The Transfiguration of Christ: Listen to Him!

Sermon 5
February 10, 2013

Lisa was 15 years old, dark-haired, and 6 foot tall when I met her…and she was already a beauty (#32). It was my first teaching job and, of course, it came with a coaching position. Volleyball. I was so excited for this new challenge but also scared to death. 

I met the girls and their parents a few weeks before school started. And Lisa could smash the ball. She was a power house.

Those girls were sure special to me. In fact, all of those Healy kids were. We were there for three years…watching Lisa and her classmates grow up—going from gangly, goofy sophomores to graduated seniors ready to leave for college.

I saw Lisa several years later when she married Jason then got to see her briefly at a funeral when she was pregnant with her first child, Jaren.

And then tragedy struck.

Lisa and Jason were expecting their second child the next month. With four-year-old Jaren in his car seat in the back of the car, they were driving home from a delightfully baby shower in Lisa’s home town of Healy. 

As they approached an oncoming car, a deer jumped out in front of it. When the approaching car hit the deer, the impact shot the deer right into their windshield. Like a bullet, this large animal went through the driver’s side of the vehicle and shot out the back window.

Lisa realized Jason was unconscious and had to fight to get the vehicle stopped. She screamed Jaren’s name and he was so brave when he answered her, “Mommy, I am okay.” But Jason was not. Lisa used her cell phone to call 911 and then just tried to hold Jason steady while she kept her finger on the pulse she could feel in his neck.

But Jason died on the way to the hospital. And Lisa was left as a single mother to endure the labor and delivery of her second child without her husband by her side.

She was lost. And she needed a word from God.

 Have you been there? Maybe not to this extreme. But have you needed God’s direction? His comfort? His strength?

I want you to imagine that day long ago when Jesus took Peter, James, and John on top of that mountain. Jesus had been teaching, healing, and performing miracles. We just heard from the word of God that Jesus predicted his death and resurrection and then about a week later he took Peter, James, and John up there to pray.

So there they were, climbing up the mountain. And all of a sudden Peter, James, and John realized that they were no longer alone with Jesus. There were two other guys. On top of a “high mountain”.

Can you picture the astonishment? They would not have recognized these men.

Think about it. We know now that these two men were Moses and Elijah…great men of the faith who had lived hundreds of years before. Peter, James, and John would only know them by the stories that have been handed down from generation from generation. Their stories, of course, were read by these three in the Torah.

There weren’t pictures!

So here are these two extra men…talking to Jesus. And they’re all shining.

They are pretty confused at this point. And I would guess that they were pretty freaked out.

God talked to Jesus through Elijah and Moses! Who would believe that? Well, I suppose Peter, James and John would, wouldn’t they?

And actually, God spoke to them also. Once he had their attention, He said, “This is my son. Listen to him!” Who was God speaking to? He wasn’t speaking to Jesus, Elijah, or Moses. God himself spoke to Peter, James, and John in a voice from the sky. Who would believe that?

Can you imagine them telling that story once they got down? Ha! They didn’t! We are told that they kept it to themselves.

How in the world could they keep it to themselves? Well…it would sound a bit crazy, wouldn’t it?

Think about other times in the Bible when God spoke to people. Sometimes it was an audible voice, like this. But He also spoke to people through a large hand writing on a wall, dreams, visions, prophets, angels, Jesus, and finally, the Bible.

The Bible. This is the obvious way that God chooses to speak to us. He inspired the writers of this book and insured that those words would last forever. 168,000 Bibles are sold or given away every single day. How many Bibles are in your house right now? I did a quick count around our house last night and found 26.

But 26 Bibles don’t share with You the Word of God if you never pick one of them up and read it. Read it! And read it with the expectation that God has something to tell you through it. Because He does! And He will! This is the most basic, most obvious, way that God speaks to us. If you are seeking His guidance but not bothering to read His Word, you need to back up and work on your relationship with Him. And relationships hinge on our ability to “listen”. So read…and listen to Him.

But relationships are a two-way street, so it’s also important that we talk.

In our scripture reading today, we learned that Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mountain to pray. Throughout the gospels, Jesus often took time to go off to pray. I had a friend tell me a while back, “I don’t really pray. God knows my thoughts so I don’t need to take the time to pray to Him.” I’ve heard other people make this same comment. Let me ask you…If Jesus needed time to pray, why in world should you feel like you don’t.

Sometimes I worry that we model prayer as a complicated thing. It’s not. It’s a conversation with God. Just speak to Him. He will answer. Are you waiting, watching, and listening for it?

My friend, Charity, shared a story about God answering her prayer. Charity and Mark were newlyweds. They were loving life! They were young and had the time to do the things THEY wanted to do. Living out in the country between two towns gave them a privacy and solitude that many of us don’t understand.

But during one winter storm in 1992, things changed. Charity and Mark each got snowed in a different town. On the third day, