Faithful Discipleship

Sermon for The Feast of the Transfiguration

St. Dunstan's | Bethesda, MD

The Transfiguration

Luke 9: 28-36

As our Gospel lesson begins, Jesus retreats. Then, while praying on a mountaintop, “the appearance of his face changes, and his clothes become dazzling white.” And then, in what follows after this passage, Jesus returns.

This pattern is familiar to his followers. In their journey with Jesus, the disciples witness a kind of cyclical rhythm, time and time again. They come to know it well. But not only do they observe this steadfast practice, they also experience it for themselves. As they learn to walk the way of Jesus, retreating and returning will be critical for their ongoing journey...

This morning we celebrate the Transfiguration. It is a remarkable moment. Through this grand unveiling, we see Jesus more clearly—and it also illumines for us much about the path of faithful discipleship.

A great deal unfolds between this ascent up to the mountaintop and the descent back down from the mountaintop. We might call this in-between time a liminal space, or perhaps what is referred to in Celtic spirituality as a “thin place.” Surely, if ever there were a time when the distance between heaven and earth seemingly collapsed to reveal a glimpse of the divine, Jesus’ transfiguration on the top of that mountain takes the cake.

It is a moment where divine encounter and human experience intersect. And, curiously, it is also a moment where the clarity that comes with revelation seems to merge together with the confusion so often present in mystery... Quite a few things are stirring together here. This is a key pivot in the the account of Jesus’ ministry. To this point, he has been faithfully teaching, healing, and traveling. Eventually, he gains enough notoriety that word spreads to the ear of King Herod—the same powerful-and-insecure ruler whose desire to kill the infant Jesus caused his family to flee to Egypt. So, just a bit earlier in this same chapter of Luke, a once again unnerved Herod asks “...who is this about whom I hear such things?” No direct response is recorded, and the question is left briefly unanswered.

But then, just a handful of verses later, Peter declares that Jesus is “The Messiah of God.” And lest we make any mistake about Jesus’ true identity, we come to this transfiguration scene in the gospel narrative. On the mountaintop, the disciples see Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah—and then only Jesus remains...

The two symbolic figureheads of the law and the prophetic tradition fade away into a great cloud, where only Jesus is left standing in the place of that great lineage. And then, to ensure no lingering question remains, a voice from within the cloud addresses the disciples, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”

God’s grandeur is fully revealed. And it is bright and brilliant!—much like Moses’ face after his own mountaintop experience. But this event is a bit different from the reading in Exodus... Because it isn’t just Jesus’ appearance that shines: his clothes begin to dazzle, too. What Moses encountered was something external, an shining energy outside of himself. But here, Jesus is the very source of this all-illuminating power. And it calls to mind the moment described in Genesis, where a powerful, creative force says “Let there be light!”—and from it all life then comes into being. In his transfiguration, Jesus’ life is revealed as the very embodiment of this same light.

The identity of Jesus—the response to Herod’s question—is made abundantly clear. The disciples encounter in this thin place something essential to the nature of all reality. And their awe-filled response perfectly captures how Fr. Richard Rohr talks about the practice of contemplative prayer, which he describes as “a long, loving look at the REAL.”

With great enthusiasm, Peter says “Master, it is good for us to be here!” He reacts with a desire to lovingly dwell in the presence of the divine. Now, our impulse might be to roll our eyes and think, “Well there goes Peter, just as brazen and impulsive as he always is, yet again missing the point.” But whereas in the past Jesus doesn’t hesitate to rebuke Peter when necessary, here he offers no correction. There is no rebuke of his wonder. Because it is an appropriate response after a brush up with the animating source of life!—and it is a important spiritual discipline for any who wish to remain faithful on the ongoing journey.

...And yet, as our lesson reads, Peter “did not know what he said.” The Message bible translate this as, “He blurted this out without thinking.” Even in this moment of encounter with God, human experience remains present—the disciples are terrified and evidently still hazy on a few important details. So, just what is it that Peter doesn’t seem to get?

If we’re honest, his enthusiastic response, which is evidently short-sighted, isn’t really too dissimilar from our own experience... Because how many times have we responded to the tremendous uncertainty swirling around us with a wish to simply shelter in place? To freeze up and remain static while God is up to something much bigger? Truthfully, in Peter’s impulse, I see some evidence of myself—and of our communities...

We are living through tremendous change. It is seemingly all around us: social and political upheaval, not to mention the predicament of our climate. At times the amount of unprecedented things we find ourselves navigating can feel completely overwhelming.

Indeed, there is no shortage of talk about change these days. And sometimes it is all-too-easy to think the only thing that remains truly constant is transition itself. So often, in this season when “transition is the new normal,” it is tempting to grab hold of whatever we can latch onto. Amid the many changes and chances of our lives, it doesn’t take much to get tangled up in the uncertainties and, like Peter, reach for some stability...

But this is just the pivot in the story... And much remains still ahead. In the days just before this scene, the gospel narrative tells of the disciples gathering with their teacher. And he foretells his suffering, death, and resurrection to come—and with it the new life it will bring forth for all people. Encouraging his disciples to follow in his footsteps, he says “those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” So, it is for this reason that he speaks with Moses and Elijah of his coming departure—of all that remains still to be accomplished on the road ahead.

Jesus understands the journey is not static. With gentle patience, he invites his followers into something much more expansive than they’ve imagined. Even while holding both clarity and confusion together, it is though he suggests to them: “Just keep going. No feeling is final.” And this is very much the same path of discipleship we too are invited to faithfully walk...

In today’s lesson—just as much as in our own lives—a much bigger story is unfolding. And what Peter misses is the return. As he is caught up in the ecstasy of retreat, in what he thinks is the pinnacle following his ascent, he holds tightly to the moment of glory, losing sight of the ongoing journey that continues. The mountaintop moment is no doubt a good and joyful thing—and the return must follow.

Living in light of the transfiguration, we find a truly constant presence: the animating source of creation which sustains the whole of our lives. It encourages us to live fully now and to continue on the journey; retreating and returning, losing and finding ourselves in a cycle of new life that is unfolding at all times—even when we fail to see it.

This generative Spirit of God—in whom we live, and move, and have our being—beckons us onward.

May we listen, trust, follow—and then begin all over again.

Amen.