Hear God's Call

February 15, 2025 2 Peter 1:16-21 Transfiguration Sunday Hear God’s Blessing Year A Prelude Greeting Call to Worship On this Transfiguration Sunday, we gather on the mountaintop with Jesus, wondering what we will encounter. We come to encounter God’s glory revealed. We witness the revelation of Christ’s divinity made plain before us. We come to witness God’s glory revealed. We remember that God’s glory is not about spectacle but truth, not about show but about Love made real among us. We come to remember God’s glory revealed. We follow Jesus down from the mountaintop into the valleys, as God’s glory goes before us and behind us. We come to be sent out to share God’s glory revealed. Thanks be to God! Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, July 2025 Opening Prayer Radiant God, we come to you on the mountaintop to experience your glory. You come to us in the valleys. We meet you in gladness in a place where heaven and earth collide. May our worship of you encourage us on the journey and make us aspire to reflect your kingdom in the world. Transform us and keep us near to you. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay) Song A Sermon for All Ages Children’s Sermon: “A Little Light That Lasts” Good morning, friends! I have a question for you. Have you ever been in a room when it was really, really dark? (Wait for responses.) What happens when someone turns on just one small light? Does it help? Today I brought something with me. (Hold up a candle or a battery-powered candle.) This candle is very small. It’s not a spotlight. It’s not the sun. But if we were in a dark room, this little candle would help us see where to go. The Bible tells us that God’s Word is like a light shining in the darkness. That means when things feel scary, confusing, or hard, God’s Word helps us know what is good and right. Now here’s something important: This candle doesn’t make the darkness disappear all at once. But it helps us take the next step safely. And guess what? Jesus asks us to be lights too. When you are kind to someone who feels left out, you are shining a light. When you tell the truth, even when it’s hard, you are shining a light. When you help someone or forgive someone, you are shining a light. Now I have another question. What happens in the morning when the night is almost over? (Wait for answers.) Yes! The sun comes up! And sometimes, before the sun rises, there is a morning star in the sky. That star is a sign that night won’t last forever. The Bible says Jesus is like that morning star. That means Jesus reminds us that no matter how dark things feel, God’s light is coming. So here’s what I want you to remember: You can be a little light in the world. Jesus is the big light we follow. And God promises that the morning is coming. Let’s say this together: “I can shine God’s light!” (Let them repeat.) Let’s pray. Dear God, thank you for Jesus, the light of the world. Help us shine your light by being kind, loving, and brave. Amen. Responsive Reading Psalm 99 UMH 819 Passing of the Peace Prayer of Illumination Holy Wisdom, your Word is at once ancient and brand new. As we listen together this day, enlighten our hearts and minds. May we be transformed. In Jesus’ name. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Anna Owens) Scripture 2 Peter 1:16-21 Sermon Hearing God’s Call Maybe I am just speaking for myself, but it seems that voice activated personal assistants are taking over every aspect of life. You can tell Alexa to play music, or ask Siri to give you the address of a restaurant. They can find a recipe for your favorite dish. Or tell you when a certain television program is coming on. If I didn’t know any better I think that Alexa watches me when I an sleeping, because as soon as I wake up – she always says hello. Did you know that Alexa in Greek means helper of the people, names after the Greek library because of the knowledge base. And Siri is a Norwegian name meaning beautiful women who will lead you to victory. In Britain there is a male voice named Daniel, and in Australia there is a woman’s voice named Karen. I think that we can all agree that voice activated systems are helpful, but they are also intrusive. But one thing that Alexa, Siri, Daniel and Karen do very well is listen. They spend all of their time just listening for their name, to respond to whatever we are saying. Most of the time in life it is more important for us to listen, then it is for us to speak. Listening is an important part of our faith. Learning to listen is one of the messages of our scripture in 2 Peter. Paul Tillich, a famous theologian says that the First Duty of Love is to Listen. Luke Edwards is a Methodist Minister who founded the Listening Church. It is a national network of churches that encourage discipleship through listening. Edwards believes that transformation happens when we listen to God, the congregation and the surrounding community. He says that when we listen to these 3 things, we are able to hear solutions to life’s deepest issues. Unfortunately, when most of us listen, we are more concerned with how we are going to respond then what the person is actually saying to us. 2 Peter is an interesting scripture to focus on for the transfiguration. It does not tell anything of the story of Jesus or Moses going on the mountain to talk to God and coming down glowing. Usually the transfiguration is the story of what we see – God’s Glory glowing. But 2 Peter is a story about what God said and what we heard. God says This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. That divine voice is still speaking to us today. As a disciple Peter would have heard that voice for himself and it had a profound effect in his life, his choices, his service. That voice inspired him to listen and to tell the whole world what he heard. As a matter of fact, Peter inspired the writer of this scripture to also use his voice. The writer is telling us that if we follow Jesus, we too get to speak in that voice. When we follow Jesus we are witnesses to the transfiguration story. When we serve Jesus we are witnesses – seeing and hearing the glory of God for ourselves. We may not realize it – we have all seen God’s glory and we all reflect it in our faith. There is an old story about a little girl coming from the church and questioning her mom about the sermon. "Did the preacher really say God is bigger than we are?" "Yes," her mother replied. "Did the preacher really say Jesus lives in us?" "Yes," her mother stated once again. "Well, then, if God is bigger than we are and God lives in us, why doesn't he show through?" The God who shows through is what Peter called his listeners to be attentive to. The Transfiguration was that lamp shining in a dark place, that peek-a-boo of divine glory that shows forth now at unexpected moments and from unexpected places. The Transfiguration is when the glory is revealed, when the world-saving value of Jesus was made clear, when the world-shaking value of your life is made clear. Roynell Young played professional football in the 1980s. “I retired from the game and we moved down to Houston,” he said, “where I took a job selling insurance.” As he drove through neighborhoods with aimless, hard-looking teenage boys clustered on corners, something kept nagging at him. “They reminded me of me,” he said, “or what I would have been if there hadn’t been a bunch of people looking out for me.” He wondered who was looking out for them. One day Roynell and a friend stopped and began playing basketball in one of those neighborhoods. When the youth first saw them they ran off thinking they were police officers. Three boys stayed to watch. After a few minutes Roynell challenged them to a game, “You beat us, I’ll buy you all the pizzas and soda you can handle. We beat you; you sit down and talk with us.” Even though Roynell and his friend were older they won the pick-up game and took the boys out for pizza anyway. He asked them about their family, neighborhood, and if they had considered their life’s purpose. As they were leaving one of the youth asked if they would be back the next Saturday. Before too long there were 100 youth; then 300! Roynell pooled some friends and they rented an old storefront across from the basketball court. The number of youth kept increasing, they soon ran out of space and had to move to a larger place, eventually they had enough money to open a charter middle school. Thinking of all the people who impacted his life, Roynell proudly claimed, “We’re changing lives.”[2] Our faith is alive because of the faithful witness of others. We have the testimony of the apostles who were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ teachings, miracles, and most importantly his life, death, and resurrection. We have the church where the scriptures are read and taught. And we have the Holy Spirit in our lives that prompts us to say and do things we could never say or do on our own. The Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to live out our lives as faithful modern day disciples of Jesus Christ. Amen. ________________________________________ 1. www.thisibelieve.org. 2. Roynell Young, “Game Changer,” Guidepost, March 2009, pp. 74-78 CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Christmas Grace and other Cycle A sermons for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, by Timothy J. Smith The writer of 2 Peter tells us that when we hear live according to what we hear God saying we are a shining example of love. You see in his time there were a lot of people, even Christians who did not believe in the resurrection or the power of Christ. So the writer emphasizes that God’s word is true. Those who listen to God’s voice also see Christ. He says they are a candle in a dark place, or the morning star in the dark of the morning. The can’t help but to spread the light. Nelson Mandela, in his inaugural speech in 1994, had this to say: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It's our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? "Actually, who are you not to be? "You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. You are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. "And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others the permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." --Nelson Mandela, 1994 inaugural speech, as reprinted in The African American Pulpit. "And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others the permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." --Nelson Mandela, 1994 inaugural speech, as reprinted in The African American Pulpit. One of the greatest living writers in the world today is Oscar Hijuelos. In his classic Mr. Ives' Christmas (New York: Harper Collins, 1995) It is finally warm enough for me to go back to going outside right before the sun rises to look at the starts. This is when the sky is the clearest and all of the stars have found their place. Up until last week I would look in the Eastern sky for Venus – the brightest thing in the sky by far. The morning star has this amazing sparkle – that just bursts on the horizon. Starting last week, instead of being he brightest thing in the morning, it will be the evening star for the next year. Morning or evening, 2 Peter encourages us to not be afraid to shine that brightly, or more importantly to reflect the light of Christ so that others can see. It says 9 In addition, we have a most reliable prophetic word, and you would do well to pay attention to it, just as you would to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. (Biblegateway.com CEB version) And when others ask how you keep going in a dark world, you can answer simply: Because the light is real. The Word is sure. And morning is on the way. Amen. (ChatGPT 5.2) Let us pray Song Prayers of the People (Print the first sentence) Let us offer our prayers for the church and the world. When you hear “Our God is a God who hears us,” please respond, “we will not be afraid.” God of truth and light, we come before you ready for our mountaintop moment. We want to be transfixed and transfigured and transformed. We want to sit at your feet, and at the feet of the prophets, to soak up all that you have to teach us and all the love you have to share. We are grateful, O God, that you chose to live among us, that we, too, might come to know the more excellent way. Our God is a God who hears us: we will not be afraid. We remember how many people live in darkness: trapped by addiction, overwhelmed by the loneliness of grief, intoxicated by the allure of power. Turn your face toward those in need of healing this day. May they be renewed. Our God is a God who hears us: we will not be afraid. We know, O God, that there are many who suffer in mind, body and spirit because of greed or apathy. Bless those who hunger for justice and for daily bread, those who thirst for living water and for clean water, those who seek refuge from spiritual storms and the depths of winter. Illumine a way forward so that we can live in your economy of grace; stir in us the compassion to seek wholeness for all. Our God is a God who hears us: we will not be afraid. There are many places around this world in need of drastic intervention. We remember those places torn apart by warfare, violence, famine or natural disaster. We know that you grieve with us when we turn on one another, or when any of your children suffer. Sow peace and make us peacemakers. Our God is a God who hears us: we will not be afraid. God of all seasons, be with us as we traverse back down the mountain. Keep us mindful of you, and mindful of your ways, in our daily living. May we speak with kindness, lead with compassion, and practice what it is we believe with all those whom we encounter. Make us good stewards of the resources entrusted to our care. Our God is a God who hears us: we will not be afraid. (Presbyterian Outlook, Anna Owens) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment In Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s Gospels, we hear the story of Jesus’ “transfiguration” and the appearance of Moses and Elijah. Faced with this extraordinary experience, and nearly overwhelmed by the recognition of Jesus, Moses and Elijah together on the mountain, Peter spoke up to offer what he could: to build three tents. While most of us rarely, if ever, have the experience of standing in the presence of Jesus, sometimes we, too, can be filled up with the desire to offer what we have as a gift for this One, the Beloved Son of God. Can you remember moments when you were nearly overwhelmed with your sense of connection to the holy?(Describe your own experience or use a story of someone in the congregation or someone of whom you are aware, with their permission, of course!) Bringing this moment into our awareness today, I invite you to respond with the gifts you are willing and able to offer. Prayer of Thanksgiving Ever Giving God, as we remember Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration, and recall all that you have done for us, help us celebrate our own offering of what we’ve freely given. Receive these gifts and help us use them to extend your Realm on earth, even as you know it to be in heaven. