Transfiguration, Sunday March 3rd 2019
Luke 9:28-36
Most people today if they had a problem or wanted help about an issue wouldn't ask God, they'd ask Google or Alexa! We live in an Information Age, overwhelmed by information these days, some of which is helpful, much of it distorted, or as one Civil Servant once famously said in court, ‘economical with the truth’ that’s code for lies. There is some very weird stuff out there about Christianity, as well as good stuff, but how would someone without any knowledge find out if they were curious to discover more.
I came to faith as an adult at this church, because of the effect made on me three years previously by some women I met who were Christians, I don't think they were really they aware of it, but they were Christian witnesses by how they lived out their faith in their everyday lives, they made me fascinated to find out more about Jesus and Christian faith. These evangelists were Catherine Henson and Enid Gibson & Ann Tierney. I noticed they were different to me, they had something I didn't have, at first I couldn't work out what it was, when I came to faith I realised it was because they had God in their lives, a living faith, they always tried to answer my questions about Why and what they believed, later they supported me as my sponsors when I was confirmed here in Nov 1989, and have been a precious part of my faith family, as many of you here have, and some who have moved on, or gone before us. A few weeks after confirmation, encouraged by Hugh Douglas, I attended an Advent course Father Roger put on in the vicarage, bear in mind I know hardly anything. It was ecumenical, (didn't know what that meant), and we were following a course produced by Roger Vaughan (who you know well) I think the course was Saints alive!
Charismatic Christians were present- didn't know what that was. During the session someone asked for healing prayer, laying on of hands- dodgy I don't remember signing up for this- Holy Spirit- encounter - life changing and transforming for me.
I knew I would never go back to a secular life, Jesus had come into my life in a very real way, I've been on a 30 year learning curve ever since, of learning scripture, growing in faith, reading hundreds of books, attending courses, developing a disciplined prayer life, (only took 20 years), being open to the spirit, having some dry spells in the wilderness, being changed and formed by God’s grace, becoming a Lay Reader, being called to ordained ministry, finding myself soon to be Ordained. I have been, and will continue to be formed and transformed, all from that first encounter, and, thanks be to God until the day I die, and am called home. it's called a faith journey, we are all on one, they are all different.
Peter, James and John, were on a journey, an incredible one, and here in Luke's Gospel they are eyewitnesses to what happened on the Mount of The Transfiguration. They saw, heard and experienced first hand, the Glory of the Lord, they heard the voice of God. It was amazing, utterly terrifying, life changing and transforming for all who encountered it. The figures on the mount were so transformed by the encounter that their physical appearance changed to dazzling brightness. Peter, James and John caught a glimpse of the glory of God when Jesus was transfigured before them.
There are just two occasions in the Gospels when the voice of God the Father spoke from heaven, to bear witness to who Jesus was. At his baptism and at this event the transfiguration. At his Baptism, Mark records, a voice came from heaven, “you are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased”. Then at the transfiguration, as the group there are overshadowed by a cloud, from the cloud came a voice, ‘this is my Son, my chosen; listen to him!’ Can you Imagine yourself there, what would you be feeling, what would you be thinking, what would your reaction be?
Luke's Gospel is telling who Jesus is, and witnessing to the fact that Jesus is the Christ. Peter used his first hand experience, on the mount of transfiguration, to speak about what he saw, and what he heard, he was transformed and witnessing to others about the Glory of God.
In the verses before our gospel reading today, Peter had been the first of the disciples to correctly identify who Jesus was. When Jesus asked his disciples ‘who do you say I am’, Peter answered ‘the Christ of God.’ Or, ‘you are the Messiah’. It must have been a moment a bit like when you realise you’ve fallen in love with someone, and you tell them, I love you. You know it, experience it, here in your heart, as well as here in your head. Jesus told Peter what he had said had come from God, and Peter would be the rock on which Jesus would build his church. Peter didn't realise how he would be used, nor the ultimate price he would pay as a disciple and follower of Christ.
Being a Christian, following Christ, is life changing, is transforming, as you grow in relationship and are open to God's grace and abundant love.
Are we ready to keep being transformed, and willing to be a witness to others about Jesus? We should appear different to the rest of society because we live by Christian values, not the worlds values we are meant to be in the world, but not of the world in that sense. That was what I first noticed when I met Catherine and Ann at antenatal class. We show we are Christian by how we love, and how we live out our lives, by reaching outwards, offering a spirit of generosity and hospitality to the wider community, showing kindness and compassion to others. Look at the word clouds and where we are at at the moment, we have our Place of Welcome, and the work being done in KYCKYN, as we make connections and reach out into our wider community, renewal is happening and ongoing growth.
You will be relived to know We don't need to have terrifying encounters like the transfiguration, we can tell others about Jesus by how we live out our Christian faith, share what our faith means to us, what we've experienced over the years as a disciple of Christ, each of our faith journeys will be different, that's the great thing.
We can speak of how we have come to know Jesus, through the personal lived experience of being in relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; being part of a faith family, a worshipping Christian community, the body of Christ , that's what the Church is, here at St. James the Great Clayton.
If we are Good News spreaders and kingdom builders, as Jesus commissioned his followers, including us, to be, here in Clayton, then living out the Gospel as a church and a community, Jesus will use us, and lots of people in this area and community will be blessed; given hope and shown the love of Christ, and may become curious and fascinated enough to seek and learn more, and come to faith. Do not be afraid to be who we are in Christ, go out in the power of the Spirit, to be a witness of the transforming love, joy, hope and peace, that Jesus brings, wherever you live, work or take your leisure, by being a disciple of Jesus. Amen.
© 2019 Gill Shilkoff