So Very Good to Be Here

Monday after Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday


Mark 9:2-6

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year.
Running over the same old ground
What have we found?
The same old fears
Wish you were here.

"Wish You Were Here" by Roger Waters and David Gilmour recorded by Pink Floyd from the album "Wish You Were Here"

Imagine Peter singing this song. Imagine him singing it to the world. He had just seen Jesus transfigured, a fancy word that means to change appearance. He was so freaked out, so shocked, so terrified that he offers to do some carpentry, building booths for the heroes. He wanted to do them the honor of creating a place for them to be, but to what purpose? Perhaps he wanted them to stay around so that everyone could see what he was seeing. A table to hang out at like a book signing. It was good for them to be there, so it is good for us to be there too. That seems clear.

Imagine Peter singing this song. He knows himself and he knows who we are too. We are just two lost souls swimming in this fishbowl year after year. Thoreau said "I have traveled extensively in Concord" and this is Peter's point, we know our lives. We know our neck of the woods. We know what we know and it will take something dramatic to adjust our image toward something holy and this will do .

Imagine Peter singing this song. He knows Jesus and he knows his old fears. He knows where they came from and he knows those who share them too. He wishes we were there with him, seeing what he saw. He was terrified, sure, but this was new. This was different. This is shock and awe.

But this doesn't happen. There are no booths. There are no guided tours of Transfiguration Point. There is only the story. There is only the promise.

Why does Jesus only bring Peter, James, and John? Scholars give all kinds of reasons, and if you were interested in scholarly opinion you wouldn't be reading this. What Jesus did give them is exactly what they needed. He gave them the image that mattered to them. Peter wished we were there too, but this isn't our image. This image is for them.

Imagine Peter singing this song. Now ask yourself, what is the image that you would have Christ show you? Imagine and know that the image you see can be as real as the one seen by Peter, James, and John. This is the lesson of the Transfiguration. As Jesus' image changes, our image of Jesus changes too. As the image of Jesus changes, our faith in Christ deepens. As the image of Jesus changes, it ought to scare us to death too. Of course it should be scary, this is shock and awe.

Blinded by the Light

Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday


Luke 9:28-30

About eight days after Peter had acknowledged Jesus as the Christ of God, Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He was just blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
Momma always told me not to look into the sights of the sun
Oh, but Momma, that's where the fun is

"Blinded by the Light" by Bruce Springsteen recorded by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J."

This was the first track on the first album by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. It introduced us to a cast of characters the world had never seen the likes of before: Madman drummers bummers, Indians in the summer, a teenage diplomat, the all-hot half-shot, the fleshpot mascot, young Scott, and his lover and that's just the first verse!

They were all blinded by the light, cut loose like a deuce; whatever that means.

On Transfiguration Sunday we have a trio who were blinded by the light. In our day and time; Peter, John, and James would look as wild and out of place as some brimstone baritone anti-cyclone rolling stone preacher from the East. On the side of a mountain they looked into the light and they saw the face of their Lord, they saw the face of the Lord change. (That's all "transfiguration" means, change face, no big deal.) As the face of the Lord changed they saw Moses and Elijah appear with him and they began to kibbutz.

Chatting with Jesus. Now that had to be amazing. The three of them, all of the apostles, all of the disciples, people--just plain folks had chatted with Jesus. When Jesus chats with these heroes of the faith, Moses who disappeared into the mountains and Elijah who was taken in the whirlwind, that's different. Peter wants to build shrines. He was so blinded by the light that he couldn't stay in the moment. He had to say something, even if it's silly.

There's a lesson for us, be present in the moment, every moment. You can never be sure when Jesus will take you aside and blind you by the light. When the light gets you, be there, listen, enjoy, praise God! Don't offer to do something. Offer to be there as long as the Lord is there too.

Don't be so blinded by life that we fail to be present when the Lord calls. We have to take to heart what Bruce sings, "Momma always told me not to look into the sights of the sun, Oh, but Mama, that's where the fun is."

Momma, the sights of the Son, that's where the fun is!