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for YouTube Saints in light, God’s beloved, go forth from this place empowered by the witness of Scripture, the truth-telling of the prophets, the teaching of our Savior, and the power of God revealed in Jesus Christ, and made manifest in one another. As we go from this place, we go knowing that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit are with us now, and will be with us always. Alleluia, and amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Anna Owens) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction Come down from the mountain with mountain-like faith. Walk on God's paths as bright, shining lights. Live in God's ways with faith, hope, and love. Go into the world transformed and renewed! From the Abingdon Worship Annual. Posted on the Cokesbury website, http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/DynamicContent.aspx?pageid=830&id=198. Additional Illustrations Alexander Pope once wrote satirically, “Lo, the poor Indian! whose untutor’d mind sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind.” As Pope is saying, we sophisticated secular people no longer see God in clouds or hear him in the wind. We no longer see the movement of water in a pool as the special visitation of an angel as did the people beside the pool of Bethesda. We look to science, not religion, to answer most of our questions about physical reality. And it is quite natural that we should. There have been benefits from the process of secularization. The quest for scientific truth has brought us a host of technological wonders. But as Alexander Pope is saying, something has also been lost. God has become an abstract concept for many of us rather than a present reality. Intellectually we believe in God, but His existence does not seem to have much relevance to our everyday lives. Few of us know what it means to stand on holy ground. You should know that scholars debate the historicity of the scene on the Mount of Transfiguration. Was it a dream or was it reality? You and I cannot know. We were not there. We have only Simon Peter’s testimony. He reports that he and his two fellow disciples beheld the majesty of Christ. They saw the Master in the company of Moses and Elijah. They heard a voice from Heaven saying, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear him.” Simon Peter knew what it was to stand on holy ground. The experience on the Mount of Transfiguration confirmed for Simon Peter what he already believed about Christ. It was Simon Peter who, in answer to Jesus’ question at Caesarea Philippi, “Who do men say that I am?” affirmed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Simon Peter knew in his bones that this affirmation was true. Still, like us, there were some moments when it seemed truer than it did at others. After all, it was an astounding leap of faith to say that this humble Nazarene was the Son of the living God. In 1989 the movie The Mission played in local theaters. Although not a financial blockbuster by any account, it told a powerful message. Set in South America in the year 1750, the scenery, the sound track and the story itself combine to electrify and inspire the audience. A small group of Catholic missionaries have a dream of carrying the gospel to a tribe of native Indians who live high above a magnificent waterfall, on a plateau difficult to reach. The movie begins with the Indians carrying a white man out of their jungle village tied on a cross. He is dumped into the rushing river heading for the rapids, and in a few quick moments the man hurls over the mighty thundering waterfall to his death on the rocks below. Undaunted, other missionaries go back to their work of scaling with ropes the almost perpendicular wall until they reach the plateau. This time the missionaries succeed. As the years pass by, they organize a closely-knit community of love centered in devotion to Christ. Down below, however, in the more "civilized" towns the Spanish/Portuguese government officially decides to rid themselves of "the Mission." They want the Indians for slaves. Finally, one day they make their move and brutally attack the Indians and their missionary friends. The devoted Christian community does not scatter, and a horrible massacre follows. The close of the film is memorable. After the soldiers have gone away, the fires simmer and go out. In the last scene, as we are left stunned at what has happened, four young Indian children who somehow have escaped the holocaust get into a canoe and paddle away up the river to tell the dream to others some day. As people remain in the darkened theater, for a moment the story having ended, suddenly the following words from the Gospel of John flash on the screen: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it" (John 1:5). Is this not the same light that "Peter" calls our attention to, "a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your heart"? In a word, look, the morning star! CSS Publishing Company, EMPOWERED BY THE LIGHT, by Richard Hasler , Hijuelos writes of one of his characters: "Each day he awaited a slick of light to enter the darkness". There is a world out there looking for some light slicks. Will you let your light shine? Will you be a slick of light that brightens the corner where you are, and at the same time brings light to the world? The “next best thing” in the past few years has almost always been a voice-based development. We now all routinely talk to our cars. The voice activated personal assistant comes already named, but we can change it. We’re familiar with Siri, which means in Norwegian "beautiful woman who will lead you to victory.” The British have a male voice named Daniel. The Australians have one named Karen. Microsoft's alternative to Siri is called Cortana. Who among us this morning has not “named” the voice in our GPS, the voice-activated knowledge navigator that pulls up our playlist or guides us on our way in our vehicle, telling us where to turn and how far we have to go. [Consider making this an interactive moment and ask your people what names they have given their voice-activated concierges. Tell them the name you’ve given them to prime the pump. For example, I’ve named mine “Matilda.” Why? From the song “Waltzing Matilda.” The “unofficial national anthem of Australia” is the late 19th century song “Waltzing Matilda,” a bush ballad that is so significant to the people of Australia that the song has its own museum in Queensland. Australian soldiers named their backpacks “Matilda” as they sang the song on their marches, and they sometimes danced with “Matilda” around the campfire.] Our GPS “friend” is the voice that we trust to get us to where we have to be, to where we need to go. It is the voice we trust to get us home. Today, our voice-controlled life extends beyond our vehicles. Our smart phones have apps to access Siri, the voice controlled program that lets us tell our handheld electronic devices how to talk to us and how to serve our needs, granting whatever we want — we are the commander. Our voices are suddenly all-powerful. The latest gamer technology is also “voice-powered.” X-Box 1 and X-Box Kinect have both gathered gamers and go-getter exercisers through voice-activated systems. We can all now play our video games or access our video exercise routines just by using our voices. When you say “X-box on,” your voice gives you access to whole new worlds of fantasy and fun. After the experience on the mountain, The Voice tells the disciples to "listen to Him (Jesus)". Discipleship is nothing more or less than “listening to Jesus.” To move forward in faith is to listen to Him, to recognize His voice, The Voice that is a transfiguring power, the same power that created the world out of nothingness. This is The Voice that transfigures sinners into saints, that heals the broken-hearted and makes the wounded whole human beings. The Voice is the voice of change, of transfiguration, The Voice that transfigures water into wine, and wine into blood, and death into life, and transgressive people into transfigured people. Can you hear the voice of Jesus in your life? In our culture? Do you have a hearing problem? Can we hear the voice of Jesus over the drone of voices calling you elsewhere? Listening for Jesus voice is "serious" [siri-ous] business. To “Listen to Him” we need to do four things. 1) We need to mute other voices. 2) We need to learn to listen and be silent. 3) We need to recognize The Voice. 4) We need to megaphone The Voice.

A Retreat with God

February 19, 2023 Exodus 24:12-18 A retreat with God Transfiguration Sunday Year A Prelude Welcome Call to Worship As God called to Moses from the mountain, we are called to be God’s people. As Jesus called the disciples to climb with him to the peak of another mountain, we are called to follow wherever he leads. As the disciples stood in awe at the sound of God’s voice, we are called to worship in wonder and praise. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Deborah Sokolove) Opening Prayer (Exodus 24, Matthew 17) Holy One, Light of light, God of all creation, long ago you showed yourself to the disciples in Jesus’ transfiguration— his face glowing like a field of daffodils on a bright, spring morning. Shine in us, around us, and through us, that the world may see your glory in the faces of your people— faces transfigured in the light of your love. Amen. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Deborah Sokolove) Song Every Time I Feel the Spirit UMH 404 Children’s Sermon Leader, wearing dark glasses, asks the children, "Do you know why I am wearing dark glasses?" (Pause) The Bible story for today says that Jesus took his friends Peter, James, and John up a mountain to pray. While they were praying, Jesus' face changed and his clothes became dazzling white, so bright it blinded their eyes. Then two men appeared, Moses and Elijah, and they began talking with Jesus about what would happen when Jesus went to Jerusalem. Suddenly a cloud came and covered them, and a voice said, "This is my Son, my Chosen. Listen to him." When they came down from the mountain, everything was "tranfigured." Talk together: If you saw Jesus in white robes coming down our center aisle to sit on the steps with us, what would you do? (Pause) Some of us might close our eyes, thinking this is too good to be true. Jesus here? In what way might Jesus be here with us right now? One of the ways is to use our faith imagination. Close your eyes. We are walking toward the hill where we can be alone. The sky is blue, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and when we reach the hillside we sit down and invite Jesus to be with us. Suddenly he is there in bright, white robes. We are silent and feel the light breeze blow. A voice says, "This is my Son. Listen to him." We listen and Jesus speaks to us. (Pause) Then we do what we need to do and return to this place, knowing we can be with Jesus in our faith imagination whenever we wish. Now open your eyes. Prayer: Dear God, thank you for hearts to love, minds to think, and faith imagination to know your presence here and now, among us. Amen. (Elaine Ward, Sermonsuite) Prayer of Confession (Exodus 24, Matthew 17) Though we want to walk with Moses and see God’s holy radiance, we hide in the mist of our own desires, unable to perceive the presence of God’s grace. While we want a world of justice and peace, we walk in clouds of selfishness, unable to share God’s loving-kindness. Though we want to follow Jesus up the mountain, we cower in fear, unable to bear the light of God. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Deborah Sokolove) Words of Assurance (Matthew 17) In the blazing light of God’s grace, Jesus touches us to say, “Get up and do not be afraid.” In the name of Christ, all is forgiven. Amen. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Deborah Sokolove) Passing the Peace of Christ Scripture Exodus 24:12-18 Sermon - A Retreat with God February is always an interesting month weatherwise – you get all four seasons of weather in one month. It’s cold, its warm. One day its snowing, the next its raining and the next day it all turns into ice and you start all over again. This year, the weather has been a little unusual. But every February there is a point when you just know that the weather has broken and spring is on the way. It was very subtle this year – but it is a time when there is more rain than snow – and it gets very foggy. It is as if the clouds have descended on the land – giving everything a very mysterious feeling. In many ancient cultures it was believed that God lived in the clouds. So many religious places where built upon a mountain in the midst of the clouds. It is said that we all have those spiritual places where we can go to feel the presence of God. Today, that place may not be in the mountains, but in a church, in fellowship with friends, in prayer, in the sanctuary, sometimes we even find God in our daily routine. One teacher remembers the day one of our students came into class late. She asked him what was going, and he said that his mother had just passed away – and he came to school because that was the place that he needed to be. Where are the places in your life that you can do and feel God’s presence? Sometimes, if there is no other place for us to find God – we can find God in our imagination. Our sanctified imagination – the place where we can picture God, our prayers, the bible in our minds. Thursday, the pastors in our district all got together to meet with the bishop. Most of us there really appreciated his honesty, transparency and willingness to address many elephants in the room. He even gave us a handout of all he had to say – I will have to share this with Debbie and with church council. His talk called Identity, Integrity and Imagination. Church history is being rewritten right before our eyes. He said that so much of the church has been disrupted by the pandemic and other things. Our church has been fairly stable. But about 1/3 of churches all over the country have had to make some serious decisions. And only about 16 churches in our conference have asked to go into discernment in order to disaffiliate with the united methodist church. Once again, nationwide there have been over 1000 who want to leave. With all of that, this is an age of transfiguration. Well, that is an obsolete word. Technically only Moses and Jesus were ever transfigured. But we all have definitely been transformed from the circumstances of our world – if not outright disrupted. In this age of disruption – people are looking for the voice of God. Bishop Scherin said that it is important for us to make sure that the church is that safe space for people to come to find the presence of God. In scripture – Moses had a long history of meeting with God, talking with God. He was the only person to get a glimpse of God. But our scripture is not a story of Moses talking with God by himself. He bought his two nephews, his protege Joshua. And 70 community leaders. It was as if he had a congregational council meeting with God as the leader of the meeting. Our scripture is a part of a bigger story – contained in chapters 19-24. The community was getting bigger, so they needed a set of guidelines to govern themselves. God tells Moses to come up to the mountain to get the laws and to bring the community to ratify the covenant. They all come up to have a meal with God. Eventually Moses and Joshua and a body guard go further up the mountain to talk with God. When it gets cloudy – Moses goes even further up and talks with God for 40 days. But the important part is that this was not the work of just one person, but of the whole congregation. After this encounter, they not only have the ten commandments, but they also start building the first house of God. Everyone had a part in creating that safe space for the people to come to meet God. What about us today? How can we work together to help others feel the presence of God? How can we make sure that God is the heart and soul of our community? The presence of God is not something that we can see or identify – but you can feel it. In Deuteronomy, when Moses first encounters God – he heard a voice, but could see no form in the fire. In others stories – Elijah, Jesus, Paul – they could hear God’s voice very clearly – but couldn’t describe what God looked like. Arthur J. Gossip, was visiting his parishioners in a working district of Glasgow. At four o'clock, after an exhausting day, Gossip stood at the bottom of a fivestory tenement building where one of his parishioners lived on the top floor. It was a long way to the top and he was tired. Promising himself that he would come back tomorrow, Gossip turned to leave. Then he saw a vision. He saw a pair of stooped grey shoulders climbing the steps. He realized it was the Master. A voice seemed to say, "Then I'll have to go alone." Gossip suddenly felt revitalized and started up the steps. "We went together," he reported later. And that is the key to a spiritual life that does not leave usthat does not fade into a distant memory. When God speaks to us – it is usually a command. We are compelled to take some action – to move forward, to call someone, to get up and do something, or to come here. In our scripture, God told Moses to come to the mountain and wait. This story parallels with the gospel of Matthew when Jesus is called to go to the mountain with his disciples. The clouds appear and God says this is my beloved son listen to him. God’s command is listen. When God speaks there is always a command, but there is also a gift. God always tells us who God is, but God also tells us who we are. We get out identity through obeying God. When we met with bishop this week his talk was entitled he told us his call story. His name is Dan Schwerin – rhymes with tangerine. He told us how he felt God speak to him when he was 17. He also reminded us who we are as United Methodist – a biblical, conventenal, grace grounded, mission driven justice seeking global movement always renewed by Identity, integrity and imagination. Most clergy really appreciated our time meeting the bishop – who is soft spoken and very new in his identity as a bishop – but very transparent and willing to address several elephants in the room. I will have to share his worksheet with Debbie and the church council. But we have to find our identity as individuals, but most importantly as the church. What If? What if the church lived out its life in such a way others could not help but see it? What if Christians were so different that society became long-neck gawkers when looking to see the working of the congregation? What if Christians were the people at which children and adults pointed their fingers and said, “Hey, look at that!”? What if we so lived the love, salvation, peace, and hope of God that we seemed out of place in the world around us? What if we were truly transformed into the very people of God? Wouldn’t it be fun, exciting and wonderful if people were lining the sidewalks around our churches just to see what makes us so odd? Stephen E. Loftis, Transfigured My last story is an old legend… There is a modern parable. In this parable Jesus goes walking one day along the streets of a big city. He roams rather aimlessly, letting his feet take him where they will--the way you or I might do when we're just out walking. On his walk, he sees many people and many things, but only three stay on his mind. When he returns home that night, God the Father asks, "Did you enjoy your walk today, My Son? Did you see anything interesting?" Jesus answers, "Oh yes, Father, I enjoyed the walk and three times I saw myself along the way. The first time, I saw myself in a priest walking along with his hands clasped and muttering to himself. He was in much anguish for his people. The second time, I saw myself in a lonely lad who used his "˜street smarts' as a means of survival. He was an accomplished pickpocket. The third time was when I saw myself in a woman with a child in each hand. Her husband had left her and she struggled to love and care for her children without the help of their father." Whereupon, the following dialogue takes place between Jesus and the Father. . . . "When will you ever learn, My Son?" the Father says with a sigh. "But I did learn, Father," Jesus replies. "Did I not send you to earth, My only Son, to tell them about My goodness, and My love?" asks the Father. "Yes, Father," Jesus says, "and I did. But I also listened, and they told Me about their pain." "Is not their pain of their own choosing?" the Father asks. Jesus answers, "Father, whatever it comes from, pain is pain." Sternly now, the Father says, "My Son, You let your human heart carry you away." "Yes Father, I did," Jesus whispers. Then the Father smiles, and reaches out and embraces His Son, happy that His son went walking in the big city streets that day. (4) Moses came down from the mountain and gave us the law; Jesus came down from the mountain and gave us himself. We have been called to create safe space for all of God’s children to come and feel the presence of God. Amen. Song Christ Whose Glory Fills the Skies UMH 173 Pastoral Prayer for Transfiguration Sunday Gracious God, God of the covenant, the cloud of your splendor and the fire of your love revealed your Son on the mountain heights. As your Son drew apart to be in prayer with you, we offer our prayers for the transformation of the world and the church. We pray that as we gather around the table we may be transformed by the grace of Christ. We pray that the food we bring will be used to show the love that you have for us and all creation. We pray that today we may be a living sacrifice for those who need to know the truth of your life-giving Gospel. Holy Father, mighty and immortal, you are beyond our knowing, yet we see your glory in the face of Jesus Christ, whose compassion illumines the world. Transform us into the likeness of the love of Christ, who renewed our humanity so that we may share in his divinity. Help us to share the risk and challenge of living our faith. By your Spirit, turn our fear to courage and our confusion to confidence Sovereign Lord, Father of all in the power of the Holy Spirit, grant to us the strength to turn our face toward Jerusalem to bear our cross, so that your glory and love and mercy may be revealed. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. — posted on I’m Just Saying by mrawle2000, a United Methodist Elder in the Louisiana Conference. Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Invitation to the Offering Can you call to mind a time in your life when you were so inspired, you wanted to move mountains? Some moment when you were so filled with gratitude you were willing to respond with super generosity? We hear of Peter’s moment on the mountain, seeing Jesus “transfigured” (changed into glory in the presence of Moses and Elijah), which led to Peter’s offer to build three dwellings; one for each of these heroes of faith. Matthew records the remarkable story of God breaking into that moment, claiming Jesus as God’s own Son and instructing the disciples to listen to Jesus. And the three disciples responded with fear! You may find fear a first response to your desire for super generosity. However, Jesus spoke into the moment, with the familiar words, “do not be afraid”. Today, I want to speak those words to you, as well. Do not be afraid to respond in gratitude, with super generosity, to your own moment of recognizing the amazing blessing we’ve received: this gift of life. It will not last forever, so I encourage you to respond with gratitude, as you offer your most generous gifts for Christ’s work here and to the ends of the earth. Prayer of Thanksgiving Loving God, we offer you the gift of our lives, recognizing all you provide for each of us. Please receive the symbols of each of our lives presented in this offering. And accept, as well, the good intentions of our hearts and minds as we offer you our time and talent, that we might live in gratitude rather than in fear. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook May the shining radiance of God warm you. May the dazzling splendor of God surprise you. And the glory of God transform you. May you come up to the mountaintop. May you remember the experience with wonder and awe. And may you come down renewed and empowered For the glory of God and the hope of the world. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay) Community Time Benediction (2 Peter 1, Matthew 17) Walk in light and truth. See the light of Christ in every face. Be the light of Christ to all you meet. Amen. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Deborah Sokolove) Additional Illustrations Children know that kind of exhilaration instinctively. In his book SERMON IN STONE, Mel Ellis tells of a class of geography students. They had taken a tour of the earth by book. At the end of the semester they were asked to list what they considered the Seven Wonders of the World. The top picks were the following: Egypt's Great Pyramid, the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon, the Panama Canal, the Empire State Building, St. Peter's Basilica, and China's Great Wall. While tallying the votes, the teacher noticed that one little girl had not turned in a paper. She approached the student and asked if she was having problems with her list. The girl responded, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher replied, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." Reluctantly, the little girl stood up and began to read her paper. "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are to touch and to taste, to see and to hear, and then to run and to laugh and to love." Can you make a better list of the seven wonders? PITY EVEN MORE THE PERSON WHO YEARNS FOR THE MOUNTAIN OF EXULTATION, BUT REFUSES THE VALLEY OF SERVICE. Once Billy Graham took part in a television show in London that included some wellknown British personalities. The host was discussing the current evangelistic crusade in Earls Court. He askedas they always do"Do all those people who come forward really `last'?" A prominent actress seated next to him didn't like the question. She commented, "What if they don't?" Everyone looked a bit startled, including Graham. She went on: "What if, in all their lives, they have just that one beautiful moment with God as they come and stand at His altar? Isn't that better than nothing?" (2) Well, perhaps. Then again, perhaps not. Some people have a mountaintop experience and they exclaim, "This is it!" And they think they have captured the essence of the Christian faith in a bottle that they can slip in their pocket and take back home with them. Later they open the bottle on Easter or Christmas eve, and they find it empty. The experience has not lasted. It is now but a pleasant, though distant memory. But, because they have been on the mountain even for a moment, they think they possess the real thing. They think they know what it is to follow Jesus. It might be better if they had never ascended the mountain if they have substituted a momentary experience for a lifetime of discipleship. The mountaintop is not enough. Christ still walks that valley today. Bear with me for a moment while I draw a parallel to the world of faith. TO SOME CHRISTIANS, FAITH THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE AN ELEMENT OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE IS NO FAITH AT ALL! It is like a rose that has no scent. Have you noticed that many people today seem to be hungry for some experience of the supernatural? The dramatic upswing of interest in the existence of angels, of witches, of near death experiences, etc. speak of a longing that people have to go beyond the merely rational. Francis Caponi, a Roman Catholic priest, was drawing parallels between Elvis Presley and Jesus Christ. He noted an interesting phenomenon. "Both of their figures," he said, "are discerned in billboards, refrigerator rust stains, [and] strangely shaped vegetables." (5) He was referring, of course, to those strange reports that pop up from time to time of apparitions of Mary, of Jesus, even of Elvis. Be careful. Our minds have a tendency to organize reality in a way that does not always fit the facts. John Mowery tells the story of a mountain climber who was desperate to conquer one of the world's great mountains. He initiated his climb after years of preparation. But he wanted the glory to himself; therefore, he went up alone. He started climbing and it was becoming later, and later. He did not prepare for camping but decided to keep on going. Soon it got dark . . . night fell with heaviness at a very high altitude. Visibility was zero. Everything was black. There was no moon, and the stars were blocked by clouds. As he was climbing a ridge at about 100 meters from the top, this proud climber slipped and fell. Falling rapidly he could only see blotches of darkness that passed. He felt a terrible sensation of being sucked in by gravity. He kept falling . . . and in those anguishing moments good and bad memories passed through his mind. He thought certainly he would die. But then he felt a jolt that almost tore him in half. Yes! Like any good mountain climber he had staked himself with a long rope tied to his waist. In those moments of stillness, suspended in the air he had no other choice but to shout, "HELP ME, GOD! HELP ME!" All of a sudden he heard a deep voice from heaven. "What do you want me to do?" "SAVE ME," he cried. "Do you REALLY think that I can save you?" asked the voice. "OF COURSE, MY GOD," he replied. "Then cut the rope that is holding you up," said the voice. There was another moment of silence and stillness. The man just held tighter to the rope. The rescue team says that the next day they found a frozen mountain climber hanging strongly to a rope . . . Two feet off the ground. (5) Someone today in this room is hanging two feet off the ground. You are facing a tough, uphill battle. You are lonely and you are scared. But you have not been able to let go and let God. I pray that you will let go of the rope. You are not alone in this universe. Someone has come into this world from another world. Someone knows what you are going through. He has suffered too. He is who He says He is. Won't you trust Him with your life?

