A Transforming Experience (Transfiguration of Our Lord)

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In a couple of weeks, it will be five years since we had to shut down for Covid. At first, it seemed like it would just be a couple of weeks, and then maybe things would get back to normal.  But as the weeks went on, it was clear that we weren’t going to be back in-person for Easter of 2020, or even Christmas of 2020.  It was then that most of us began to realize that what had seemed like a minor annoyance was going to have long term effects.  Indeed, it would turn out to be a transformative experience for all of us in many ways.

And like many events we look back on and consider to be “transformative”, Covid wasn’t a good experience.  It was dangerous for many people.  It was scary because we really didn’t know exactly what was happening or what would happen next.  And it was confusing, because while it was clear that things would be different, nobody really knew what to expect.

Today, with 5 years of retrospect, none of us would ever want to return to those days because of all the bad things Covid brought – from sickness to shut-downs to all of the political fights about what the rules should or shouldn’t be. 

And moreover, there are a lot of lingering bad things that happened as a result of Covid: Kids got behind in school; people got disconnected from each other in ways that are often still felt; and now, we have yet another thing that we worry might happen again… (kind of like after the 9/11 attacks…)

But on the other hand, Covid was a transformative experience for us in some ways that also turned out to be positive.  As a result of having to shut down in-person events for a while:

• We learned quickly how to broadcast worship, which has made it possible for all kinds of people to join in, worship with our community and stay connected in ways that (at least I) had never really imagined before…

• Most of us are much better at using Zoom for meetings when we need to – which has made participating in planning and decision making much broader than it had been before (whether it’s because people are out of town, or don’t drive at night or because there’s a threat of snow…)

• I think we better appreciate now the importance of actually being physically together – ironically, having to stay apart made us appreciate more how important it is to be in the same room together, even if we had known that in our heads before…

And I’m reminded of all this on Transfiguration Sunday because today is a day on the church calendar that celebrates transformations.  The Greek word “metamorphosis” – which we may remember from High School biology – is the word Luke uses to describe what happens to Jesus.  It means “transfigure” or “transform.”  And we often focus on how Jesus was transformed in this experience.

But at the same time, this was a transformative experience for Peter, James and John. And honestly, like Covid, this “transformative” experience wasn’t all that positive for them!  While we may look at this as a really cool experience, it’s clear that seeing Jesus “transformed” was terrifying for them.  It was confusing and disorienting.  And for a long time, they said nothing about it – they didn’t even discuss it with Jesus! – probably because they didn’t know what would come next and were afraid to ask.

And yet, in retrospect, this transformative experience ended up having some really positive and helpful outcomes for these three who would later end up being significant leaders in the early Christian community.  And that’s because, in spite of the initial fear, disorientation and confusion, the Transfiguration of Jesus was an event that transformed their view of:

• God – the disciples all believed in God; but for most of them, God was a long way away, out there somewhere.  But now God had shown up in their actual “real” lives; and he spoke to them.  He was actually present and part of their lives in a place they actually lived in; that was a transformative thing, and it changed how they lived in the real world around them …

• Themselves – the idea that God could speak to somebody else was well known, but through Jesus, they experienced God speaking to them.  God cared about them and included them.  And even after the voice went away, they came to understand that Jesus walking with them down the mountain was also the presence of God caring for them and walking with them.  They began to live as people who were sure God was there with them; that was a transformative thing, which changed the outlook of how they were living …

• The journey they were on – Jesus was leading them to Jerusalem, and the disciples were excited to be along for the ride!  But Jesus wanted much more than that.  He wanted them to be part of the mission – to be people who shared God’s good news, not just folks who listened to it and felt good about it.  At first, this doesn’t seem to have worked so well!  The story that’s tagged on to the Transfiguration story is one of how the disciples fail miserably at doing “Jesus work”!  But transformation takes a while, and Jesus wanted his disciples to understand that, from this point forward, they weren’t just spectators anymore, but participants in what Jesus was doing in the world; and that was a transformative thing that changed how the disciples lived…

And in fact, the story of the Transfiguration is intended to be transformative for us, too. And that’s because, whether we see scary visions or not, Jesus is always working to transform us as he leads us on our journey of faith.  What God wants for us, also, is transformation.  God loves just as we are, but he doesn’t want to leave us just as we are.  Instead, through large and small events in our lives (and sometimes even through the bad and obnoxious ones like Covid), Jesus is also working in our lives to transform our vision of:

• God – for so many people in our world, God is just an idea or a distant spiritual force, or maybe even an anthropomorphic projection of their social or political ideals. But Jesus wants us, also, to be people who grow in experiencing God as a close and present reality, walking with us in our daily lives just as closely as Jesus walked down the mountain with Peter, James and John; and we have a different sense of who God is in our lives if God is as close and present as the air we breath; that kind of presence is transformative for our journey of faith …

• Ourselves – there’s plenty for us to be scared of in the world around us.  There’s plenty for others in the world to be scared of.  Too often, even Christians have contributed to other folks being scared of God!  But Jesus tells us, as he told his first disciples, not to be afraid.  He calls us to be utterly confident in God’s presence and help for ourselves and for others, and to project that confidence through the way we live.  That kind of confidence is transformative for our journey of faith …

• Our sense of mission and purpose in the world – Jesus wanted his first followers to understand that they weren’t just along for the ride.  They had a mission and purpose that God was giving them.  Too often, we can get lulled into a sense that our journey of faith is about inwardly basking in a sense of God’s love and patiently waiting for God to redeem our lives.  But Jesus calls us also to live what we’re experiencing in the world around us.  And Jesus wants to transform our journeys of faith so that we become people who act and speak and give so that we’re actually part of what God is doing in the world, and not just passive recipients.  And when that happens, our journey of faith is transformed from an inward journey we live just in our heads and hearts into a journey we actively participate in with our whole selves …

Jesus led Peter, James and John down the mountain, and they continued their journey to Jerusalem.  And as we also are led down the mountain this week into the journey of Lent, it’s good for us to envision Lent as a way of living our journey of faith more intensely.

That is, Lent is a great time to be more aware that Jesus is always leading us on a journey of faith in which he’s looking to transform us. 

Jesus is working in our lives everyday to transform us into people who more intently feel and experience the presence of God in our everyday lives. Jesus is working in our lives everyday to give us confidence in God’s help and presence no matter how scared we may be at the moment.  And Jesus is working in our lives everyday to transform us into people who are no longer just along for the ride, but who actually live the mission of our faith each and every day.

Amen.