day that celebrates Jesus’ radical change of appearance while in the presence of Peter, James, and John. The feast day is celebrated on Aug 6th, commonly considered the date of the dedication of the first church built on Mount Tabor, traditionally considered the “high mountain” of the Transfiguration. We recognize Transfiguration Sunday today because, as a feast day, it outranks, if you will, any Sunday. And there are Only a handful of feast days that are so important that they take precedence over a Sunday, and all of those feast days are related to Jesus himself. The Transfiguration gospel is one gospel that is used on the last Sunday after the Epiphany in all three years of the Book of Common Prayer. So, you get to hear about this event every year in our church cycle. The transfiguration narrative gives us one of the most distinctive and dramatic showings of Jesus’ divinity. This is when Jesus shows his disciples that he is truly divine. And, of course, the disciples can’t comprehend what is happening. So, the voice of God from the cloud speaks to the disciples saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” The same voice that was heard at Jesus’ baptism resonates again today, with God telling the disciples that Jesus truly is the son of God. Transfiguration, or transfigure, is not a word often used in our daily conversations. Instead, we may be more familiar with terms like transform, alter, or change.
We heard in our readings today about the change in Jesus as his clothes were dazzling, and he appeared to be shining to the disciples. And we also hear about a transformation in Moses after he had been talking with God. Moses’ face was shining after returning from speaking with God. The word shining could also have been translated in Latin as “shone.” Michelangelo famously depicted Moses with horns as a representation of his transformation after speaking with God. Now you may ask…” why horns?” Moses was depicted with horns because most ancient versions translated the word as “horn” instead of shone.
The Vulgate, which is the Latin translation of the Bible, understood the passage as Moses’ face was horned, and In those times, it was common to depict people who were considered to be divine or had been exposed to divinity with horns on their heads. This physical transformation depicted by Michelangelo shows Moses as being transformed after his encounter with God on the mountain. And although our readings today are mainly focused on how Jesus and Moses were transformed in appearance to the disciples, I wonder if we shouldn’t focus a little more on the transformation that happens to the disciples after having these encounters. Peter, James, and John all had to be transformed somehow after seeing and interacting with Jesus. The disciples, and anyone for that matter, would have to be transformed or changed in some way after an encounter like that. We could look back on several moments in our lives and notice a change that happened to us. A Change that happened because God was with us in those moments.
Looking back, I can think of a couple of those times in my life when I was transformed after an event where I felt the presence of God. The first that comes to mind is several years ago after I had spent some years away from the church, and I finally made my way back one Easter Sunday. I knew two other people in this church; one was a girl I worked with, who kept telling me how lovely this church was and that I should visit, and the other was her husband. It took me some time, but I eventually visited that Easter Sunday and the worship service was beautiful. The flowers, and the music were very moving. And even though I had been away from the church for several years, it felt like I was back where I belonged. The familiar up and down of the pew aerobics were coming back to me, and the responses were also beginning to sound familiar. After that day’s services, the pastor met me at the door, shook my hand, and asked my name. This was the first time that I had met him. He did not know me, nor I him. We talked briefly; he grabbed my hand again, pulled me closer, and whispered in my ear…” Welcome Home”
Again, he did not know me but knew that maybe I was lost and seeking something again. That “Welcome Home” moment set me on a path that changed my life and started me on this path that has gotten me to where I am today. I was welcomed home without questions. There was no question of why I had not been to church. No Question of what I had been doing for the past several years. There was none of that. There was nothing but pure love and excitement to welcome me back home into a place of safety and love. Looking back, that was a huge change and transformation in my life. The next moment that comes to mind after I was Welcomed Home into the church again was when I was invited to spend a weekend at Camp McDowell at something called Cursillo. Now I had never heard of Cursillo, and I knew nothing of Cursillo, and the more I heard about it, it sounded like something I was not going to be interested in at all!! Go spend a weekend at camp with people you do not know and have yet to learn what will happen besides listening to a bunch of people talk. That did not sound very appealing to me. Surprisingly though, I couldn’t have been more wrong, and it wasn’t long before I realized that Cursillo would be another transfiguring moment in my life. It was a weekend of joy, laughter, happy tears, sad tears, moments of letting go of pain and weaknesses, and finally realizing that we all have our problems and don’t have to have it all together. We are all children of God, no matter what. It was a time to realize that maybe I am not the only one with tough times, but guess what? We will get through them with the help of God and the help of each other. It is a beloved community, just like our church community here. A community that cares for one another. This Cursillo weekend helped me create friends throughout the diocese.
Previously some of you may have heard me talk about when my father died, the plane trip trying to get back to him, and me noticing the sunset that evening and how I was at peace.
What I didn’t tell you is that my Cursillo community is what made this feeling of peace and comfort possible. Immediately after my Cursillo weekend is when my father got sick. When I got the message that time was short and he probably wasn’t going to live long, I immediately asked for prayers from my Cursillo community. I could feel that community lifting me and my family in prayer as we tried to get to him, and when I landed and noticed that sunset that evening, I knew I was surrounded by prayer. It was life-changing, and I am unsure how I would have dealt with that situation without the power of prayer from my Cursillo brothers and sisters. Since my time as a pilgrim in my first Cursillo, I have enjoyed serving on several Cursillo staff. I wasn’t sure anything could top my weekend at Cursillo as a pilgrim, but I was wrong yet again!! Being on staff, I witnessed the transformation that happens to other people throughout their Cursillo weekend. The moment they all realize they are all children of God and truly loved as perfect as they are! Every single time I get to be on staff, I come away transformed. In some way, it changes me over and over again. The love, the power of prayer, it is all transforming. Now, I’m not trying to talk y’all into going to Cursillo, but If you want to learn more, you can speak to Steve, Candice, Drew, or anyone who has been, and they will be glad to talk to you about it. There are still two more weekends left this year. Finally, the most recent event that changed me was the closing Eucharist and ceremonies for the Union of Black Episcopalians. That was a unique, love-filled event of joy, praise, and worship. The music was amazing, with several different choirs joining to lift their voices. Thank You, Becky!! There were clergy from all over, including a Bishop from England. A preacher pulled a stuffed toy snake out of a bag, and dancers went up and down the aisles, using their dance skills to express their love. One particular moment that stands out to me was when several children took turns getting up to do a portion of the reading. One child, in particular, touched my heart. We learned this child used to be completely non-verbal at a gathering the night before. With his community’s love, support, and help, he has become partially verbal and continues progressing. He has been transformed. This child, who used to be completely non-verbal, got up in front of all of the people at this service, and there were probably around 200 people there, and he said his lines. How could you not be transformed by that? That moment touched my heart, and the entire night changed me. It was a night of love and worship with our brothers and sisters from the UBE. It was a night to worship God in ways that I have never had the opportunity to experience before, and one I won’t forget! That child being able to speak, although not like you and I, was a miracle in our presence!! That is the transforming power of God. I do not know how anyone who was at that event did not come away a little transformed, and I think that’s what this is all about.
Our readings today, although mainly about how Jesus and Moses were transfigured, to me, are more about how we are transfigured in these events of our lives. All these moments I talked about today were when I felt God’s love and presence. And our faith tells us that God is always working within and around us to change the world. These moments with the divine could happen at any moment, but it is up to us to recognize them and fully take them in to allow them to change us. Transfiguration is a natural consequence of being in God’s presence!! We are on this journey with Jesus, where Jesus is both our companion and a light shining for us in those dark places of life. That light of Jesus shining will never fail us; that is where our hope lies. No darkness will ever overcome us on our journeys. Jesus is revealed as the culmination of the story of a God who repeatedly comes to rescue God’s people. We can change communities when congregations come together and listen to what Jesus tells us. Although today was a high feast day, we have to remember, even in ordinary times, that the work of redemption must always continue. Discipleship is being faithful to Jesus and with Jesus over the long haul. In the presence of Jesus, we are formed and transformed to carry on his ministry and mission. It isn’t only in those beautiful and set-apart places that we can find God. The whole world is filled with the glory of God if we only have eyes to see. There is no place on earth where God’s love does not go, and if we open our hearts to God’s spirit, then we will begin to see God’s presence all around us. Our transfiguration comes as our eyes are opened and our hearts are changed. We must open our eyes and see the world as it is, as a beloved child of God. We must let God’s love transfigure our hearts and then take that love down from the mountain and bring it into the world to share.