The Radiance of God

February 27, 2022 Transfiguration Sunday The Radiance of God Year C 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 Opening Song Welcome - A Mountaintop Experience Call to Worship One: Something drew us together this morning All: Something we can’t name but which we experience in worship One: Some holy mystery we call God All: Some sacred calling we hear in the life of Jesus One: Some indescribable hope we feel when we gather in the Spirit All: May our experience of the Divine transform our doubts and fears and prepare us to love the world. (Rev. Dr. David Bahr) Opening Prayer Mighty God, in the long winter slog it’s easy for us to drift along. Short days, still getting dark so early, seem to dampen any enthusiasm for discipleship for so many of us. Wake us up! Help us rejoice today as we recall the brilliance of Moses’ face on Mt. Sinai, and the dazzling wonder of Jesus on the mountaintop. Renew in us the eager anticipation of disciples, eager to celebrate having seen Moses, Elijah and the metamorphosis of their teacher, Jesus. Shine in us! AMEN (Center for Faith and Giving) Stewardship Moment One: The needs of our world are too numerous to name. Shelter, food, clean air and water… Our gifts touch these needs, but the biggest gift we can give is to love the world so much that we give of ourselves. Nothing will transform need more than sacrificial love. So as you place money in the offering (plate, basket, etc.) today, don’t let your giving be done. Start planning to go deeper. May God now bless our hopes and dreams. (Rev. Dr. David Bahr) Prayer of Thanksgiving Giving thanks to you, God of all Creation, we ask you to receive these signs of our love. Accept these gifts, knowing we offer them as symbols of the life you give us. Help us utilize this money, and each of our lives, to show your GLORY to a hurting world. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN (Center for Faith and Giving) Scripture 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 Common English Bible 12 So, since we have such a hope, we act with great confidence. 13 We aren’t like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the Israelites couldn’t watch the end of what was fading away. 14 But their minds were closed. Right up to the present day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. The veil is not removed because it is taken away by Christ. 15 Even today, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But whenever someone turns back to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord’s Spirit is, there is freedom. 18 All of us are looking with unveiled faces at the glory of the Lord as if we were looking in a mirror. We are being transformed into that same image from one degree of glory to the next degree of glory. This comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 4 This is why we don’t get discouraged, given that we received this ministry in the same way that we received God’s mercy. 2 Instead, we reject secrecy and shameful actions. We don’t use deception, and we don’t tamper with God’s word. Instead, we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God by the public announcement of the truth. Sermon The Radiance of God Sermon Opener - Face to Face - 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 The 2010 drama film “The Social Network” portrayed many interesting features of Mark Zuckerberg’s development of his online creation. But they missed a big one: the name he chose for his baby --“Facebook.” Let’s face it: humans are obsessed with the unique, defining nature of our faces. The arrangement of our eyes, nose, mouth, chin, cheeks, forehead, never ceases to amaze and fascinate us. More than 5000 distinguishable facial expressions have been identified, and that is probably just a start on the human face. The 18th century German satirist Georg Lichtenberg called the human face “the most entertaining surface on earth.” How could we possibly resist pursuing and endlessly perusing an online site called “Facebook?” We recognize friends — and enemies — by their face. Bank robbers wear masks to hide their faces, knowing full well that, no matter how clear the pictures of their bodies might be, without a full view of their face, they cannot be accurately identified. When the Protestant Reformers came across images of the saints and the Virgin Mary, they defaced them on paintings and had their faces gouged out of carvings and sculptures. Babies look at faces — learning how to put the pieces together and how to recognize and trust the familiar, and reject and be fearful of the unfamiliar. It is in our human DNA to look into the face of others for critical, life-preserving, information. “We find ourselves in the faces of others” says Siri Hustvedt in her novel The Summer Without Men (2011). We become human through our relationships with others. In short, long before “virtual life,” human beings were walking, talking “Facebooks.” Our language reflects this fixation. We speak of taking things at “face value,” or of doing an “about face,” or of “facing off” against opponents. We “face the music,” make “face time,” and when dishonored we “lose face.” “Face cards” carry the most value and to stand “face-to-face” with another signifies being in the most valued of positions. One of the most advanced new computer identification techniques is the science of “facial recognition” — computer programs that can scan and identify individual faces without any other physical information. In the “transfiguration” scene described in this week’s gospel text (Luke 9:28ff), Jesus’ face shines… So you can imagine how much of a problem wearing a mask has been for so many people. This is not a political statement about mask wearing, but for many it stands in the way of being able to relate to people. If you cant see their face you cant relate to them, for many reasons. We are all looking for those little cues about their reactions. With a mask on your cant read lips, but you also can’t see a person’s genuine smile. Often you can’t hear them but you also cant relate to them. Now I am going to ask you to hold that thought. That gives us a modern example of Paul’s message in Corinthians. When Paul talks about a veil that stands in the way – he is talking about our relationship with God. Paul has a tendency to use certain concepts all throughout his writings. He likes to talk about our relationship with God in cosmetic terms. Earlier, I think even in 1 Corinthians he talks about our relationship with God being like looking into a very dull mirror. We could bearly see an image, but when we looked in the mirror we could see just a little bit that there was an image there. The closer we got to God and the more our relationship improved, then the image in the mirror Got clearer. But the image was not ours, it was Gods. Now in order to understand Paul’s reference to a veil in this passage, we have to go back to the book of Exodus. Moses had a special relationship with God, and would talk to God often. He would especially go to God when his community had a problem. God would always tell Moses to hide himself so that he would be protected. On earth, God was an actual presence – a gaseous prescence that would burn you if you got too close too it. You did not touch the ark of the coveneant from fear of death. I think God revealed himself to only two living people. Moses and Elijah. And both times God told them that they could not look at God’s face and live, they had to hide and look at God’s shadow – just a glimpse of God. Only Jesus Christ has a face to face relationship with God. So back to our story within a story – Moses is concerned that people have gotten out of hand, so he goes to God and gets the ten commandments. Obviously, deep in conversation, they are not paying attention to the present moment. When Moses returns to the people, his face is burned. The people are fascinated to look at his face, but it is also kinda scary. So in order to protect the people – Moses wears a veil in public. For Paul, this is kinda of a funny image- Moses walking around in public with this veil on, glowing because he had gotten too close to God. For us, who have been and continue to wear mask for the last two years – it is not so strange. As a matter of fact, Paul kinda switches the image up a little bit. Paul says it is not Moses that wears the veil, it is the people. Remember Paul liked to use cosmetic terms to talk about our relationship with God. So Paul says that the veil in not on the person telling us about God, the veil is on our hearts. We don’t listen to God today, not so much because of the masks – but because we are just closed minded and hearted people that don’t like to listen to things we don’t want to hear. We get far away from God, and God’s ways because like the people in Moses times, we just shut down. We don’t listen to what Jesus would want us to do – because it would seriously disrupt our lives. Transfiguration Sunday – is our call during the Lenten season to get closer to God. We all know that effect of mask on our relationships – and I guess I can say that in a sermon now that the mask mandate has been lifted. But we are being challenged to think about the veils that we wear in our hearts. What is standing in the way of us listening to God. More importantly, what stands in the way of us reflecting God’s glory in everything that you do. Life got in the way of one young lady seeing the glory of God in life. Her aunt had died, and she insisted on having a small funeral for her aunt. Afterall she was older, and she had no family or kids of her own. The niece just knew that her aunt would not want a big fuss. So it was just the niece, the minister, the funeral director and all of the graves at her funeral. The next Sunday, her church was filled to standing room only. The minister just assumed that there was a family reunion in town, until it came time for joys and concerns. Aunt Mae’s best friend stood up to talk about the relationship with her childhood friend. Mae and her husband had a restaurant just across the street from the college. The college kids went to the restaurant – but they bought their problems with them. Whenever aunt Mae could tell that ta child was suffering, from a test they had flunked, from a lost love, a unexpected pregnancy, whatever, aunt Mae was there. When she suspected something was wrong with a young adult, she would tell her husband to take of the restaurant while she took the college student to the back table to talk, and to pray. She woiuld listen to them, but she also made sure that their problem was handled, she would send them to a professional to get the help they needed. There were thousands of kids who would not have graduated college without her. Her best friend went on and on about the Christian witness of Mae. The church was full of many of those kids who returned to honor her for her ministry to them. They were truly grateful when they thought of her. They were all smiling. They went out into the cemetary to pray and sing over her grave. Even her niece who had stayed in town after the funeral was there with them – smiling and crying over the life and ministry of Aunt Mae. Her life was truly a reflection of God’s glory on earth. Her niece was able to remove the veil on her heart, and to let the love of God in. In our lives how do we reflect the love of God in our lives, when people see us, do they see the glory of God in the world? How do we remove our veil, but keep our mask on? In Corona virus terms life is about people being able to see our smile underneath the mask. A Kind of Glow Most of us, at some time another, have had transforming experiences, times when we recognize clearly that our lives are about to be, or have been, forever changed, times when we absolutely glow. How else would you explain people's uncanny ability to ask the right question at the right time, if we didn't emit some kind of glow: Are you in love? Are you expecting? Did you get a raise? Did you finally break par? Have you ever watched a child open a card and find $5.00, Have you ever watched a senior open an acceptance letter from their first pick school, Have you ever watched a teenager open the door after their first goodnight kiss, Have you ever watched a golfer after they search around the green only to find the ball in the hole, Have you ever watched a mother or a grandmother when they hold a new baby, Have you ever watched a dad when he walks his daughter down the aisle? No words are needed, the look says it all, the glow speaks volumes......joy, disappointment, awe, disbelief, completeness, loneliness...every word is written on the face. This morning's texts are woven in such a way that we are given a glimpse as to what it means to have a life forever changed by the knowledge and presence of God. Author unknown Prosopagnosia Our ability to recognize faces is partly the responsibility of the temporal lobe of the brain. Certain neurons in the temporal lobe respond to particular features of a face. Some people who suffer damage to the temporal lobe lose their ability to recognize and identify familiar faces. This disorder is called prosopagnosia. Not being able to recognize people isn’t just a neurological problem. For every person with prosopagnosia there are thousands who don’t take the time to see what the faces of others may reveal. Like James and John and Peter we are weighted down with our concerns. ”But since they stayed awake” James and John and Peter witnessed an amazing event. This Lenten season instead of giving something up perhaps we should commit to doing more. Perhaps we should commit to staying awake to see the holy moments and transfigurations that happen very near us. This Lenten season let us strive to recognize better the face of Jesus. Brent Porterfield What is it that lights you up and helps you to reflect the light of God in our body, your face and your smile? What is it that gets you to take off the veil in your heart and experience life to its fullest? What is it that makes you glow? People tell me that I glow when I wear purple. But I also glow in being with God’s people and recognizing God’s glory burning brightly in the world. Some scholars say that eventually Moses face healed from his encounter with getting too close to God. They say that he still wore the veil in public, but this time no so much to hide the glow, but to hide the fact that he had lost his glow. That is why Paul encourages us to take the veil off, and to let the glow shine for all of the world to see. There is a story of a trio of gold miners who worked a claim in the Montana territory. One of them found an unusual looking stone one day. Breaking it open, the prospected was thrilled to discover gold! He called his partners over and they joined him in digging. In no time at all they had discovered a whole new vein. Overcome with joy they began dancing and shouting, slapping each other on the back and crying out, we found it, we are rich. Then a more sober thought occurred to them, they had best keep this secret so there would be a stampede of other prospectors. On their next trip into town to buy supplies, not a one of them breathed a word to anyone about their miraculous find. Yet they discovered upon packing up to leave, that hundreds of men, pickaxes in hand, were lined up to follow them. When they asked who squealed, the reply came back, no one, we could read it on your faces. When you have a genuine encounter with God – what can people read on your face? Perhaps our