Shine
Texts: Mark 9:2-9 (main focus); 2 Kings 2:1-12; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Dear friends in Christ, grace and peace to you from the One who is and who was and who is to come, our living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
How many of you have planned a surprise party or been invited to one? Last year, my sister Karlene and I planned a surprise 55th wedding anniversary party for our parents. We didn’t have a chance to give them a 50th, so we thought this would be nice. We picked a day close to their anniversary, which also was our mom’s birthday. We picked the place, Davanni’s in Woodbury. We created the invitations, and on the invitations, it said, “Shhh…It’s a surprise!” Almost everyone we invited RSVP’ed. How hard is it for 60 people to keep a secret? But, they did…And when our Mom and Dad showed up at Davanni’s, thinking they were there for a Bible study, we all yelled, “SURPRISE!” And they most certainly were. I’ll never forget the look on their faces. That was the best part.
So, with surprise parties, people are told to keep a secret and then yell surprise…In today’s reading from Mark, we see the opposite. Jesus, transfigured, is saying, “SURPRISE!” in a way…And, then he tells the disciples to keep this event a secret, until after the Son of Man rises from the dead. All of the pieces had yet to fall into place, the timing. And the disciples keep silent about the event, but they still don’t understand it. Prior to this passage, Peter declares Jesus as the Messiah in 8:29, then Jesus talks again about his suffering and death. In verse 32, Peter rebukes him for that! Peter gets it, but yet he doesn’t. After our Gospel reading, in 9:30-32, Jesus mentions his death and resurrection, and the disciples still didn’t understand.
So, why did this event happen? What are we supposed to understand from it? How are we supposed to react to this? The concept to think about today is that just as the light of Jesus shone at the mountain top, we need to allow the light of Christ to shine through us in the valleys.
First of all, I just want to say there is a lot that could be said with the texts this week. A transfiguration on a mountain top, voice of God in the cloud, chariots of fire…Is this my “baptism by fire” preaching experience? J
As I was preparing this week, with all of the texts, the word that kept coming back to me is “light,” as we see it come through in all of them.
First, a little background to this passage in Mark…Mark says, “6 days later.” Usually Mark doesn’t concern himself with fixed times, as he tends to use words like “immediately.” There could be an echo to Moses’ 6-day preparation before God appeared to him on the mountain in Exodus 24:15-16. It also connects the Transfiguration to what happened prior, with Peter professing Jesus as the Christ, and Jesus telling of his future suffering, the coming judgment, and his resurrection in all of its glory. His dazzling white clothes that no one could bleach that white. In Scripture we see this image for heavenly beings or glorified humans. This experience could be seen as a promise for those who suffer with, in, and for Christ, the eternal promise, to follow is not done in vain. To lose is to gain.
Mountains tend to be the location where a special revelation takes place in Scripture. In Exodus 24, we see Moses, Israel’s leader out of Egypt, meeting God, having that experience with God. Just as Jesus’ clothes shone, Moses’ skin shone after his meeting with God in Exodus 34:29. So, I can’t help but wonder…When we encounter God, do our faces shine with His glory? Do we encounter God? Something for you to think about this morning: How do you experience and encounter God in your lives? Do you share what happens with others?
Sometimes, we can become so engrossed by what happened on the mountain top that we live with our heads in the clouds, not realizing what is going on around us. Do we take the time to find out what’s going on with our brothers and sisters in Christ? We see that Peter was preoccupied with building shelters, booths, tents, or tabernacles. Why? We don’t know exactly why…It could stem from Jewish custom and traditions from that culture. Was it in reference to the Exodus, when God through Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, for the Feast of Tabernacles in Leviticus 23:42? Was he recalling Greek traditions of that time by wanting to build a shrine where one encountered a god? Or did he want to remember this blessed event, wanting the promised glory now instead of the sufferings that were necessary?
And, why does he call Jesus “Rabbi” in verse 5, which is Hebrew for “teacher” or “my teacher,” when he had just confessed him as the Christ in 8:29? By putting Jesus on the same level as Moses and Elijah, as wonderful men of God as they were, Peter is diminishing Jesus’ true place. They were human. Jesus, fully God and fully human, crucified and risen, is the only who could bring salvation and reconciliation between humans and God. And he had to go through the suffering before there would be the glory.
Or maybe Peter is just speechless and rambles on without thinking after seeing just a majestic event. Verse 6 says that he didn’t know what to say, because they were terrified. Did they have any idea what in the world was going on? Surprise!
Sometimes we just need to learn to be still and quiet. Does this happen to you, that if you allow nervousness to overcome you, it’s easy to say something without thinking or say something absurd. It can happen to me, so, I need to be aware. We need to be aware of God, of ourselves, and of others.
God clears up any confusion, with His voice coming from a cloud. Clouds are often used to signify God’s presence, usually to guide or protect, as we see in Exodus 24:15-18, when Moses meets God on Mount Sinai. Notice that God doesn’t say, “This is My Son, look at him.” He exclaims, “Listen to him!” To truly listen to Jesus is to do what he says.
This glorious mountain experience, complete with God’s voice and appearances by Moses and Elijah, helps to give assurance that vindication will happen, but Jesus’ suffering is unavoidable. Jesus’ glory and suffering go hand in hand. This glorious epiphany is a private event, whereas his crucifixion on the cross happened for all to see. In him is all power and glory, but he came to give his life as a ransom for many, as Mark 10:45 states. It is written, and it was necessary. Jesus would experience his own darkness on the cross, but as we hear the light overcomes the darkness. Jesus is our bridge to God, and Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. As we are connected to him, we are also connected to each other.
So, in response to Jesus’ shining on that mountain top, we need to allow the light of Christ to shine through us in the valleys. The splendor of the mountain fades. The disciples had to come down from the mountain. Like them, most of our lives are spent in the valley, where we constantly experience the temporality of this life. We would prefer to stay in that great light and glory on the mountain top.
And so, like Christ, suffering is unavoidable for us, too, in this life. No one is immune to it. But, in the midst of suffering, God is with us. Paul, the author of our 2 Corinthians text, knew his share of suffering, being arrested and persecuted for his belief and proclamation in Christ. Mark’s first-century audience knew pain and insecurity…Leaders such as Herod could wreak havoc on those who followed and proclaimed Christ. Many suffered for their faith, to the point of death. Wars, famines, false teachers, arrests…You know, their time doesn’t sound too much different from our time today.
Pain in the valleys is real. Maybe you are one in need of seeing that light today. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one… A job? Friendship? Relationship? Way of life? Health? Home? We do need to make space for that grief, that lament. I attended the Conference Assembly last Saturday, and Dr. Deanna Thompson from Hamline University quoted a book by Kathleen Billman and Daniel Migliore. It states, “We live in a culture reluctant to ‘grieve failures, especially corporate and public failures, limitations and losses.’ Therefore we need permission to—and guidance in—the practice of lament.” We need to honor each one’s journey. In fact, I am looking to start a Bible study on the book of Job here at House of Prayer, after Easter. How can we better support each other through those times? What gives hope?
Today, this glimpse into heaven in Mark’s Gospel gives hope to those who are suffering in the here and now, where the god of this world, Satan, as Paul points out in our 2 Corinthians reading, blinds the minds of unbelievers. But, the same light that shone in Paul’s heart, that light of Christ, knowing Christ, shines in our hearts today, too.
We need to rely on God, trusting in Him and in His timing. We also need each other. In our 2 Kings reading, Elisha would not leave Elijah for as long as until the Lord took him. I am an 80’s child, so how many of you remember the show “Growing Pains?” The theme song says, “As long as we’ve got each other…As long as we keep on giving, we can take anything that comes our way.”
Mark Nygard, missionary and graduate studies coordinator at a theological seminary in Egypt says about this experience in Mark’s Gospel, “The miracle of it happens again and again to us when the reality of the living Christ comes alive to us through the witness of the church. God’s powerful Word—preached…eaten [and] drunk [which we will participate in shortly together with Holy Communion], and shared—makes the transfiguration not just a past image, but a real recurring event in our lives.”
