Reading, Sermon and Prayers for The Sunday next before Lent

READING: The Transfiguration – Mark chapter 9 v 2-9

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

SERMON

Today on our Sunday before Lent, and in our lectionary today finds us in the gospel of Mark.

Mark is very particular in recording his accounts, meaning he only records the accounts that have a special meaning to him. And so today we find ourselves with a very familiar passage which is simply referred to as the “transfiguration on the mount”.

So let us look at this familiar passage afresh, in a different form, possibly in its simplest form; as an event that is set on a mountain top, (possibly Mount Tabor), where Jesus literally transformed himself to meet with both Moses and Elijah. It is a short passage, a very strange passage, but a passage but full of meaning.

Now mountain top scenes are rare in the Bible; but all have a strong and powerful message. The first mountain top scene we can read about is the one where Abraham takes his only “beloved son”, Isaac; the one who was promised by God, to be sacrificed, so that God could fulfil His covenant with Abraham. Fortunately God intervened and Isaac’s life was spared.

The second mountain top scene is where Moses is on Mount Sinai directly after the crossing of the Red Sea to escape the Egyptian army. He then left the newly freed Israelites at the bottom of the mountain, a mountain covered in a thick cloud, and it is here the Lord spoke to Moses, and six days later he descended the mountain and delivered the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel.

It is also worth noting that years later when Moses died, God said in Deuteronomy 18:15 that “He would raise up for the people another prophet who would, like Moses … hear the voice of God and teach it to the people. And when that prophet comes, listen to him”. We will come to that later.

Anyway, the third mountain top scene is the one where the great prophet Elijah was desperately seeking God. Elijah looked for God in a strong wind but could not find him, he then looked in an earthquake; then in a fire to no available; but he eventually found God in a still small voice; who gave him instructions to anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.

Verse 2 in today’s Gospel reading starts by telling us that “Jesus took with him, Peter and James and John” and that means he left the others behind at the base camp. It is thought that these three were chosen because they were regarded as the “inner circle”, as Jesus on occasion allowed these three disciples certain privileges; like in raising the daughter of Jairus from the dead, and these three would be called to go a little further with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Anyway, verse 2 and 3 continues ”And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them”. And Mathew in his gospel tells us that “his face shone like the sun” … and is this too is a coincidence, because Moses too when he delivered the Ten Commandments, his face was transformed also, which means that something very strange is happening here.

And if that is not unusual in itself, then take into account verse 4 where the presence of two of the world most faith’s honoured heroes: Moses, (the great law-giver); and Elijah, (the great prophet); give us both the Law and the Prophets, are in now communion with Jesus.

Here we have both literally, and figuratively a powerful “mountain-top experience”; and this was too much for Peter, James, and John as verse 6 tells us that “were terrified in that glory and presence of God”.

Mind you, terror never stopped Peter from opening his mouth, and so he suggests in verse 5, “Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”. But Jesus dissuades him, and in verse 6 “and then a cloud overshadowed them” and from the cloud “there came a voice, this is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!”.

Now listening to Jesus is not a suggestion; it is a direct command from God himself so we better listen. … We were baptized because Jesus said (in Matt 28:18-20), “Go into all the world and make disciples … baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” … and we hear when we celebrate Holy Communion what Jesus said (in Luke 22:19), “Do this, in remembrance of me.”

These two examples, baptism and Holy Communion are religious duties that our Lord told us to do; but that is not all that he commanded us to do.

Jesus also tells us in Matthew 28, (the most familiar version of the Great Commission), that, “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”.

And this then has serious implications for us, as we are identified as a disciple of Christ which means that we must trust God for everything and for the way as he is watching over everything us all the time; watching over us in protection and not condemnation as we are told in the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 7 that “he clothes the birds of the air and the grass of the field”, and that we are not to worry as … we “are far more valuable to him than they are”?

This does not mean we are to wear rose-coloured glasses, or to try to convince ourselves that “everything is OK” … no, it means that even when things go wrong, which they do, we are to turn to and trust in God; because he will see us through.

It also means, (among many other things), that we as disciples of Christ … we should not measure the meaning of our lives in net worth as the world does … you know in financial terms or in worldly success, no, we are to measure our success in terms of inward growth, in our similarity or in comparison to Jesus himself.

And we do worship him, and as such we are drawn to him, and by being drawn to him, we become more like him. It may not feel like it, but that is the way it works. We cannot help but be like him …. if we worship him.

Anyway returning to our story, we read in verse 8, “And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves”. Moses and Elijah had suddenly disappeared, and Jesus stood alone with His disciples. They began this journey with Jesus, and they would return from this mountain alone with him and I suppose this was done to emphasize the fact that Jesus himself was enough … that he didn’t need Moses and Elijah to hold his hand.

And while it was exciting to see Moses and Elijah, they were not really there for the benefit of the disciples because they spent all their time in unity with Jesus, and not with them … The disciples appear only to be there as witnesses of this extraordinary occasion.

And so has we end our story here, we can confidently conclude that Jesus is all we need. He alone bore our sin and he alone provides our redemption. He is therefore worthy of our worship and devotion, and this truth needs to be told.

This has been a very familiar passage for most of us, where Jesus allowed three of his disciples to see who he really was. This they would need, as confirmation as they would soon face great difficulties in their lives after the crucifixion, and they needed to know for sure that Christ alone was enough and that is our message for us today, that he is enough for us regardless of what we are going through.

And we need these reminders from time to time as we walk with the Lord because we know that life can beat us down, and when it does, we need to focus on the one who will carry us through. He alone is our salvation, strength, and hope. God working in our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit and he has never made a mess of anything yet.

So we must put ourselves within range of his voice, so that we can listen to him and not the worldly news or the media or the opinions of others and we are not here to make religious tents for old men on mountains; we are here to listen to the voice of God, the voice of Jesus and to be his disciple.

Amen.

PRAYERS: Let us pray to God, whose glory is revealed through the church to all the world.

May your wonderful light transfigure the Church, changing human weakness into divine strength. Keep us faithful in this generation to the mission of preaching and prophecy which we have received from those who went before us in faith and have left us their example