theme for this lent – is find your smile. – and loving it enough to keep it! I can guarantee that means that you have found the key to your relationship with God. Happy Transfiguration Sunday! Let us pray…… Prayer We picture the mountain top experience of the disciples, Peter, James and John, chosen to go up to the mountain top with Jesus, to receive a new vision. But it wasn’t what was expected. They were awed and frightened. They didn’t know what to do. One wanted to build special festival booths for Moses, Elijah and Jesus, where people could come to receive healing and blessing. It would have been so easy to stay up on the mountain and never again to descend to the hungering valley below. But Jesus has work for us to do. We are called to receive the blessing, not for ourselves alone, but to give it to others; to offer healing, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, hope and peace. These are difficult things to do in the face of the anger and hostilities that seem to abound in the world. We are not alone. God is with us. Just as we have asked for God’s healing mercies in the prayers we have offered for others, so we are recipients of God’s love and strength. Feel the power of God’s love flooding over you, coursing through your veins, encompassing your spirit! Let God’s strength and hope abide in you. Then be prepared to go and bring that blessing to others, in the name of Jesus Christ. AMEN. (Nancy C. Townley Lord’s Prayer Song - Be Thou My Vision UMH 451 Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook May God now send us back down the mountain of our worship. We have been changed. We can’t be silent anymore. We have seen the Light of the World. Go and share the radiance of love! (Rev. Dr. David Bahr) Community Time Benediction Open your ears to God’s Chosen Son Open your minds to understanding. Open your hearts to transfiguration. And may the grace of our God the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer be with you now and always. Amen. (Rev. Terri McDowell Ott) Children’s Time Additional Illustrations Even the Darkness Can Dazzle To lead our exodus, Jesus had to die like we do: alone, with no particular glory. Otherwise he would have been an anomaly instead of a messiah, and it would have been hard for us to see what he had in common with the rest of us. As it was, he died very much like those who died on either side of him, one of them begging to be saved from what was coming, the other asking to be remembered when Jesus got where he was going. Jesus could not do anything for the one who wanted to be spared, but he did a great favor for the other. He told him that the darkness was a dazzling one, with paradise in it for both of them. I think it was something he learned on the mountain, when light burst through all his seams and showed him what he was made of. It was something he never forgot. If we have been allowed to intrude on that moment, it is because someone thought we might need a dose of glory too, to get us through the night. Some people are lucky enough to witness it for themselves, although like Peter, James and John, very few of them will talk about it later. What the rest of us have are stories like this one, and the chance to decide for ourselves whether we will believe what they tell us. It is a lot to believe: that God’s lit-up life includes death, that there is no way around it but only through, that even the darkness can dazzle. Barbara Brown Taylor, "Dazzling Darkness," article in the Christian Century, February 4-11, 1998, page 1-5 You Can't Stay on the Mountain Top A little boy was out in his front yard, throwing a ball up in the air. An elderly passerby asked the boy what he was doing. He replied, “I am playing a game of catch with God. I throw the ball up in the air and he throws it back.” I am in no position to comment on God’s ability to play ball, but I do know that whatever goes up must come down. There may be exceptions, such as Charlie Brown’s kite! But as a rule, whatever goes up must come down. The process is so predictable that you could refer to it as a scientific law. The same process applies to our religious lives. It is a good thing to “go up” to a great experience with God, but we will become greatly disillusioned if we do not remember that eventually we have to “come down” again. John Thomas Randolph, The Best Gift, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. Gladdening the Valleys Below God never meant us to live on the mountaintop. I wish the gospel story told you the next Biblical story after the Transfiguration. This next Biblical story is never included in the lectionary series, and I feel badly about that. Because the next story is the key to the transfiguration story. The disciples and Jesus came off the mountain, and they came right down to the bottom of the valley. They came off the mountain and they came down into the valley and they found a boy who was having epileptic seizures. The mother and father were enormously upset and worried about the desperately sick boy, and the little boy fell into a fire and burned himself. In other words, the disciples came down off that mountaintop right into the problems of real life. Home from a mountaintop vacation and into the real world at home. And the disciples discovered that God is also down in the valley and does not live only or even primarily on the mountaintop. I like the quotation by Henry Drummond, the Scottish theologian when he said, “God does not make the mountains in order to be inhabited. God does not make the mountaintops for us to live on the mountaintops. It is not God’s desire that we live on the mountaintops. We only ascend to the heights to catch a broader vision of the earthly surroundings below. But we don’t live there. We don’t tarry there. The streams begin in the uplands, but these streams descend quickly to gladden the valleys below.” The streams start in the mountaintops, but they come down to gladden the valleys below. You and I experience the valleys of life. You and I both know what happens the next day coming down from the mountain. It is the real world and the real life. After Sundays of life, there are always Mondays. You know, the tough ones of life. God is with us there. Edward F. Markquart, Mountains, Valleys, and Plains _______________________________ It Will Be Better Higher Up The American evangelist Dwight L. Moody told the story about a Christian woman who was always bright, cheerful and optimistic, even though she was confined to her room because of her illness. She lived in an attic apartment on the fifth floor of an old, rundown building. A friend decided to visit her one day and brought along another woman – a person of great wealth. Since there was no elevator, the two ladies began the long climb upward. When they reached the second floor, the well-to-do woman commented, "What a dark and filthy place!" Her friend replied, "It’s better higher up." When they arrived at the third landing, the remark was made: "Things look even worse here." Again the reply: "It’s better higher up." Finally they reached the attic level, where they found the bedridden saint of God. A smile on her face radiated the joy that filled her heart. Although the room was clean and flowers were on the windowsill, the wealthy visitor could not contain herself about the stark surroundings and blurted out: "It must be very difficult for you to be here like this!" Without a moment’s hesitation the shut-in responded: "It will be better higher up." She was not looking at temporal things. With the eyes of faith fixed on the eternal, she had found the secret of true satisfaction and contentment. She had been transformed because of what she knew was yet to come… Joel Leyrer Well, You Can't Just Sit There There is a true story of a 33-year-old truck driver by the name of Larry Walters who was sitting in his lawn chair in his backyard one day wishing he could fly. For as long as he could remember he had wanted to fly but he had never had the time nor money nor opportunity to be a pilot. Hang gliding was out because there was no good place for gliding near his home. So he spent a lot of summer afternoons sitting in his backyard in his ordinary old aluminum chair - the kind with the webbing and the rivets, the kind most of us have. One day Larry hooked 45 helium-filled surplus weather balloons to his chair, put a CB radio in his lap, tied a paper bag full of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to his leg, and slung a BB-gun over his shoulder to pop the balloons when he wanted to come down. He lifted off in his lawn chair expecting to climb a couple of hundred feet over his neighborhood. But instead he shot up 11,000 feet right through the approach corridor to the Los Angeles International Airport. When asked by the press why he did it, Larry answered: "Well, you can't just sit there." When asked if he was scared, he answered, "Yes...wonderfully so." Peter, James, and John might answer the same. Were you scared? "Yes...wonderfully so." Adapted from Robert Fulgum, "All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." It's A Lot More Fun If You Open Your Eyes What do you think about roller coasters? When I was a kid, I was deathly afraid of them. We didn’t live too far from Great America, which was the big amusement park in our area. So we would go down there about every summer, but I would never go on a roller coaster with my brother or sister. They would always say, "Come on, you have to try it to see if you like it," but I was happy riding the bumper cars and the merry-go-round. The psychologists call that having a type B personality. Type A personalities are those folks who love roller coasters. That’s what my sister Susan is like. She’s a definite type A. Type B personalities like me tend to shy away from anything too exciting. But then my senior year in high school came. I was on the student council, and the student council always went to Great America at the end of the year. I hadn’t been there in quite a few years, and so I was looking forward to it. But still I had never ridden on a roller coaster, and for some reason I admitted that to my friends. They couldn’t believe it. "You’ve never ridden on a roller coaster? Well, you’re going to ride on one now." So I did, and I really did enjoy it. I was excited and terrified at the same time. After that first ride, my friend sitting next to me had one piece of advice. He said, "You know, it’s even more fun if you open your eyes." You’ve probably heard it said before, "If you don’t keep your eyes open, you’re bound to miss something." That was me on the roller coaster. It’s a good encouragement that we all need to hear once in a while: Open your eyes. That’s the encouragement that our God is giving us this morning. He says to the disciples of Jesus – you and me – Open your eyes and look at the glory of Jesus. Peter Prange Fog-Clearing Moments Most of us have had fog-clearing moments. A recent Gallop Poll reported that eighty-five percent of the people interviewed said that they had had a “mystical” experience with God. This is a high percentage! But, when you think about it, there have been those moments in life when we experienced God’s presence and purpose in ways that are deep, profound, and real. So great is that certainty that we would stake our lives upon its reality. Perhaps we cannot explain it, but it is real beyond the shadow of a doubt. Joe Pennel Jr., From Anticipation to Transfiguration, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. p. 122 _________________ A visitor to Albert Schweitzer’s mission station in equatorial Africa saw a battered old piano. Extreme heat and humidity had almost destroyed it. The ivories on the keyboard were fastened with screws. A dozen or more strings were missing. It was capable of clattering only music marred with tinniness of tone and horribly out of tune. That is until Albert Schweitzer sat down to play. He was not only a skilled physician, but a renowned master of Bach’s music. Only he could bring alive in even a pitifully ravaged instrument the glorious chords of Bach’s great music. As only God’s infinite grace can restore the worst of us to usefulness, even beauty! He shares his glory. And, once redeemed and continually blest, we with whom God shares his glory become agents by whom that glory is further spread. This is how the Christian mission operates. So the Apostle Paul could insist, "What we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake." Christians do not proclaim their own brightness. They only let it shine for the sake of others. As servants. Often it’s a costly servanthood. Always it’s sacrificial. "Nurse, bring me a candle." "A candle?" she said. "Why do you want a candle?" "Because," he answered grimly, "I’m afraid to go home in the dark." Sometimes the experiences of life are dark circumstances involving us in difficult trial. Saint Paul was sure, however, that God says, "Let light shine out of darkness." This is God’s eternal promise. This is the Epiphany given through Christ. Nothing I can think of describes the Epiphany experience better than an Englishman’s account of a day in Switzerland. He wrote: "I recall we set out upon a day’s excursion, when on holiday, to reach, by tunnel railway, the Junchfrau-Joch. For a large part of the journey we travelled in darkness, through the tunnelled mountain railway, and at times we wondered about the wisdom of our journey. We rumbled through the darkness, stopping twice to look through observation windows, built into the side of the mountain. It gave us a respite, and also enabled us to adjust our breathing to the rarer heights. Then we stopped at the summit. Going out into the fresh mountain air, we held our breath, the view was awe inspiring, from the Black Forests of Germany to the Bernese Oberland, and down to the Italian Alps. The higher we climbed the better the view. The sun and snow nearly blinded our eyes, but the sheer loveliness of the view was breathtaking." Awe, wonder, glory! These are still God’s gifts to believing hearts. CSS Publishing Co., Inc., Splendor Of God's Glory, by William F. Dunkle a little girl, who was afraid to go to sleep in the dark, wanted her mother to stay with her. Her mother told her God would be with her, so she did not need to be afraid. "Yes, I know, Mama," the girl said, "but I want someone with a face." The message of our text, the message of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany is just that. The gift of Christ to us is Emmanuel -- "God with us." Jesus is "God with a face," a face turned toward us in love and good will. Recall the remarkable answer Christ gave when Philip requested, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus responded, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:8, 9). In essence he was saying, "If you want to see God, look at my face. All that you ever need to know about God, and all of life, you will find in me." Look again, Philip, look again! A pastor friend was greeting his congregation at the close of a morning service. One young woman, after shaking his hand, drew closer and said softly, "Please keep telling us how very much we mean to God; it has changed my life!" Yes, and it will keep changing the lives of any who will believe it, so we keep on sharing. Without question, it is the most important news our world has ever heard! This is the message brought to us by the "face that launched a thousand lives." It is ours to hear, to believe, and to share with any who will lend a listening ear.