If we focus too much on those special mountain top experiences, we may miss out on what God is doing in those “little” moments. Or, they may seem little to us but not to God. We need to be more aware, not wishing time away. Like “Oh, I’ll be able to really help people when I’m done with school” or “I can give away more money when I get promoted” or “I’ll volunteer my time to that church event when I’m less busy.” God wants us and people need us shining that light of Christ in the here and now.
How can we shine that light? Simply by being present with someone who is hurting…Offering a listening ear, taking them out for coffee…Offering to do something for someone else, even when you yourself are hurting. Become involved in the life of the community. Involved in the ministries here at House of Prayer. This is such a welcoming community. Continue to invite people to come and see that the Lord is good. We can simply share our stories with one another. Stories have a way of touching and transforming us. Share your time, gifts, and talents.
I want to leave you all with a story…For 8 ½ years, I worked at a corporate job. How many of you have seen “Office Space?” Okay…It was like that, but to clarify, I didn’t actually work with someone named Michael Bolton, I never took a sledgehammer to the copy machine (although the idea did cross my mind a time or two), and I didn’t have a red Swingline stapler…Mine was black. Anyway, the time came for me to leave that job to further my commitment to this path where God is calling me…I ended up getting a part-time job at Caribou Coffee, which was a Godsend, and I’ll save that story for another time. Let’s just say it’s a seminarian’s dream to have a place where free coffee is a way of life. Well, for this seminarian anyway. J
Working at Caribou while I’m in school gives me the chance to connect with people every day. One day this week, a couple of our regular customers commented on my smile, how I am always smiling. One customer has gone through some significant losses in his life in such a short amount of time. We started talking, as I mentioned that I will be participating with some friends in a half-marathon at Walt Disney World on February 26th. He asked about it, and I said that date has significance in my life. Two years ago, my oldest sister passed away after a whirlwind of health issues unexpectedly came crashing down on her. Last year on that day, my 97-year-old grandma’s funeral ended up being on that day. I also shared with him how my 61-year-old aunt passed away unexpectedly at the end of the year, and my Uncle Jim is in hospice after his 3 ½ year battle with cancer. This customer looked at me with such compassion and could not help but wonder how in the world I can keep smiling. We suffer, experiencing the law of death. But, we also have the gospel of hope. Part of life is death, and part of death is life. Love ultimately conquers death.
I told him that hope is what keeps me going. There is more than this life. I will see all my loved ones again someday. And smiling is something that comes naturally to me, like a gift. It is a gift. We each have special gifts and talents.
There was a sacred space that was shared. These “God moments” don’t have to be all “Pomp and Circumstance,” but they happen in the valleys, in the every day of our lives. As we’re going through the valleys, we can keep our eyes on him…We need to shine our lights for him, so others may see…Or maybe we are the ones in need of seeing that light today. Wherever you may be, remember that Christ was transfigured, and through him we can be transformed. And others’ lives can be touched with that life-giving light, shine for all to see.
And now may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Caroline Harthun
House of Prayer Lutheran Church
8:30am and 10:45am
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Children’s Sermon
Have you ever been afraid of the dark? What helps you when you are afraid? In the dark, it’s hard to see where you’re going. You know what helps me? Just a little bit of light can pierce through the darkest of darkness. Have you ever used a night light? Those come in handy.
In today’s Gospel reading, we’re going to hear about a time when Jesus took three of his disciples with him on a mountain top. When they were there, Jesus became a beautiful, dazzling white! He appeared in all his glory, giving the glimpse of what would be. Could you imagine that light?
You know, in a way, we are kind of like flashlights. Jesus wants us to let his light shine through us in this dark world. What does a flashlight need in order for it to work? Batteries. Without the batteries, it’s useless. Just like this flashlight needs batteries to work, we need Jesus in our heart, so we can shine for him, so others may be able to see.
Do you remember the song, “This Little Light of Mine?” Let’s sing the first verse together: “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”
Let’s pray: Lord, we thank you for sending Your Son, Jesus, and for the light he brought into the world and continues to bring into our lives today. May we allow that light from him to shine through us so that others may be comforted and know Jesus as well. Amen.
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