Sermon Tone Analysis

Lord, I pray that only truth is spoken and only truth heard - Amen

 

 

We are today at the mid-point between Christmas and Easter – and that midpoint is marked by the one of the most incredible stories found in the Bible – The Transfiguration

It is also basically the midpoint of Mark’s gospel – which starts with the most counter-culture, most politically incorrect, most rebellious statements for its day

/The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God/ (Mark 1:1)

I will paraphrase for amplification so that we might attempt to understand it the way it would have been understood 2000 years ago

                       

/The beginning – /This the start of the story, understand when you hear “the beginning” you to think about the creation of the world – of the work of God – that is what I am about to start to telling you about

/The gospel – /Of the most monumental news you could imagine – ‘the good news” or “gospel” was for news of the emperor – the one that the Romans believed was a demi-god – so the message that you are about to hear is news of the highest magnitude

            /Of Jesus – /Of a man - named Jesus, a Hebrew

/Christ/ – This man is the messiah, the long awaited leader that will bring us to the fulfillment of ‘the promises of God’ – promises that have waiting for centuries

            /The Son of God/ – He is the male child of God, God – the creator of everything

– the news you are hearing is about *God’s* Son

 

Mark lays it out – states it all in the opening verse

And then takes the rest of his gospel to explain what he has just said

For Mark one of the vitally key messages to understand, which he goes to great pains to claim unequivocably is WHO Jesus is – for Mark – Identity is the story

            And so we have at this high point Mark’s gospel - The Transfiguration

                                   

This moment is a crucial moment for the disciples and for us today, shown by God

Miracles, although I am sure important to the individual and their family, are more important for what they reveal about God to us

            The miracle today is for us – for our understanding

/And He was transfigured before them (Mark 9:2b)/

/And his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them (Mark 9:3)/

And Jesus is transfigured to transform Him from Rabbi (teacher)

*To the Son of God*

                                                                                    Clearly to show His divinity

/ /

/And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus (Mark 9:4)/

Moses – the leader out of captivity and the traditional writer the first five books of the Bible

                        And Elijah - the greatest prophet – And Jesus revealed as the long expected Messiah

                                    “/Talking/” - talking to show that they are physically there

We have three giants of Hebrew tradition and expectation and yet after God spoke from the cloud

            /“This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!”/

Then … /‘Only Jesus’/ remained

 

As we understand metaphorically the three that we see on that mountaintop

As Moses represents the Law – God’s instruction for life – punctuated by the establishment of covenantal relationship

And Elijah represents the Prophets – God’s on-going efforts to get his people back on track – back into the covenantal relationship 

Then Jesus representing Grace - God’s giving of His Son – the ultimate solution to covenantal relationship that has never been able to be fulfilled by humanity themselves

When Law and prophets fade away…

What is God’s defining message – Grace

 

 

And how must our hearts be drawn to the words of God from the cloud

            /“This is my Son, the beloved, listen to Him!”/

“This is my Son, the beloved…” draws us right back to the beginning of Jesus’ adult ministry and His Baptism in the river Jordan         

                                    /“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

(Mark 1:11)/

But today there is a shift…

            With Our Lord’s Baptism – God the Father declares TO Jesus - /with you I am well pleased/

/                        /Today the God’s identification shifts TO us

                                    /This is my Son, the beloved, listen to Him/

Today is the last Sunday in Epiphany – the season of revelation

In which the Light is revealed to the world

                        And today our Lord is glowing in unworldly glory – dazzling light - revealed for us

                                    And commanding us to /Listen to Him/

/ /

And today we are at a pivot point in the Christian calendar – it is the last Sunday before Lent

            We have on each end of Lent – mountaintops

Two mountains of Lent bring along the journey from Transfiguration to Calvary

The 1st is the shiny Las Vegas Christ of victory

The 2nd has the dark shadow of the cross

We might, like Peter, want to set up camp and remain with the shiny Las Vegas Christ

            But we are on a journey to mountaintop of the cross

We are pivoting from Glory we might want

                                    To the Glory we need

 

 

Beyond the Father in Heaven’s declaration of Jesus as divine, as Son of God, as the Messiah – in whom we are instructed to listen to… what does this story of the Transfiguration have to do with you, and me…

            Consider these details

                        /“Jesus *took* with him, Peter and James and John and *led* them up a high                                         mountain *apart by themselves*”/

/                                    and/

/                        “*appeared to them*”/

                                    and most importantly

                        /“Then Peter said to Jesus, Rabbi, *it is good for us to be here*”/

/                                    “*took* them… *led* them …*appeared to them*”/

/                                                /Then… /“*it is good for us to be here”*/

 

We have Jesus, God in the flesh, Emanuel - God amongst us

            Bringing… leading… revealing… … To Us

Making sure we understand exactly - who he is … to us… for us … in our presence

            We are part of God’s plan - brought along journey – along for the ride

Recently I have been listening to debates between leading Atheists and leading Christians

And the Atheists often state, that I would take God appearing to them in order for them to believe – and today God reveals precisely that in dazzling clarity

 

Trying to come up with illustrations that might compare this incredible moment that the closest disciples witnessed that special day is, in reality, impossibility

            So instead here are a few short stories that reveal insights to grander vision

 

According to a popular Indian legend, the leader of a certain tribe encamped at the base of a mountain was dying.

The chief summoned his three sons and said, "I am dying and one of you must succeed me as head of our tribe.

I want each of you to climb our holy mountain and bring back something beautiful.

The one whose gift is the most outstanding will succeed me."

After several days the sons returned.

The first son brought his father a flower which grew near the summit and was extremely rare and beautiful.

The second son brought his father a stone which was colorful, smooth and round having been polished by rain and sandy winds and sparkled magnificently in the sunlight.

The third son said, "Father, I have brought nothing back to show you.

As I stood on the top of our holy mountain, I saw that on the other side was a beautiful land filled with green pastures and a crystal lake and I had a vision of where our tribe could go for a better life.

I was so overwhelmed by what I saw and by what I was thinking that I could not bring anything back."

And the father replied, "You shall be our tribe's leader, for you have brought back the most precious thing of all.

You have brought us a story of fertile fields and clear waters, a gift of vision of a better future."[1]

The Rainmaker is a play written by N. Richard Nash in the early 1950s.

Set in a drought-ridden rural town in the West in Depression era America, the play tells the story of a pivotal hot summer day in the life of spinsterish Lizzie Curry.

As their farm languishes under the devastating drought, Lizzie's family worries about her marriage prospects more than about their dying cattle

A charming confidence trickster named Starbuck arrives and promises to bring rain in exchange for $100.

His arrival sets off a series of events which enable Lizzie to see herself and life around her in a new light.

At one point she says: 'Some nights I'm in the kitchen washing the dishes.

And Pop's playing poker with the boys.

Well at first I'll just see an ordinary, middle-aged man — not very interesting to look at.

And then, minute by minute, I'll see little things I never saw in him before.

Good things and bad things — queer little habits I never noticed he had — the ways of talking I never paid any mind to.

And suddenly I know who he is — and I love him so much I could cry!

And I want to thank God I took the time to see him real.[2]

In the first story we have the vision of hope, of better things for the future and for a whole tribe – it can be seen as a parallel to the teaching about the Kingdom of God – on earth as in heaven