Transfiguration Sermon

Transfiguration of Our Lord


Today we celebrate the TRANSFIGURATION of CHRIST – as we remember through our readings and prayers, one of the most spectacular sights in the Bible.
The apostles; Peter, James and John were witnessing a glorious sight whilst on the mountain praying. They had witnessed Christ being transfigured – the appearance of his face had changed and he had become a dazzling white. They had seen their forefathers, Moses and Elijah as plain as day. And finally, their God is talking to them. He is talking to them from a cloud.
It is one of the moments where any doubts or worries you might have – all those little things that don’t add up – those little concerns are all squashed as the irrefutable evidence is presented in all its’ glory. Perhaps, the disciples could see their place in the order of creation, and just perhaps they could see the answers to the difficult questions. As they stood there beholding the Glory of God, did they understand what it is all about? What a glorious sight…
I say it was a glorious sight, but for the three followers it must have been terrifying. They were witnessing the truly awesome nature of the Son of God. Moreover, they were told not to speak of this to anyone. We are told that the disciples kept this all to themselves, and told no-one.
If everyone could see a sight like THIS just once in our lives, perhaps we would be better disciples. Perhaps if God came down out of the cloud for us, we could then speak the word of God to the world with more vigour and conviction…I don’t know.
You see, there must be a reason for that – why God doesn’t descend in clouds of burning light any more…
Perhaps that time has gone – just like the time when it was sunny in Summer. Perhaps it is OUR DUTY to create our own miracles, our own moments of brightness and clarity for the communities and the individuals around us and those far off.
The transfiguration for me is now a metaphor for those moments when we make an effort to read, pray and act in a way like CHRIST. It is a metaphor for all those times when the PEOPLE around us KNEW that CHRIST is the SON of GOD because of OUR CARE and THOUGHTFULNESS, which was more than normal but supernormal.
Unfortunately, we usually suffer for those times when the church is languishing in the pit of NORMALITY, through bickering and division, thoughtlessness and intolerance that has come to be a hallmark of the church. The only consolation is that this has happened for literally millennia, and we are still here – imperfect and impure, shoddy and third-class.
Today is the day to change all that – Today is the day when we can engage with the commandment of Christ to love one another without measure or malice – to give, without the possibility of repayment, and to once again seek that prize beyond all prizes, which can be found in our love and tolerance for the world around us.
So, my brothers and sisters – shine as beacons to the Lord as you leave this place – love the unlovely, care for the outcast, pray unswervingly and unselfishly for a better future for ALL GOD’S CHILDREN. Shine like the sun, as you become the proof that GOD EXISTS and SENT HIS SON to save us all.