2022 02 27 Sermon

Sermon for February 27, 2022 Transfiguration of Our Lord House of Prayer Lutheran Church

Luke 9:28-43a; 2 Corinthians 3:17-4:2 Rev. Karl-John N. Stone2022 02 20 Sermon

Are any of you fans of the Winter Olympics? Do you have a favorite sport to watch? I really enjoy Biathlon—the race that combines cross-country skiing with target shooting at a rifle range. After a huge aerobic workout skiing as fast as possible around the course, the athletes have to calm their breathing enough to shoot their rifle. If they miss a shot, they have to ski a short penalty lap, and then it’s back to the race. I think it’s exciting. Biathlon is, however, the one Olympic sport that Team USA has never won a medal in (though we are steadily improving). Which country dominates Biathlon? Norway—a country of only 5 million people—whose athletes earned 14 medals in Biathlon this year alone, including 6 golds! And overall, Norway led all countries in Olympic medals with a total of 37.

Norway was not always this good. Back in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, the Norwegian team won only 5 medals in all, none of them gold. That’s when they decided to develop a different athletic culture, to get to where they wanted to be. (I’ll post the link to the article I read about this, by Matthew Futterman, on our Facebook page for those who might like to learn more.) https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/sports/olympics/norway-medals-winter-olympics.html

You don’t see the doping scandals among the Norwegian athletes, nor do you see coaches berating a talented youngster for making a mistake. Their athletic culture focuses on participation and socialization. Whoever wants to be included is included, in every neighborhood and village. If you don’t possess great talent, but just enjoy your sport, you can be involved. If you’re pretty good but not elite, you can be involved. If you have an elite talent and want to go to the Olympics, you can be involved. You just need to show up and do the work. It’s a matter of helping people find satisfaction in what they’re doing, and realizing that this will be somewhat different for everyone.

What’s more, the Norwegian Olympic team invites athletes and coaches from any other country who wants, to come and learn from them! Team USA is now among them. Luke Bodensteiner, the skiing and snowboarding director for the US explained, “After watching what Norway did in [the South Korea Olympics], I just told my team we are going over there, and we are going to figure out what…is going on and what they are doing.” What does Norway gain from this? Well, besides becoming better at hospitality and building relationships and friendships, they are making sure that the sports they care about have a better chance to thrive around the world. And even though other countries will be improving themselves, the competition and participation from others will help Norway improve, as well.

This approach struck me as have some similarities to the way St. Luke describes the relationship between Jesus and the disciples. The people Jesus calls to be his disciples each have their own talents, interests, and abilities, to be sure. But there was nothing in particular about them that marked them out ahead of time as “good discipleship material”, other than their willingness to be included and participate.

All throughout the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is encouraging his disciples, teaching them how to do the kinds of ministry he is doing. Like the Norwegian Olympians who invite athletes from other countries to enter their world and learn, Jesus basically says “with me the world of the Kingdom of God has arrived—I invite you to enter my world through faith and learn from me; over time you’ll be able to do the kinds of things that I do.” Jesus empowers them because he knows that soon enough he will be departing. Even in the strange and mysterious story of the Transfiguration which we heard today, when the Old Testament prophets Moses and Elijah appeared on the mountaintop with Jesus, what do they talk about? Jesus’ departure: that he will be going to the cross; that he will be ascending into heaven. That he will be leaving the disciples behind and therefore needs to help them learn the “Jesus-way-of-life” and how to put it into practice; how to be partners in carrying out God’s mission to bless and heal and redeem the world.

Jesus is basically telling them: “You’ve got what it takes! I know you’re not experts, but still, you’ve got what it takes. Why? Because you want to be included and participate! And I will continue to empower and teach you through the Holy Spirit.” Of course, it takes time for the disciples to believe in themselves the way Jesus already believed in them, and to try doing the kinds of things Jesus did, and eventually to become good at it. There’s a whole sequel to the Gospel of Luke in the Bible, called the Acts of the Apostles, which tells the story of how the disciples grew in their confidence and faith, and took it upon themselves to do the ministry of Christ after he had departed.

But it takes time; the work of God moves slowly. We even see a very human side of Jesus after they all go back down from the Mountain of Transfiguration, when a boy’s father begs the disciples to cast an unclean spirit out of his son, “but they could not.” We can hear Jesus’ frustration as he says “how much longer must I be with you and bear with you?” And then he just goes ahead and heals the boy himself. It’s not exactly the outcome he wanted; he had wanted the disciples to do it—but they could not. Even so, Jesus does not quit on them. They stick with him, as he sticks with them and keeps on teaching, even when the disciples’ willingness waivered, and their faith gave in to fear, and their confusion at the mysterious ways of God overshadowed them.

What Jesus did for the disciples he continues to do for us—except whereas the disciples had Jesus walking around with them in the flesh and talking to them, instead we have the risen Christ’s presence given to us through the Holy Spirit; and we have the words of Jesus as recorded in the Bible to learn from; and we have prayer and a community we call “the Body of Christ” to listen for God to speak through.

Like the disciples, Jesus invites us to learn and grow into doing the kinds of things he did. The requirement on our part is not a high score on the discipleship test. We don’t have to earn a gold, silver, or bronze medal in the discipleship Olympics. All Jesus asks is our willingness to be included; our desire to enter his world and learn from him; and our faith that he will transform us through God’s grace, mercy, and love the more we offer ourselves to help in healing the divisions of humanity.

As St. Paul put it, “since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart.” Even so, like the disciples, we too will face times when our willingness waivers, our faith gives in to fear, and we become overshadowed in confusion at the mysterious ways of God, or feel discouraged in our efforts to take part in the ministry of Christ. It’s like Jesus has got a gold medal in everything, and we’re just trying to finish the race. We’re just trying to stay on the course.

But God speaks to us, as if from that mysterious cloud on the mountain of Transfiguration, as says “I sent my Son, who will not only teach you by his words and actions, who not only forgives you from the cross and promises salvation by his resurrection, but also who’s presence will be with you, and who’s power you will have access to through faith and prayer. So stick with him, because he’s always going to stick with you.” Amen.