A New Vision for a new generation

2 Kings 2:1-12 Transfiguration Sunday Year B February 14, 2021 Opening Song Welcome Opening Prayer The darkness of winter has been our companion, Lord. Now the days are lengthening. Bring your light to us, that we might see your glory and may work for you, offering hope and peace to this world. We ask this, in Jesus’ Name. AMEN. Stewardship Moment All around us we know of people who seek out mentors, models, and those who mark the way. Medical students apply for residencies. Law students want to clerk with top justices. Student teachers hope for placement with excellent educators. In Mark’s Gospel, we’re continuing the story of Simon (Peter), Andrew, James and John. All four, called by Jesus, see him healing those who were sick, casting out demons, praying and preparing to proclaim the message of God’s Realm. What about for us, today? How are we setting aside our weariness in order to model our lives on the life of Jesus? If we are his disciples, what will we offer back today? How will you express your gratitude for the place you’ve landed, with Jesus as your mentor, model, and marker on the Way? Especially in these days, facing challenges brought to us by the COVID pandemic, what will you offer? (make clear the many ways offerings may be shared; web-site? Phone? Mailed? Placed in an offering tray?) Prayer of Thanksgiving Generous God, you continue to provide us with so much. Today we give you thanks for the gift of Jesus, who showed his disciples the Way of Love. As 21st century followers of Jesus, we offer these symbols of our lives, that the Good News might continue to be proclaimed. Inspire us to use these gifts, and all our lives, as we gladly claim and express our identity as disciples (Disciples) of Christ. AMEN Special Music Scripture Elijah goes to heaven 2 Now the LORD was going to take Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, and Elijah and Elisha were leaving Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, because the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives and as you live, I won’t leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 The group of prophets from Bethel came out to Elisha. These prophets said to Elisha, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master away from you today?” Elisha said, “Yes, I know. Don’t talk about it!” 4 Elijah said, “Elisha, stay here, because the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives and as you live, I won’t leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 5 The group of prophets from Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master away from you today?” He said, “Yes, I know. Don’t talk about it!” 6 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, because the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives and as you live, I won’t leave you.” So both of them went on together. 7 Fifty members from the group of prophets also went along, but they stood at a distance. Both Elijah and Elisha stood beside the Jordan River. 8 Elijah then took his coat, rolled it up, and hit the water. Then the water was divided in two! Both of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “What do you want me to do for you before I’m taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Let me have twice your spirit.” 10 Elijah said, “You’ve made a difficult request. If you can see me when I’m taken from you, then it will be yours. If you don’t see me, it won’t happen.” 11 They were walking along, talking, when suddenly a fiery chariot and fiery horses appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went to heaven in a windstorm. 12 Elisha was watching, and he cried out, “Oh, my father, my father! Israel’s chariots and its riders!” When he could no longer see him, Elisha took hold of his clothes and ripped them in two. Sermon The Spirit of God for Our Generation There is a legend that St. Valentinus was in prison waiting to be put to death. The jailer asked him to be his daughter’s teacher. The jailer’s daughter was named Julia and she had been born blind. Valentinus said yes, and he taught her history, science, and math. He had to read to her because she couldn’t see. He also taught her about God and the Christian faith. Julia asked Valentinus if God could hear people’s prayers, and he told her yes. Julius told Valentinus that every night she prayed that she could see. The teacher and student then knelt in prayer together and while they were on their knees, a blinding light flashed. Julia cried, Valentinus, I can see. Praise God was his answer. The legend goes on to say that the night before he was executed, Valentinus wrote a not to Julia. On that note he told her to stay close to God and he signed it from your Valentine. The next day, February 14 in the year 270 AD Valentinus was put to death. Today, centuries later we send messages of love or valentines to the ones that we care about. If you listen to the story, this was also the story of answered prayer and a glimpse of the glory of God. Today is also transfiguration Sunday. The last Sunday of epiphany and the Sunday before lent begins. This is the Sunday where we witness the enlightening transformation of Jesus before he goes into the most important phase of his ministry, his entrance into Jerusalem and his death. This is the Sunday where we start to see transformation. I know that it is really cold outside, it feels like we are in the dead of winter. But I can assure you that things are changing. Life is getting easier. A friend of mine pointed out that at 5:30 in the evening it is still light out, just one month ago it was still getting dark at 4:30 – 5 pm. Spring is only 35 days away. A month ago we were worrying about getting tested for Covid, today there is a vaccine, and the days when it is readily available are coming. Life is constantly in transition, there are always better days ahead. That is the theme of our scriptures today – the experience of transitions. One thing that you can look forward to in times of transition are the visions. There are short glimpses of the holy and of the better yet to come. In the transfiguration story – Jesus has been praying to be used by God, and things are about to get a little sticky. But before he goes into the intense part of his ministry, he takes his disciples up on a mountain and he begins to pray. As he is praying his two greatest mentors, Elijah and Moses join him and he starts to glow for just a minute, then it is all over. Life is back to normal. They come down off of the mountain, and go on about their ministry. It was the vision itself that tells them that life is about to change. Fog-Clearing Moments Most of us have had fog-clearing moments. A recent Gallop Poll reported that eighty-five percent of the people interviewed said that they had had a “mystical” experience with God. This is a high percentage! But, when you think about it, there have been those moments in life when we experienced God’s presence and purpose in ways that are deep, profound, and real. So great is that certainty that we would stake our lives upon its reality. Perhaps we cannot explain it, but it is real beyond the shadow of a doubt. Joe Pennel Jr., From Anticipation to Transfiguration, CSS Publishing Company This morning we are going to focus on the mentor and not the mentee. Our scripture for this morning is not the gospel lesson, but the Hebrew bible lesson. The story of Elijah and Elisha. This is s story of Elisha’s bravery and boldness. Elisha asks for a double portion of his mentor’s spirit. More importantly he asks to be an heir of Elijah. We do we call catholic priest – father – because that is what Elisha called Elijah. That is who Abraham is to us all – the father of our faith. Elijah promises that Elisha will get his wish if he is with him at the time of his departure. And sure enough a chariot of fire comes to get Elijah. His students search for days afterwards and never find a body. What I did not realize was that the chariot of fire was representative of an image of God prevalent in the middle eastern cultures. God was known as the divine warrior. God was at war with negativity and all of the bad things that happen to people. A chariot is only used on the battle field. It is this chariot that comes down to earth and takes up Elijah. What is the greatest enemy of humankind? What is the greatest threat to our wellbeing as people? Our greatest threat is death. In the scripture, everyone knew that Elijah was close to death. The other seminary students constantly reminded Elisha that he was going to loose his mentor every shortly. Elisha stuck to his mentor like glue, and refused to listen to the inevitable. The chariot of fire comes to get Elijah and he is delivered from the greatest enemy of all time – death. Elijah is one of three people in the bible who are taken up directly into heaven. Moses was taken up to heaven, but he is not one of the 3 people – he died before he was taken. As Elisha watched all of this unfolding – that was his transitional glimpse of God. A Night to Slow Down and See On one of his many travels across the United States Charles Kuralt unexpectedly spent a night on Mount McKinley. He had planned just a day visit, but the plane that carried him to the glacier was unable to bring him back. Since it was getting late Charles and Izzy, a photographer who worked with him, would have to spend the night. Charles admits a feeling of fear swept over him in that strange deserted place. There was a cabin on the mountain not too far from where they were, their pilot told them. They would be able to spend the night there. The men hiked for nearly an hour before they found the simple cabin. The cabin was small, six-sided and half buried in snow. Inside there were sleeping shelves along the walls. What seemed strange to Charles when he first arrived was the large windows. After eating stew the men were ready for bed. But then they looked out those same windows. They were taken by surprise by what they saw. For one night only they had the best seats on the planet for nature's most spectacular show. They stayed up watching in delight and wonder. The scene faded away only with the rising of the sun. Both of them were left awed and exhausted. That morning Charles began to wonder if maybe the pilot left him on the mountain on purpose. Maybe the pilot sized them up as a couple of guys who thought they were in a bigger hurry than they really were and would benefit from a night to slow down and look around and think about this place where they were. It would be a night Charles Kuralt would never forget. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com A Visionary Moment One of my favorite stories about the United Nations is the story about Dag Hammarskjold, who was Secretary General of the UN many years ago in about 1961. Many of us like his book entitled, MARKINGS. MARKINGS is Hammarskjold’s notes of his life as Secretary General of the United Nations but it is also a spiritual diary of his spiritual journey. Hammarskjold was a mystic, believing in the mystery of life and the mysteriousness of God. In his diary, he wrote the following words: “Summoned to carry it; alone to assay it; chosen to suffer it; free to deny it. I saw for one moment the sail in the sun storm, far off on a wave crest, bearing from land. For one moment, I saw….” I love those words, “From that moment, I saw the sail in the sun storm, I saw.” And he continued, “From that moment, when I said Yes to Someone, I knew for sure that my life, in self surrender, had meaning and had a goal.” Hammarskjold could not necessarily name that moment. That may be true for you as well. Where you had a visionary moment in your life, and you cannot pinpoint the exactness of the time of that moment, but you knew that your life, in self surrender, had a meaning and a goal. You knew that God had called you for a purpose, for a destiny in this world, and that you surrendered yourself to a purpose larger than yourself. Edward F. Markquart, Visions on a Mountaintop Whether we realize it or not, we all have those transitional moments. We are living in a transitional time, when things are about to change for the better. What is our present encounter with death? What is our present encounter with the chariot of fire? How are we being rescued as we speak? In 2 Kings the hope came the day Elisha graduated from his training to be a prophet. He had all of the knowledge that he needed. Now he just needed to go into practice. He needed to inspiration to do what he needed. Now he received the mantle to continue on the work that his mentor started. I think we all have that mentor that cared enough about us to teach us all that we knew. I just learned recently that a mentor of mine just passed away. I am grateful for the time that we spent together. God Breaks into Our Lives William Boggs' grandfather played a very important role in his life. Grandpa Boggs had been blind for nearly twenty years. Grandpa would tell you quickly that the way the world was going he didn't much care to see it anyway. He did have one regret however. He had never seen his grandson. Sensing death closing in on him, William's grandfather began praying more intensely for the Lord to give him sight, just long enough to see his grandson before he died. The doctors had told him that it was an impossibility because his eyes had long since turned a milky blue from a disease. One day Grandpa was playing with his grandson when suddenly he could see. The whole family ran out into the yard to see what all the fuss was and quickly grew quiet as it become apparent that his vision had returned. Grandpa picked up his grandson, whom he had never seen, and stared at him with an intensity that frightened the child. William remembers holding his face between his small hands while both of them cried. Then in the most frightening moment of all, Grandpa saw something in William. It was an unbelievable, once in a lifetime experience. Grandpa looked his grandson in the eyes and softly said, "a preacher." That was all he said. Just those two words so quietly uttered with a tone of surprise. Thirty years later William wonders which was the greater miracle "that he could see or that he could see something so deeply hidden in William and William's distant future. William believes that his grandfather's voice that day was the voice of God. God breaks into our lives suddenly and distinctly. At such times our perspectives are changed. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com We can always remember the mentor who cared for us, but it is important also that we remember the person that God puts in our lives to pass the mantle onto. The journey of a Christian requires us to both give and to receive our talents. Who is the mentee who you are tilling to give a double portion of your spirit to? The greatest mentor for us all is Jesus Christ. Jesus not only gives us a double portion, but he gave us all of his life. so that we could pass it on to others. Elijah has Elisha, Jesus has 3 million and counting that make up the body of Christ. Elijah has the chariot of fire, Jesus has to cross. In each case the chariot of fire – delivered them from the enemy of death. They both showed us that we too can be victorious over the thing that threatens our way of living today – death. It was the fact that Elisha was able to see this vision, that gave him a clear path of how to go on and to live and to do the work of God. True Miracles Once upon a time a group of disciples asked an elder, "Does your God work miracles?" The elder said, "Well, it all depends on what you mean by a miracle. Some people say it's a miracle that God does the will of the people. We say, it's a miracle when people do the will of God." Joan Chittister, The Role of Religion in Today's Society As we look at the vision today – we see There's nothing false about La Transfiguration - ecstasy, joy, awe and terror are all there: what you hear is what you get. All of that is present in the struggle in life. But when we are able to see that glimpse of the presence of God – we have to the strength to be present, for the next vision, the next transition the next victory over death. Happy Valentine’s day and keep the faith! Amen. Prayer Lord of infinite mercy, we would make a Broadway production of this Transfiguration event because we would not take the time to understand its significance for our lives. We are in such a hurry to memorialize everything that the power and meaning of the event become pale or altered in our memories. Help us look at Jesus with new eyes, those eyes that see him in light of the witness of the ages; that see Jesus as the One who comes to set people free, to heal, to bring hope and peace. Make us ready to become faithful disciples, rather than remaining dazzled by the mountaintop experience. Give us strength and courage this day to witness to Jesus’ love by the many deeds of mercy and justice we can offer in his name. For we offer ourselves, imperfect, but willing, to serve. AMEN. Lord’s Prayer Song for Reflection Shine Jesus Shine FWS 2173 Announcements Benediction Cry out! God’s word has been spoken. Cry out! Our hearts are filled with praise. Cry out! Our lives proclaim God’s glory. Cry out the bounty of God’s love. Children’s Sermon Children’s Sermon idea for Valentines Day / Sunday: Show the children how to say “I love you” in sign language. (One handed (see above) or Point to yourself (I), Cross your arms across your chest (Love) and then point to the other person (You). Show them a cut out paper heart with the words “I love you” written inside. Explain how we could also give a Valentines heart to people as a way of telling them we love them. Remind them how God showed his love by sending us his son Jesus. Remind them that it is important to tell people closed to us that we love them. -- (You might also want to tell them about Saint Valentine who demonstrated his love by helping people who were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus.) Or....try this Valentines Day kids sermon - Object lesson items: A red paper valentines heart (with the words “I love you.”) Full Valentines Day message: Good morning children! What special day does this heart remind you of? That’s right- Valentines Day. Saint Valentine was a real person who showed his wonderful love by helping people in need. Valentines Day is a great day to tell people how much we care about them and love them. This morning I want to show you a very interesting way of saying, “I love you.” I’ll show you how to say “I love you” in sign language. (Get the children to copy the hand motions for “I love you.” You could also show them the one handed method (Hand outstretched with 2 middle finger folded down.) What are some other ways we can tell people we love them? (Discuss the importance of demonstrating love and telling people with love them.) Those are all very good ideas. (Hold up a red paper heart) When I was young we would sometimes hand out red Valentines Day hearts to people. It was a simple way of telling people how much we cared about them. Do you see these words here? This says, “I love you.” There are many ways of showing people our love. Valentines Day is a good day to tell people and show people we love them. God showed his love to us by sending his son Jesus. It’s important that we pass on that love to others too. Children’s Prayer: Thank you for St. Valentine who showed his love by helping people in need. Help us to show love to others by our words and by our actions. In Jesus’ name – Amen! Additional Illustrations Mountain Top Experiences A man once testified in one of D.L. Moody's meetings that he had lived "on the Mount of Transfiguration" for five years. "How many souls did you lead to Christ last year?" Moody bluntly asked him. "Well," the man hesitated, "I don't know." "Have you saved any?" Moody persisted. "I don't know that I have," the man admitted. "Well," said Moody, "we don't want that kind of mountaintop experience. When a man gets up so high that he cannot reach down and save poor sinners, there is something wrong." W. Wiersbe, The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, p. 202 The Love Cloud - Mark 9:2-9 Today marks the celebration of Valentinus of Rome, St. Valentine we call him.St. Valentine was a physician and a member of the clergy during the time of the Roman Empire. We know him as the patron saint of love and marriage. He was best known for his ministry to persecuted Christians allowing them to marry in secret after Emperor Claudius banned marriages during wartime to encourage men to battle. But Valentine was also known as a healer and comforter to the sick, those ill from plague, fainting, epilepsy, and other disorders. He was killed, martyred, on February 14 in the year 270 at the age of 44. One interesting story about Valentinus had to do with the healing of an aristocrat’s daughter while he was in his custody after his arrest. Father Valentinus told his jailor Asterius “how Christ leads pagans out of the shadow of darkness and into the light of truth and salvation. So Asterius told him, if he could heal his foster daughter from blindness, he would convert. Father Valentinus covered the girl’s eyes with his hands and said, “Lord Jesus Christ, en-lighten your handmaid, because you are God, the True Light.” At that, the child regained her sight. Asterius and his family were baptized according to their agreement, but when the Emperor heard the news, he ordered them all to be executed. Love has always been a two-edged sword, especially Christian love....

Seeing God with our own Eyes

February 23, 2020 Seeing God with our Own Eyes 2 Peter 1:16-21 Year B Transfiguration Sunday Children’s Time I am wearing my shiny shoes today, because today is a special Sunday. Transfiguration Sunday – the day that God told us a very special secret. The secret is that God loves us. God sent Jesus into our world – to who that love. Jesus was with his friends one day, and they noticed that there was a bright light, and they heard a voice say this is my son whom I love and I am proud of. Jesus asked that no one tell that story – was he embarrassed that his dad spoke to him? God’s secret. But is a story that God tells pretty often, there are a few times when God spoke about Jesus in public. Jesus told his friends to keep this a secret until the right time. The time is now – we all have a job to spread the secret until everyone in the world knows that God loves us all! Stewardship Moment As a little child we are all taught how important it is to share and to not be selfish with the things that we have. It is easy for us to think that the bible reinforces that lessons of not being selfish. But Jesus actually does not say a whole lot about being unselfish, Jesus tells us to be loving and giving. What is the between being unselfish and being loving – one is the a negative, and the other is a positive. One is a list of things not to do, one is a list of things that we should do. When we are not being selfish – we think about what we have and chose to give what is left over. When we are loving and giving, we help others in spite of what we have. God does not give to us out of what God has left over, God gives out of God’s heart. God does not give out of what God has, but out of what we need. If God can do that for us, then surely, we can do that for others. As we give today – give to the mission of our church to reach out, to make a difference and God has given to us…. scripture 2 Peter 1:16-21 Common English Bible (CEB) Christ’s return is true 16 We didn’t repeat crafty myths when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Quite the contrary, we witnessed his majesty with our own eyes. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to him from the magnificent glory, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 In addition, we have a most reliable prophetic word, and you would do well to pay attention to it, just as you would to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Most important, you must know that no prophecy of scripture represents the prophet’s own understanding of things, 21 because no prophecy ever came by human will. Instead, men and women led by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Sermon I was on facebook a few days, and saved this post on how to identify fake news. 1. Read Past The Headline 2. Check What News Outlet Published It 3. Check The Publish Date And Time 4. Who Is The Author? 5. Look At What Links And Sources Are Used 6. Look Out For Questionable Quotes And Photos 7. Beware Confirmation Bias If a story looks suspicious or claims to reveal major news, search to see if other news outlets are also reporting the story. A single article from a suspicious source making a grand claim should be viewed with heavy skepticism. If no reliable news outlets are also reporting the story, then it’s very likely fake. 9. Think Before You Share Fake news sites rely on readers to share and engage with their articles in order for them to spread. In extreme cases, these fake articles can balloon out of control and have unintended consequences for those involved in the stories. After fake news stories claimed that Hillary Clinton was sexually abusing children at a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant, the business owner and his employees received death threats and vicious online harassment. The staff is still under attack even though these false claims have been debunked. More Resources For Spotting Fake News: • Snopes.com • Melissa Zimdars’ List Of Fake News Sites • On The Media Fake News Handbook • FactCheck.org • Poynter’s Tips For Debunking Fake News • TinEye Reverse Image Search • Washington Post Fact Checker In the world that we live in, we hear lot about fake news. And as we hear news everyday – and we can struggle with what to take seriously. Why are people telling us this story. The phrase fake news is a modern term, but the concept is not new. It has been going on for many years. Our scripture for this morning - 2 Peter was written to address this situation. Just who was this Jesus Christ anyway? And if he has not come back, is he really going to return? Some preachers were saying that he was coming back and some were not? In such a divided political climate, who do we believe? The author of 2 Peter makes the point that Peter was a witness to the transfiguration of Jesus. He was there, he heard the voice of God speak, he saw the face of Jesus shine and transform. More importantly – his life was changed from being present at that moment. In other words, Peter was not speaking from heresay, but personal experience. Peter was establishing himself as an authority figure on preaching the gospel. The words of Peter could be trusted. I don’t preach on this scripture very often, but it does offer a very different persective. Each of the gospels tell the story of the transfiguration. But this is the only reference to that day in the rest of the new testament. Peter tells this story in order to dispel the fake news of the day. Just as I gave the nine rules of spotting fake news. Peter says that he is an authority. The story of Jesus transfiguration and resurrection is not a myth – it is truth that Peter say for himself. He heard the voice and saw that sight for himself. The stories of Jesus should be a light to our understanding of the world. “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” 2 Peter 1:17 After the experience on the mountain, The Voice tells the disciples to "listen to Him (Jesus)". Discipleship is nothing more or less than “listening to Jesus.” To move forward in faith is to listen to Him, to recognize His voice, The Voice that is a transfiguring power, the same power that created the world out of nothingness. This is The Voice that transfigures sinners into saints, that heals the broken-hearted and makes the wounded whole human beings. The Voice is the voice of change, of transfiguration, The Voice that transfigures water into wine, and wine into blood, and death into life, and transgressive people into transfigured people. Can you hear the voice of Jesus in your life? In our culture? Do you have a hearing problem? Can we hear the voice of Jesus over the drone of voices calling you elsewhere? Listening for Jesus voice is "serious" [siri-ous] business. To “Listen to Him” we need to do four things. 1) We need to mute other voices. 2) We need to learn to listen and be silent. 3) We need to recognize The Voice. 4) We need to megaphone The Voice. 2) Twenty-one centuries after Peter, we are still called to a voice-activated faith. Today the voices we hear may not be declaring, “This is my Son,” but they are declaring “these are my children, my sons and daughters.” The voices we are now hearing may be declaring, “I need help.” Or “my children and I are sleeping in our car.” Or “I’m not able to show and share my faith with my family.” Those are all voice-activated calls to faith that demand a faith response. It is not an accident that this story takes place on a mountain top. Jesus went up on the mountain top in order to find God, just as moses and Elijah before him. As a matter of fact, both of those prophets join him on the mountain top. Meanwhile, Peter, John and James are also there sitting in a corner watching all that is going on. This moment actually changes their lives, and inspires their ministry from this day forward. It is the moment where everything becomes clear and makes sense. We all have had those moments in our life when everything makes sense, and we can see clearly. Those moments when everything in the world seems to come together, and we believe that everything will be alright. We have all had those moments, but have you every realized that those moments in life don’t last forever. There come and they go. Peter, James and John wanted this moment to last forever, they wanted to stay on that mountain forever, and yet Jesus said it was time to move on and come off the mountain. Just as quickly as the moment came it passed. Just like it does in our life. I just learned about this, this morning. But if you climb a mountain. If you stand between a cloud and the sun, then a halo will develop around you. A round circle with a rainbow on the outside. The phenomenon is called a glory. But isn’t that how we spend most of our lives, somewhere in the middle of a cloud and sunshine? We all have those moments of sunshine, but most of our lives are lived in the clouds – of confusion, or yearning or wanting better. We see some clarity, and then it is back into to the clouds. Glimpses of God When I first heard Chet Atkins play guitar, it made me want to be a better guitar player. The intricate way that he played made me want to learn his style and to try to make a guitar sound that way myself. But the first time I heard B.B. King play guitar, one simple note at a time, hung out in the air, sighing breathlessly or screaming in pain, it made my heart hurt – and it made me want to ease the pain that caused that sound. When I see the babies who are brought to the altar rail here, I have to smile at them. They make me want to touch them and to tell them how beautiful they are. But when I saw my own children as babies, they made me want to be a better person, so that I could be what they deserved as a father. Glimpses of God call us to alter our lives and to begin to see and do things differently. John Bedingfield, Little Epiphanies An Hour of Glory on a Windswept Hill Dr. William Stidger once told of a lovely little 90-year-old lady named Mrs. Sampson. Mrs. Sampson was frail, feeble, even sickly. But Dr. Stidger said that when he was discouraged he always went to visit Mrs. Sampson. She had a radiant spirit that was contagious. One day he asked this 90-year-young woman, “What is the secret of your power? What keeps you happy, contented and cheerful through your sickness?” She answered with a line from a poem, “I had an hour of glory on a windswept hill.” Bill Stidger said, recounting this experience, “I knew she had been in touch with God and that was the whole reason [for her cheerfulness].” Listen again to her words: “an hour of glory on a windswept hill.” It sounds very much like the experience Peter, James and John had on the Mount of Transfiguration. King Duncan, Collected Sermons,www.Sermons.com We Can’t Live on the Mountaintop A young woman made an announcement one morning to her co-workers, "My honeymoon is over and I am so relieved. Now we can get on with our marriage." That's the way it is with our mountaintop experiences. We can't live there forever. The light is too bright, the pace too frantic, and the demands too great. It is a relief to return to normal lives where we can be ourselves and let others be themselves, but that doesn't mean the honeymoon is forgotten. Just because we don't live on the mountain all the time doesn't mean we forget what happened on the mountain. William B. Kincaid, III, And Then Came The Angel, CSS Publishing Company The point of those moments of sunshine is to give us strength to live the rest of our lives. It gives us an experience of God that will stick with us for the rest of our lives. The transfiguration, was a glimpse of the glory of the resurrection. When the disciples left the mountain, the vision of Jesus stuck with them for the rest of their lives. Each of them had their own ministry. Each of them was willing to tell their story. What is interesting about the scripture in 2 Peter, it was written to address the fake news of the day – that Jesus was not coming back. It says that I Peter was a witness to the transfiguration – the moment when Jesus became the Christ, the messiah the one loves by God and called to bring salvation to the world. What is interesting is that this scripture was not written by Peter. It was written by a disciple of Peter, someone who was not a witness to the transfiguration. But the point of our lesson for the day – is that we should act and believe, not out of what we have heard , but what we experience in our hearts. We should all seek the personal experience, when God speaks directly to us to inspire us and give us the courage to go on. That moment of sunshine is our assurance that life is unfolding as it should. That God is leading us to a place where it will all make sense and we will understand God and God’s love. Faith Gives off Light A few months ago I read the best-selling novel Lying Awake by Mark Salzman. It is the story of Sister John, a cloistered nun, who is slowly drawn into the intimate presence of God through stunning, dazzling, disintegrating visions. An ordinary woman becomes a quivering mystic, disappearing into "pure awareness." She became an ember carried upward by the heat of the invisible flame ... until the vacuum sucked the feeble light out of her. A darkness so pure it glistened, then out of the darkness ... nova.... More luminous than any sun ... all that was her ceased to exist. Only what was God remained. Unfortunately for Sister John, there is a complication. Along with her visions come excruciating headaches, which demolish her for days at a time, making her unavailable for the work of the cloister and causing her to be a great burden to the other nuns. Finally, a doctor diagnoses her with epilepsy, a condition that will get worse unless she chooses an operation - an operation that will relive the pain, but most likely destroy the visions. What should she do? After an intense wrestling match, Sister John chooses the operation. Why? With great reluctance, she denies herself, for the health and well-being of the larger, convent community. And sure enough the debilitating pain disappears. But so, too, does the exquisite passion - those intimate, ecstatic encounters with God. She goes back to the ordered, plodding life of the community where she is but one of many, serving God in the mundane moments of daily discipleship. In a final moment of wisdom in the book, the Mother Superior offers Sister John words that sustain her after the mountaintop moments have disappeared, when her daily faith journey seems dull and tentative: "We stretch out our emptied hands to take hold of the Light. We may feel that our prayers are arid, or that God has abandoned us. Although we suffer deeply, those become our most precious hours, because only in complete darkness do we learn that faith gives off light." Susan R. Andrews, The Offense of Grace, CSS Publishing Company Consulting an oracle God presence is with us all of our lives – but we have to take special times to learn to move and navigate our way through the thickness and beauty of the Shekinah glory – of god’s presence on earth. Lent is one of those times. Time to get in touch with the cloudiness of God. In the midst of cloudiness many people consulted special people to get the answers to your questions. Perhaps you are still thinking about what to do in Lent – so I have a special way to help you think about what to do for lent…… Okay some of the suggestions may not really be helpful – you will have to eat something in 40 days, and it is probably not a good idea to stay in bed for 40 days. Only God can truly tell you what to do- to see God more clearly in your life. ( not used) May you enter into the clouds of lent, discover the sunshine of Christ in your life- and be