SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
TEXT: 6For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. THEME: Letting the light of the divine shine through us. INTRODUCTION Although it is Transfiguration Sunday I am not going to preach from the Gospel text. Theologian, Melinda Quivik gives an interesting perspective of the transfiguration. Jesus is on a hike up the mountain with James, Peter and John, when the veil of Jesus’ humanness is removed and Jesus’ divinity; wondrous, frightening, powerful, unexpected and rich is revealed. Dazzling white, the unnatural and incomprehensible draws us towards, the abnormal and apocalyptic sight (apocalyptic means: revealing; like the apocalypse of the man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz). If that wasn’t enough, the companions that appear with Jesus are Moses and Elijah, showing us how Jesus it the fulfillment of the Law that Moses brings from God and the prophetic nature of Jesus, speaking God’s words to us. Then God speaks, don’t rest on these laurels but take these wonders in your heart and live it off of the mountain, among the people. The transfiguration is a change in Jesus’ outward appearance that does not change who Jesus is, but his transfiguration is a transformative moment for Peter, James and John. SCRIPTURE The gospel of Jesus Christ is carried by human vessels. Sometimes the glory of the Gospel is veiled by our humanness and sometimes, as the Apostle Paul recognizes, the Gospel is unable to be received through our veils of pride, selfishness, greed and lust. 6For it is God who said “Let light shine out of darkness” … Rachel Naomi Remen, story book writer, gives insight to this verse as she tells her grandfather’s story of the first day of the world. From out of the heart of the Holy darkness-the source of life, emerges a great ray of light, giving birth to the world of a thousand thousand things. And the vessels containing the light of the world, the wholeness of the world, broke and was shattered into a thousand thousand fragments of light. And they fell into all events and all people, where they remain deeply hidden. All people are created with the capability to discover these fragments of light in every person and event and as we do, acknowledging the light with awe or thanksgiving, it makes the world a little bit more whole, or as Paul might say, less veiled. APPLICATION Why talk about the transfiguration? Because it plants the brilliance of eternity in us as we are reminded on Ash Wednesday that we are dust. That as soil, we are dependent upon God breath in us for life. Our responsibility is to listen to Jesus and engage what we know about Jesus in our living. What is veiled in us that needs to be transfigured? As I was working on this passage, I realized I got my made up headings for the scripture reading wrong. The first part is a Lament: “the gospel is veiled, to those who are Pershing, the god of this world has blinded them, and keeps them from seeing the glory of Christ who is the image of God.” Then the second part is Transfiguration: “We do not proclaim ourselves but Jesus Christ in us; Let light shine out of darkness, to give light of the knowledge of the glory of God.” I realized this when I made a list of all the veils that blind us from seeing the divine; greed, power, prestige, money, possessions, materialism, fame, privilege, image, approval, popularity, ego, pain, prejudice, fear, selfishness, racism and self-preservation. The light of the divine that shines out of darkness are seen in acts of; compassion, stewardship, community life, a woman’s rights over their own body, seeing hurt, empathy, affordable drugs, healing, affordable health care, water rights, zero carbon foot print, justice, eliminating microplastics, generosity, financial planning, the family of God, equity, image of God, the body of Christ, the children of God and being the people of God. This is what transfigures through us when we drop our human veils and let Christ in us shine through. The USA is good, but not perfect and needs the church to help it move in betters ways away from the veils of self-centeredness and self interest. In today’s Mission Moment on the back of the bulletin, it talks about racism and earth justice. African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans and others are exposed to hazardous waste in their communities in the dumping of toxic material, testing of nuclear devices, medical experiments, diverting water, ignoring EPA standards and just pay the fines of their offensives. Racism is the intentional or unintentional use of power to isolate, separate and exploit others. This is another way to shine the light in darkness. CONCLUSION Transfiguration Sunday is also the last Sunday in Epiphany, this Wednesday we move into the season of Lent. As I worked in my yard, I listened to a pod cast interview with Barbara Brown Taylor. Episcopal priest, public theologian and former religion department professor at Piedmont College. In one of her side comments, she said that American Culture does not deal well with Lament. Other cultures have stylized ways of dealing with their loss. This is what the O Bon season is during the summer, the Lantern ceremony at Ala Moana beach park, the Mexican dia de muertes (the day of the dead), Ching ming. Besides funerals, our culture does not provide ways for us to deal with unmourned grief. Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent, 40 days before Easter are one thing that the church can offer. So I am planning to preach from the book of Lamentations for the next 5 Sundays before Palm Passion Sunday and Easter. This will provide us time to meditate, reflect and listen to what God has to say, not only to our own sins, but to the sins of all, and our corporate sins. It will give us a safe space to mourn so there can be some healing from what we have lost.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Pastor robbSermons Archives
April 2024
|