Charlotte Collins Reed
Christ Church Episcopal
August 6, 2017
Transfiguration
Some
years ago, the comedian Robin Williams put forth the top 10 reasons to be an
Episcopalian. The list includes things
like no snake handling, pew aerobics, the color coded liturgical year, and “all
of the pageantry; none of the guilt.” Much
about Robin Williams’ list is commendable, and much of the list is humorous,
reminding us not to take ourselves too seriously. But I wonder what reasons others give for
being an Episcopalian, or being part of Christ Church. So, this week I did a highly unscientific
study to find out the top reasons for being part of Christ Church.
Interestingly,
most of the answers I got were connected in some way with either our Baptismal
Covenant or the prayers in the Baptism service.
A couple of the responses reflected the prayer that we pray for the
newly baptized in which we ask God to give that person “an inquiring and
discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, and the gift of joy and
wonder in all God’s works.” Other
responses connected with our commitment in baptism to seek and serve Christ in
all persons, and to strive for justice and peace among all people and respect
the dignity of every human being. Yet
another response valued the relationships formed among those who love God and
work to share that love with others, echoing our promise in baptism to proclaim
by word and example the good news of God in Christ. Overall, I found a deep attraction to the
understanding of baptism we hold in the Episcopal Church.
Today
is the Feast of the Transfiguration.
Jesus has taken Peter, James, and John and gone up on a mountain to pray.
While Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face changed, his clothes became
dazzling white, and Moses and Elijah appeared.
When Peter wants to stay on the mountain top forever, the voice of God
speaks clearly to the disciples. “This is my Son, my Chosen. Listen to him.”
Stories
like this one are challenging. Is the
message that, if we pray hard enough, our faces will change and our clothes
will become dazzling white? I don’t
think so. Is the message that we have to
have a mountain top experience to hear God speak? I hope not.
What does the transfiguration of Jesus mean for our own lives as
Christians?
The
moment the disciples realize that they are on the mountain with the
transfigured Jesus, Moses, and Elijah is a moment that is alive with hope and possibility. If Moses and Elijah, representing the law and
the prophets, two of the pillars of the Hebrew faith, appear with Jesus, anything
is possible. The disciples are literally
and figuratively on top of the world, and Peter, at least, would like to hold
that moment forever. But in a split
second, that hope turns to terror when they are enveloped in the darkness of a
cloud. God speaks in the midst of the
darkness, and tells the disciples that Jesus is God’s beloved son, God’s
chosen, and they are to listen to him.
Quite possibly because of their terror, we are told that the three keep
silent and tell no one in those days what they have seen.
Perhaps
the movement from being on top of the world or at the top of our game one
moment, to being utterly terrified the next, is a place we can connect with
this story. Life can be dancing right along,
with everything going our way, when the rug is pulled out from under us and a
dark cloud enfolds us. I believe this is
true for individuals but also nations as well, as we remember that today is
also the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and the bright light and dark
cloud of that day. Institutions also
experience this quick movement. As we
prepare to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Christ Church this
fall, we might like to think that we are celebrating 175 years of successful,
growing ministry in Hudson, but the history of the parish tells a different
story. From the very beginning in 1842,
the history of Christ Church has been one of success and growth, followed by
having the rug pulled out from underneath, sometimes due to external factors
like the local or national economy, and sometimes caused by poor decisions on
the part of the parish. The story of
Christ Church is one of faithful perseverance and tenacity, bearing witness to
a light more powerful than the darkness of the time.
The story of the
transfiguration calls us to bear witness to the light that is more powerful
than the terror of darkness. The lesson
from 2 Peter reminds us of the transfiguration of Jesus and then says “You will
do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the
day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” We may not have a mountain top experience
where we hear the voice of God directly, or be physically transformed while at
prayer. But Transfiguration can also happen
when we bear witness to the light of Christ, shining in dark places. Transfiguration happens when we seek and
serve Christ in all people, particularly those in whom the Christ light seems
dim. Transfiguration happens when we
strive for justice and peace and respect the dignity of every human being,
particularly those with who are different from ourselves. Transfiguration happens when others can see
the brightness of Jesus through our words and deeds. In other words, Transfiguration can happen
when we live out the promises we make in baptism, when we live into what we
love about this church. The
Transfiguration calls us to be the people we claim to be.
Amen.
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