willing to keep God’s little secret to yourself until after Easter. Amen. Let us pray…. Amen. Additional Illustrations Sermon Opener – The Voice-activated Life - 2 Peter 1:16-21 When parents are trying to teach their very young children basic social skills one of the first big lessons is “Use your words.” Instead of grabbing, hitting, screaming, or crying, we teach our children to communicate their needs and desires through the use of words. Instead of snatching a toy away from another child we teach our kids to say “May I please play with that for a while?” Instead of screaming and throwing a tantrum, we teach our children to say, “I’m really mad,” or “He was mean to me,” or “She hit me!” The power of our voices, the power of words, is the first power we want our children to tap into. Verbal communication is uniquely human and is a uniquely empowering gift. Despite all the image-based advances in technology, “The Voice” is still the driving force in electronic developments. Voice power is still the ultimate power. Every new, successful emerging technology — for the past seventy-five years -- knows that voice power means market power. Remember RCA? RCA famously advertised its first record player, the “Victrola,” by showing the family dog with its head cocked in curiosity as it listened to a record player. The advertising tag line was, “His Master’s Voice.” The “next best thing” in the past few years has almost always been a voice-based development. We now all routinely talk to our cars… Transfigured: Who Changed? Laurel A. Dykstra, a scripture and justice educator living in Vancouver, British Columbia, wrote the following in an article for Sojourners Magazine: "My first night at Guadalupe House, a Catholic Worker “transition house” where I spent nearly 10 years, I sat at the wobbly-legged table amid a circle of men’s faces, black and brown and white, and looked at the peeling linoleum, tattered sheer yellow curtains, broken couches, and roach-filled corners. I had never seen a place so ugly. After a week of hospitality, laughter, community, and connection, I sat in the same seat and caught myself thinking, 'What a kind and homey room this is.' Transfigured. "So I wonder: In Matthew’s story of the mountain, was it Jesus who changed or was it that John, James, and Peter could now see the face of God shining in the man they knew? Did the thin air and the elevated perspective contribute to their clarity of vision? When they came down from the mountaintop, did they take their new capacity to see into the low places and crowded city streets? Can we? And when we see the face of God shining through those who are familiar to us, do we truly, deeply listen to them?" Laurel A. Dykstra, "See and Listen," article in Sojourners Magazine Sermon Opener - Lessons from the Mountaintop Frederick Buechner in his book, Peculiar Treasures, writes about Moses in the following way: "Whenever Hollywood cranks out a movie about Moses, they always give the part to somebody like Charlton Heston with some fake whiskers glued on. The truth of it is, he probably looked a lot more like Tevye the milkman after 10 rounds with Mohammed Ali. Moses up there on the mountain with his sore feet and aching back serves as a good example of the fact that when God puts the finger on people, their troubles have just begun! Hunkered down in the cleft of a rock, Moses had been allowed to see the Glory itself passing by, and although all God let him see was the back part, it was something to hold on to for the rest of his life." Mountaintop experiences in our faith journey become those moments of revelation that give us something to hold on to for the rest of our lives. That certainly is the kind of experience Moses had on Mount Sinai, and the kind of experience our Lord had with Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration. Any experience in which we recognize the Living God can be a transfiguration. It may take place on the summit of a mountain, or as we kneel in prayer on a wooden floor at sea level. It can happen in the midst of a service of worship where God becomes dramatically real to us, and we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ is our Living Lord and Savior. So as we celebrate the Transfiguration of our Lord, let us consider some spiritual lessons from the mountaintop. 1. The Value Of Spiritual Mountaintops 2. The Mystery In Mountaintop Experience 3. The Temptation Of The Mountaintop 4. The Urgency Of Spiritual Mountaintops Robert A. Beringer, Something's Coming...Something Great, CSS Publishing There is a story told of an old man and his grandson who were walking down a business street in a downtown district. As they walked along, the grandfather suddenly stopped, turned his head slightly, and tweaked his ear. After a moment he said to his grandson, “Follow me.” They slowly moved from where they were standing to a small planter box next to a sidewalk café. The planter was filled with various seasonal plants, but as the old man gently pushed back the flowers, behind them was revealed a small bird’s nest filled with baby chicks, their chirping almost indistinguishable from the din of lunchtime dinners and people on the sidewalk. No one seemed to pay any attention to the old man, his grandson or the little nest, but the grandson was amazed. After watching for a few minutes and then moving away the little boy looked up at his grandfather. “Grandpa, how did you hear the birds? There is so much noise, so much happening, how could you hear?” Without saying a word, the old man took several coins from his pocket and tossed them on the ground. With the tinkling of the coins on the sidewalk it seemed everything came to a stop. People turned around. Diners stopped eating to look their way. Several almost seemed to want to reach down and pick up the dropped coins. Then as quickly as it had happened – everything went back to the way it was. That’s when the old man spoke, “It’s all in what you are listening for, my child, it’s all in what you are listening for.” 4) We need to megaphone The Voice. This sanctuary is a sacred place to most of us. We meet God here. For some of us this is the most beautiful and meaningful hour in our week. We could pitch our tents and stay here all week long. Some of our most active members are thinking to themselves, “I might as well, as much time as I spend here.” But we need to remember the time-honored story of the lady who happened in on a small Quaker congregation. They were sitting in silence. “When does the service begin?” she asked a man sitting near her. His answer: “As soon as the meeting is over.” Hannibal was the son of a general around 220 B.C. in the days of the Roman Empire. His father, a Carthaginian officer, trained the young Hannibal to disdain the Romans. Later, after Hannibal's commander was assassinated, Hannibal, at age 26, was named commander in chief by the acclamation of those under his command. The Carthaginian leadership quickly affirmed the field promotion. Hannibal strengthened his armies until they were ready to confront Rome. Leaving Spain with approximately 40,000 troops, horsemen, and 38 elephants, he made his way through southern France (Gaul) and prepared to enter Italy from the north over the Alps. We remember Hannibal as the one who took the elephants over the mountains, but few remember the challenges he faced along the way. First the river. He crossed the Rh“ne using commandeered boats for his troops, and for the elephants, he built earth- covered rafts. But how would they find their way in the Alps? Some friendly, local Gallic leaders assigned guides to help with the complicated Alpine passes, but many Alpine natives were hostile. As Hannibal and his ten thousands threaded the precipitous mountain paths, local residents rolled heavy stones down upon man and beast from the heights above. His descent on an icy base covered with fresh snow caused animals and soldiers to founder, and a landslide blocked their narrow path, delaying progress for a day. After fifteen days crossing the Alps, Hannibal descended into Italy, with 26,000 troops and a few of the original elephants. So, Hannibal got the elephants over the mountains, with mixed results. For some time he controlled large sections of Italy, but he never reached Rome, and finally was driven from there. Unwelcome at home because of his perceived mismanagement of the Roman campaign, he died a man on the run, pursued by When Hannibal came down from the mountains to the plain of northern Italy, he expected to find there the enemy. And the enemy he did find: endless struggle, conflict, eventual defeat -- he was driven from that place. A temptation for us is to think that taking the elephants over the mountains will leave us the same -- unchanged. And that simply we need to arrive upon the plain and be on our way, which is never the case. We can, however, plot a new course and travel the plain differently and successfully. But there are a few things to keep in mind. When Peter, James, and John came down from the mountain, they saw only Jesus, which meant that their view of everything else had changed. Eventually Peter's ministry took him far and wide to unfamiliar places and people. When we come down from the mountain, learn the terrain. Learn in a new way the interests, the appetites, the gifts, of those around us and the special opportunities afforded by this location. Thoreau reminds us that the entire world may be seen in a few acres of ground if we will only see. So learn the terrain. Secondly: say "yes" to the plain. Hannibal came down from the mountain and expected to find the enemy, and he found strife and conflict, misery and defeat. Peter, James, and John came down from the mountain and saw Jesus only. When we in our life journey have taken the elephants over the mountains, who will we be and where will we find joy? Whom will we see? Whom will we expect to meet on the plain? Will we be ready to receive the treasures of a new place? Will we be ready to receive the blessings which are ours to receive as changed people? Will we patiently and gently come to know the worth of those we meet who are differently gifted than ourselves? And will we be free in an unexpected place to touch the fringe of his garment? From the lofty places to the plain, our descending approach can make all the difference. And Jesus, who Peter, James, and John saw differently on the mountain, after the Resurrection said to his disciples, "I am going ahead of you and I will meet you on the plain." ________________________________________ 1. "Hannibal," The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1993 edition, vol. 5, pp. 683 - 685. My Special moment I have two questions for you – have you ever had that time in life, when everything came together for you? When life just seemed to make sense. It may have been your wedding day, or graduation, or birthday or some other special day that you felt that you were on top of the world. My second question is if you could talk to any two people, dead or alive to get advice, who would you ask. For Jesus those two people were Elijah and Moses. Thursday was that moment for me. I have not been that excited about anything in a very long time. I have not had a chance to sit on edge, and watch such an exciting scene unfold before me. A moment of intrigue, a moment where I question what is real. A moment where you can clearly see that there is a thin line between life and death, between the past and the future, between what you expect and what you don’t understand. It was that moment where you realize that there are those rare moments in our lives where all of our questions are answered, where we realize that the anticipation of waiting is finally fulfilled. But most of the time you realize that you have to spend most of your life in a cloud of confusion, that never goes away, because the answering of one set of questions, just brings about more questions. Perhaps Jesus did not have the season premier of the television series lost in mind when he bought his most trusted disciples with him to a mountaintop to pray. Season premiere or no, Lost is just a very clear mind game that is not scheduled to end until 2010. But Jesus must have known that there are those moments in all of our lives. The moments where the true identity of the Christ becomes clear to us. The transfigurations story When Jesus took his disciples up to the mountain – it must have seemed like a very cruel mind game to them. Jesus takes those 3 of the brothers that we talked about last week – Peter, James and John to the top of the mountain…….. The significance of clouds In the gospel, God talks to the disciples through a cloud and encourages them to listen to Jesus. In the Hebrew gospel God also talks and acts through a cloud. Moses takes his trusted helpers with him to Mount Sinai to talk with God to get the Ten Commandments. No one is allowed at the top except Moses. But once again a cloud covers the mountain for six days, and on the seventh day – a special day Moses comes out of the cloud with a message for the people. Now we tend to think of clouds as a bad thing- a bad time in our lives, a time of uncertainty, a time of confusion, a time when we are not able to see things clearly. What are the things that cloud your vision? What are the clouds in your life that prevent you from doing what you really want to do. The Shekinah Glory Clouds are actually a good thing in the bible. A cloud signifies the presence of God on earth. The presence of God was somewhere far away on a throne on heaven, but there is also a presence of God here on earth. God’s earthly presence is called the Shekinah glory – and you knew the Shekinah glory was present when you saw a cloud. It was a cloud that guided the Israelite to freedom by day and a pillar of fire by night. It was in a cloud in the mountain that Elijah was able to find the silence of God, it was a cloud that constantly talked with Moses to give him instruction to lead the people, it was a cloud that talked with the disciples to tell them that he was his beloved son listen to him, and when you think about it is that cloud of confusion, doubt, questioning, misunderstanding that constantly stays with us and shapes our faith journey. Cloudiness is a way of life for us. Moments of Sunshine When you think about it – those moments when things are totally clear and obvious are few and far between. An organization that I am a part of calls them moments of sunshine- those times when you are totally happy, when you are on the top of your game, when all of your questions have been answered, when you see life very clearly. The disciples hold onto that moment We are a lot like the disciples in those moments – we want to worship them forever – do you know anyone who still talks about that moment in high school. We want to build a temple so that moment can last forever, so that we can keep that feeling of clarity, so that we can live in that high of understanding. When the disciples asked if they could build temples for the appearance of Moses, Elijah and Moses, Jesus says no. Jesus usually reminds us that those moments in our lives are not intended to last forever. They come to give us perspective on the clouds, they come to give us a sense of hope to go on, and they come to give us special memories. But they always come to end Most of our lives are lived in a cloud Most of our life is to be lived in the cloud – a cloud of confusion and questions – because life is to be lived in the presence of an awesome, overwhelming, unknowable, mind boggling God. A God so big and so wonderful that we will never find the words to describe God. And yet a God who cares so much for you – that God is with you all of the time.