Sermon Cloud

Within a few blocks of this very church there are not one but two courthouses.  It is perhaps a sad reflection on the reality of our lives that for so many, the presence of an entire legal system is necessary in order to get to the bottom of the story, to the truth of the matter, especially when there has been some wrongdoing involved.  We spoke last week about the fact that even from the time of Adam and Eve human beings have become experts at passing the buck.  Imagine for a moment what it would be like to live in a society where everyone took responsibility for their actions and had nothing to hide with regard to their motives.  Perhaps such a world sounds like a utopia, a pipe dream, but was that not the original plan, the way things were supposed to be in the Garden of Eden?

We said last week that Jesus came among us to return us to the way things were supposed to be between us and God.  The transfiguration, (Mt 17:1-9) which we hear of in today’s gospel was his way of showing his most trusted friends the reality of what this transformation could accomplish.  For some people, it’s important to know the big picture, to understand what the end product is supposed to look like.  It makes it easier for them to work toward a goal.  The vision of Jesus in glory, united with other major figures throughout history was meant to inspire the disciples, to show them that abandoning their possessions on the shore of the sea, and the entire journey with Jesus, which called them to seek out the truth of their own commitment, was not in vain.

Many before us, including Abram and Sarah (Gen 12:1-4), Paul (2 Tim 1:8-10), Peter, James and John (Mt 17:1-9) have faced situations where they have been called to renounce everything and start again.  Perhaps we too are being called to a new beginning.  Such transformation is never easy because when God calls, there is always a part of us that must be left behind: people who we love, places which are familiar to us, routines with which we have become accustomed – all this and sometimes more must change if we accept the truth about walking humbly as disciples of Christ.

The journey of discipleship only makes sense to those who have had the experience of the transfiguration, but Jesus asks all people to make this journey, to walk in faith.  It was up to those who were there on the mountain with him to inspire their contemporaries to walk with them, to journey in faith.  Walking this road, even today only makes sense if we believe the lessons of the scriptures.  It only makes sense if we believe that Jesus is always with us.  It only makes sense if we believe that gathering with the community in prayer brings us strength to carry on.  It only makes sense if we believe that Jesus gives us his own body and blood to feed us, to sustain us and to keep us focused on the truth that all of this is worth the effort.

Growth into discipleship is a spiritual movement from the known to the unknown, from the familiar to the unexpected.  We learn to see with Jesus’ eyes, to discern needs, to respond freely in love to the many faces of pain and poverty we encounter.  We learn not only to identify those who are imprisoned but like Jesus we call them to freedom.  This journey begins with us.  Each of us must first identify the ways that we need to change.  Only when we ourselves have been transformed can we help others to see the truth that in Jesus we are all beloved.