Sunday of the Transfiguration – Cycle A

February 6, 2005

Matthew 19

Rev. Gayle M. Highness

Light in the Darkness

Grace and peace to you, brothers and sisters, from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

For the last five Sundays we have been in the season of Epiphany – a season of revelation – of “Ah-ha” moments when the Scriptures reveal to us just who this man Jesus really is. And not only who Jesus is, but also why he is here and what he asks of his disciples.

In this season of revelation, our readings have been full of images of light beginning with the light of the Bethlehem star that drew the wise men to the birthplace of a King.

We have heard that Jesus is the light to the nations spoken of by the prophet Isaiah – a light for people like us who have walked in darkness.

We have seen Jesus call disciples to follow him and we have understood that this call is for us as well – that we, too, are called to follow Jesus and to walk in the light of Christ and carry his light into the darkness around us.

Today – on this last Sunday in the season of Epiphany – the readings are again full of light – bright, blinding, high-intensity light – the glorious light of God’s presence. In the Old Testament reading, it is Moses who enters the light of God’s presence on Mount Sinai where God gives his Word to Moses in the form of commandments for the people to follow.

In the gospel, it is Peter, James and John who go up the mountain and enter the light of God’s presence as it shines through the person of Jesus Christ. The disciples witness this amazing transfiguration where the face and clothing of Jesus become radiant with this beautiful, pure light of God’s glory, and where Jesus is joined by Moses and Elijah.

They are in awe. They know this is an extraordinary event. Peter is thinking like a Jew. We should preserve and remember this sacred moment and this holy place by putting up tents – sanctuaries of a sort.

But there is even more to come in this revelation because, like Moses, they, too, are about to receive a Word from God. They hear the voice of God giving them not a law to follow, but a person. “This is my Son, the Beloved. With him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Jesus – the Word of God made flesh – the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.

Now the disciples are afraid. The Jews believed that you could not see the presence of God and live. They fell on the ground and hid their faces. And then it was over. Only Jesus was there with them, touching them and telling them not to be afraid. It was time to go back down the mountain – back to the real world.

During these past several weeks, as we have heard these images of light and I have talked about light in my sermons, our Confirmation kids have been dutifully recording their sermon notes. I was struck by something one of them wrote in the section where it asks if the message raised any questions for them. Here, the student wrote, “If Jesus is the light, is he still with us when it is dark?”

What a great question! It’s an especially good question for today as we are about to enter the season of Lent where we will encounter great darkness in the Scriptures – the darkness of fear, confusion, betrayal, injustice, violence, suffering and death. And where will Jesus be in this darkness? Right at its very center.

Yes – Jesus is with us in the darkness. Jesus has gone into the very heart of the darkness of the sin and death that bind us here on this earth. But then God raised Jesus from the dead and, in so doing, Jesus conquered the darkness. So, yes, Jesus is with us in the darkness, but at the same time, Jesus has turned the darkness into light.

This is the testimony Peter gives in the second reading we heard today. There is darkness among the believers to whom this letter is written. There have been conflicts in values for these early Christians who found themselves at odds with both the Jewish and the pagan cultures that surrounded them. There have been accusations that the apostles’ prediction of Christ’s future coming was their own invention and that Old Testament prophecies of it did not come from God.

Into this controversy and confusion, Peter testifies with boldness and confidence about the truth of their teaching. “We’re not making this up. We were eyewitnesses of his majesty! We saw the honor and glory he received from God the Father. We heard God’s voice with our own ears saying, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ ”

In this way, Peter’s testimony of the light that he saw becomes light for the believers he is addressing. “You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place,” he writes, “until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

In other words, until you see Jesus face to face, let the Word of God be your light – the Word of God revealed through the Scriptures and through the testimony of those who have been moved by the Holy Spirit to speak from God.

Jesus is with us in the darkness because of the hope we have in God’s Word. In Jesus Christ, God has defeated darkness and has given the promise of salvation and eternal life in the glory of God’s presence to those who believe.

Knowing this – having confidence in the gift of salvation God has promised to his children – puts the light of Christ into our hearts. So that, no matter how dark the world may appear, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

May that light shine in your hearts this morning, and may the peace and the hope of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.