Turning Corners

Charlotte Collins Reed
Christ Church Episcopal
February 11, 2024

The Last Sunday after the Epiphany 

          Today is my father-in-law’s 92^nd birthday.  Don and I spent Friday and Saturday in Springfield celebrating this milestone with Fred, his wife Babs, our two sons and two of our grandchildren. In many ways, Fred is the same person I met over 42 years ago-honest to a fault, kind, loving, and willing to question and think deeply about matters of faith.  And yet, when I met Fred, he was a faithful Southern Baptist and now he is loyal and devoted Episcopalian.  He wrote and self-published his autobiography 10 or 15 years ago.  The book is entitled “Turning Corners: And recognizing untenable positions.”  Fred was raised by very conservative Baptist parents who did not allow dancing or playing cards, or movies, much less other vices. The part of his upbringing that Fred internalized was the willingness to follow Jesus.  The part of his upbringing that Fred turned from over the course of many years was the specifics of how to do that.  Throughout his 92 years, Fred has recognized what was tenable for him and what was not, and kept following Jesus just in different ways.  He meandered through less conservative Baptist churches, then a Methodist church or two, then wound up living in Springfield where Don and I lived and he joined the Episcopal Church, attending worship, Christian education, and coffee hour every Sunday until just recently.  His best friends at church are gay, he enjoys a beer or a glass of wine, playing cards, and is fully and completely Episcopalian.  I am sure the 20 year old Fred Reed never saw the 92 year old Fred Reed coming!eHeHHHhhhhhhhhHThe ptHtHtHE ttTHTHttH     1tTtHE tHE The

          I think of Fred and Turning Corners this morning when I see Jesus take Peter, James, and John up the mountain where Jesus is transfigured in the presence of Elijah and Moses.  On that mountain, Peter, James, and John turned a corner in their understanding of who Jesus is and what it means to follow Jesus.  Just prior to their trip up the mountain, Peter misunderstood Jesus so badly when Jesus predicted his suffering and death that Jesus said to him “Get behind me Satan!  For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”  Then Jesus tells his disciples and the crowds that those who want to save their life will lose it and those who lose their life for the sake of the gospel will save it.  Jesus has hard teachings about what it means to be his follower.  When Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up the mountain, Peter is probably still stung by being called Satan, and all three are likely confused by the whole bit about losing their life and saving it.  That was not exactly what they had in mind when they left fishing behind and took off to follow Jesus.

          And yet, now they stand on the mountain with Moses, Elijah, and the transfigured Jesus and my guess is that they feel a bit vindicated in the midst of all of that glory.  This is more like what they had in mind when they said “yes” to Jesus’ call.  No doubt they feel a bit of privilege since they are the only disciples to be treated to this incredible experience.  Peter wants to build three dwellings on the mountain, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah, which seems a little odd since Peter is a fisherman not a carpenter.  But however Peter thinks he might accomplish that on the top of a mountain and with his fishing skills, the point is that Peter sees Jesus with new eyes now, even if he still does not understand.

          When the cloud overshadows them, a voice proclaims “This is my Son, the Beloved.  Listen to him.”  In other words, the voice is saying “Jesus is right.  Pay attention.”  The point is not the glory.  The disciples will still fumble about and get things wrong, deny Jesus and flee the crucifixion.  But they will also go on to start a new movement and build the Church.  The glory helped them see Jesus in a new light, listen more closely, and understand themselves as followers in a new way, even if only in hindsight after the resurrection.

          This morning we will baptize Isabelle Gugleilmi, making her a follower of Jesus.  Baptism is a mountain top experience where we, too, hear the voice of God say, in the words of the church, “This is my child, my beloved” just as Jesus heard those words at his baptism and at his transfiguration.  Baptism also sends us down the mountain and into the world, following Jesus where Jesus leads, which is not always where we thought we were going.  Like the disciples, we will still fumble about and get things wrong, sometimes very wrong.  But following Jesus as we seek and serve Christ in all people, respect the dignity of every human being, and work for justice and peace will take us places we never imagined, challenge our understanding of Jesus, and transform us in ways we never saw coming, sometimes only in hindsight.  As Jesus told his disciples, following him will take us to the cross, through pain and suffering and into new life. 

          So today, we sing great hymns and bury the Alleluias on this little mountaintop that we create here.   Then we turn the corner and journey into Ash Wednesday and Lent, the betrayal, trial, suffering and death of Jesus.  Following Jesus means following Jesus and allowing ourselves to be changed by the journey, whether than change comes in an instant or over many years and decades.  If we follow faithfully and open ourselves to the journey, we will arrive at Easter ready to be transformed by new life.

                                                                             Amen.