Transfiguration Sunday

January 29, 2008
 
Dear St. Paul’s Family,
 
What are the defining moments of your life?
 
All of us can point to one or two memories that we consider to be pivotal in shaping who we are today.  Perhaps you would think of your first kiss, or the day you got married.  Maybe you think of the birth of a child, or the moment you survived a near-death episode.  These moments change you, leaving an indelible imprint.
 
For Jesus, the transfiguration was a defining moment in his life. On a mountaintop with his three closest followers, Jesus appeared glowing white, accompanied by Elijah and Moses. And he heard a voice from heaven:   “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased.  Listen to him!”  
 
There has been much debate among biblical scholars throughout history about the historicity of this event, but the gospel writers are clear in their placement of this story that the transfiguration was not just important to the life of Jesus, it was important to the salvation narrative for all humanity.  The presence of Elijah and Moses, along with a reference to the words heard at Christ’s baptism, draw in the grand sweep of history; Jesus’ self-reference as the Son of Man, as well as his prediction of his own death, point us ahead to a future of suffering and redemption.
 
The transfiguration story is the half-way point in the life of Jesus, and becomes a defining moment for all those who walk the life of faith.  Will we choose to stay on the mountaintop, as Peter, James, and John preferred, or will we enter a life of self-sacrifice, commitment, and utter surrender to God?  
 
Wesleyan Christians refer to the life of daily decisions to follow the way of Jesus the process of sanctification.  It is the grace-empowered journey of slowly being conformed to the image of Christ in every aspect of our lives.  Catherine Livingston was a nineteenth-century Methodist married to the preacher Freeborn Garretson.  In an entry in her personal diary, she reflected on the defining moment in her life, when she chose to identify with Christ, in his death and resurrection:
 
I find myself more than ever engaged for sanctification.  I desire to rest in nothing short of this great privilege. I want to serve my God with a perfect heart and willing mind.  I have long seen a great beauty in this doctrine, and long to bear witness to the truth of it.  I last night dreamed I was crucified.  Be it so, Lord Jesus!  Let me die that I may live, and that my life may be hid with you. Such a day of heaviness and travail of soul I have not experienced in a long time.  (Garretson Family papers, UMC Archives, Drew University)
 
WILL HE BE YOUR LORD?
 
This Sunday, we celebration Transfiguration Sunday, the final Sunday before the season of Lent. We conclude this sermon series on Matthew with a sermon called, “A New Life:  Will I Make Jesus Lord?”  I hope you will join us for this important last step of preparation before we begin our Lenten journey.  
 
In the words of Peter on the mountain, “Lord, it is good for us to be here.”
 
Grace and Peace,
 
Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA  51012
Ph:  712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org


17:1  Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.
2  And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.
3  Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
4  Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
5  While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!"
6  When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.
7  But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid."
8  And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
9  As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
10  And the disciples asked him, "Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
11  He replied, "Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things;
12  but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands."
13  Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.