Transfiguration or Disfiguration

TRANSFIGURATION OR DISFIGURATION

(Luke 9.28-36)

"Master" said Peter," It is good to be here." Luke 9.32.

The time was the second Sunday of Advent 1983.

The place was the Anglican Cathedral of Johannesburg, South Africa.

And the occasion was the celebration of the Eucharist.

It was a service which I have never forgotten, although it occurred over thirty years ago. And if I close my eyes, I can still hear the organ thundering out the tune to the hymn, 'Lo, he comes with clouds descending'.

I can still smell the fragrance of the incense as the celebrant censed the altar.

I can still see the richness of the vestments worn by the celebrant.

And I can still feel the warmth of the embrace, as the mixed congregation exchanged the Kiss of Peace.

I suppose there must have been between 300 and 400 worshippers there, both black and white.

Suddenly I found myself caught up with the eternal worship of God in heaven, evermore praising Him and saying, 'Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are fully of your glory. Hosanna in the highest'.

I did not want the service to end. I wanted it go on and on for ever. How I wished I could have bottled up that experience to give me comfort and joy in the days ahead.

But, alas, all good things must come to an end. And, so with great reluctance, I stepped out into the bright sunlight of the commercial and shopping centre of Joburg.

I stepped into the real world of South Africa, where in 1983, black and white people were still segregated. Having shared the common cup at the altar rail, we could not share the same transport, the same schools and the same lavatories.

How I wished I could have closed my eyes, and shut out the evil of apartheid, and continued with that taste of heaven which I found in the cathedral that Sunday.

ooOOOoo

'Master, it is good to be here', said Peter to Jesus.

In Luke 9 we have an account of a similar religious experience in the lives of Peter, James and John.

The time was just before the death, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The place was upon a mountain top, where according to Jewish tradition, God had his dwelling place.

The occasion was a time of prayer with the three disciples.

As Jesus was praying, we are told, that his appearance was transfigured and the disciples saw Jesus talking with Moses, representing the Law, and Elijah, representing the prophets, about his forthcoming death in Jerusalem.

It was a magical moment and Peter said, 'Master, it is good to be here'. And wanting to capture moment forever, he wanted to build three tabernacles, one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah.

Just as the presence of God was expressed through a cloud, as he led the Jews through the wilderness many years earlier, so the cloud of the presence of God overshadowed them upon that mountain top, and the voice of God was heard to say, 'This is my beloved Son, my chosen, listen to him’, recalling the earlier words of God at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan.

Alas, once again, all good things must come to an end. Reluctantly, the three disciples, with Jesus, return down the mountain to the waiting disciples, carrying that religious experience within themselves, enabling them to face the future of his death and resurrection.

ooOOOoo

"Master, it is good to be here.'

The time is now.

The place is here.

The occasion is the Eucharist.

No matter how much we may want to stay here after the service comes to an end, we cannot live on a 'spiritual high' for ever. Sooner or later we must return to the disfigured world of today.

Some of you may recall the name Dag Hammarskjold. He was the Secretary General of the United Nations in the 1960's. He was also a deep thinking Christian who throughout his diplomatic life kept a record of his innermost thoughts. These were eventually published under the title Markings.

Perhaps, one of the most profound thoughts recorded in that book is the observation that: 'ln our age the road to holiness necessarily passes through the world of action’.

You see, my friends, it is all too easy to use our Christian commitment as a cloak to hide behind from the real world.

Now I am not saying that our religious experience is of no value. It is of value, in so far as we may have caught a glimpse of God, a taste of heaven, and a vision of how things could be, as we journey through 1ife.

Such moments are precious and essential for they speak to the inner person. They connect us with the depth of our being.

However, we cannot remain upon our knees for ever, no matter how attractive and tempting it may be. No more than I could remain in Joburg cathedral, or the disciples upon the mountaintop.

Sooner or later, we must encounter the real world disfigured by sin. The world of fighting and international unrest. The world of hunger, disease and squalor. The world of corruption, greed and exploitation. The world of addiction, pornography and child prostitution. The world of religious, political and racial bigotry. The world of broken marriages, casual sex and abortion on demand.

‘The road to holiness’ as Dag Hammarskjold reminds us, ‘necessarily passes through the world of action’. It passes through the world created by God but disfigured by humankind. Yet a world capable of being transfigured and restored to its former glory.

But this can only be achieved if first we have been upon our knees upon our mountaintop, where we have had a glimpse of God in all his majesty and glory.

ooOOOoo

Worship, therefore, is essential, be it private or corporate, which finds its fulfilment in service to the world. After all, it was because of the hours spent in prayer, that Bishops Desmond Tutu and Trevor Huddleston, amongst others, were enabled to be instrumental in removing the evil of apartheid in South Africa.

Just as it was essential for the disciples to return down the mountain, having been with Jesus in all his glory, and for me to leave the protection of the walls of the Anglican Cathedral at Johannesburg, so it is essential for us, to leave this place of divine encounter this morning, and carry within us that transfiguring experience into the disfigured world of today.

And so, at the end of this Eucharist, I shall dismiss you with the words, ‘Go in peace to love and serve the Lord', and you will reply, 'In the name of Christ. Amen’.