2023 02 19 Sermon
A Mountaintop Experience
Transfiguration of Our Lord Sunday
Matthew 17:1-9
Rev. Karl-John N. Stone
I drove through the twisty backwoods road, until we parked at a sign that said Peakamoose Mountain Summit, 3 miles. My boys and I grabbed our water and snacks and up we hiked; gradually at first, then bit by bit a little steeper and rockier. After an hour or so of hiking through forest with tall trees crowding out the sunlight, they asked: “Are we ever going to see something? How much longer ‘til we’re there?” I resisted the urge to say “You can see the forest all around you” and instead encouraged them to keep going and promised that they would know it when they got there. A little while later, the trees were getting shorter bit by bit, and a tease of sunlight played through the leaves. They were about 30 feet in front of me when suddenly I heard them say “Oh, wow!” We stood on a rocky ledge, looking at one mountain unfold after another, as far as the eye could see. It was a mountaintop experience.
We savored our time feeling like we were on top of the world. We soaked it in, breathed the fresh air in deep, looked around, and enjoyed what we had just accomplished together. And then, it was time to hike back down. Because that is the way of mountaintop experiences. For a moment you reach somewhere transcendent, mysterious, inspiring, beautiful—knowing that as sweet as it would be, it can’t last forever. And if you tried to make it last forever, it would lose something of its essence. So you go back down, and take that mountaintop experience with you into “regular life”, and maybe draw some hope from it, or inspiration, or a lesson that sticks with you.
The disciples had their “mountaintop experience” with Jesus on an actual mountain, but you don’t have to climb an actual mountain to have a “mountaintop experience”. Maybe you went on a mission trip or service project, or helped a neighbor in need. Maybe you completed a challenging assignment, or participated in a masterful musical or artistic performance. Maybe you were absorbed in a time of worship or prayer, or had a special experience in nature, or reconnected with family or friends. So, one thing that the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration points to is that God is in those “mountaintop experiences”. But, we also need to remember the rest of the story.
Up on the mountain, with Jesus appearing to shine like the sun, and visions of Moses and Elijah, the disciples brushed up against the mysterious, transcendent nature of God—complete with visions, clouds, mystery, bright light, holy fear, and a voice with a special message. As amazing as it was, it was also fleeting. It ended even quicker than it began, when Jesus came to touch them and calm their fears. As soon as they got “this close” to the pure holiness of God, it was over. They had to go back down the mountain—and Jesus walked with them. God is in the going back down. God is in the return to regular life.
A couple of months ago, on Christmas, we celebrated what the church calls the “mystery of the Incarnation”—that the “Word of God became flesh and dwelled among us” in Jesus Christ. The continuing promise God makes to us in the Incarnation is that the presence of God is to be found in the middle of ordinary life. And we can see it through faith. Ironically, in a way, this is even more mysterious than those awesome mountaintop experiences, because we expect that God is to be found in the mountaintop experiences. Yet through faith in the promises of God, we can also experience ordinary life being a place where we find the presence of God. Just like, by trusting God’s promises, we can behold the ordinary bread and wine and water of the sacraments to be the embodied presence of Christ right here in our midst.
Our Faithful Innovation “HOP Outside the Box” team has been experiencing and learning about this kind of thing. The team had an assignment to figure out an experiment where they would go into the community and notice what people were doing. They weren’t exactly sure about what to do or how to do it. Like, should they try to talk with people they didn’t know? Should they have a plan or a script worked out? They weren’t sure. But with a spirit of curiosity and experimentation, with an openness to whatever God might have in store for them, three of the team members went to The Rock (here in Franklin) last Sunday after church. It was a beautiful day, so they sat outside. While they sat they talked with each other and observed their surroundings.
Then the next day, the whole team got together to talk about it. Another team member who hadn’t gone along asked some “coaching” questions. Like: Where did you see the presence of God at the Rock? They had several replies: In the beauty of nature all around us. In the joy and happiness among the people who were having a good time. In the kindness and help that the ski instructors provided on the slopes. In the conversation among the team members themselves, as they got to know each other a little better and were able to share their own faith and experiences of God in their lives.
It was an experiment where they didn’t have to go far. They didn’t have a lot planned. They didn’t spend any money. They didn’t speak with anyone else there, except a clerk at the ticket desk. They didn’t even do very much once they got there. But, like the time when Jesus provided enough food to feed 5,000 out of one child’s small offering of 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, Jesus took the little bit our team offered, and multiplied it beyond measure. As they opened their hearts and minds through faith, and trusted that the presence of God was with them, the team began to notice how God was actually present all around them.
As Christians, we have God’s promise that Christ will always show up in certain places that are unique to Christian community: like, when someone gets baptized. Or when the body and blood of Christ is given to us in the elements of bread and wine. Or in the community that gathers in Jesus’ name. Or in the Word of God spoken, read, and heard. Even though we are imperfect about living by faith in God’s promises, the promises are none the less beautiful, mysterious, and life-giving—because the presence of the risen and living Christ is here!
And—the message of the Transfiguration is that Christ is also “out in the world”. He hides himself back “down the mountain” right in the middle of regular, ordinary life. And as the gospel of Matthew tells the story of the Transfiguration, it offers some clues about the kind of things to look for if we are trying to notice the presence of God out in the world.
There are several things I noticed as clues about where to look for the presence of God, as I read through the Transfiguration story. Creation—they went up a high mountain. Friendship—Peter, James, and John walked with Jesus. Companionship—Moses and Elijah appeared together. Helpfulness and generosity—Peter offered to build three tents. Mystery—a bright cloud overshadowed them. Teaching—a voice spoke with instruction. Kindness and healing—Jesus touched them and calmed their fears. Hope—Jesus face shone like the sun. Promise—Jesus told them that one day he would be raised from the dead. Look for these kind of clues, because God shows up whether we are paying attention or not.
By faith, we know that Jesus stretched out his arms on the cross to extend his love to each one of us, and to all people. One reason we come to church is because we feel a need to be strengthened by this love that God has for each of us. While we would like others who are not here to experience God’s love along with us, we can’t force anybody to decide that they should be part of a Christian community, or even that they should just check it out. They need to come to that conclusion themselves. Maybe an experiment for us to try is for people to see that we are finding joy in simply loving, accepting, and supporting people, with no agenda attached; that we are meeting them where they are, and honoring them for who they are. And then we can begin noticing the ways that the presence of God is already there with them. Amen.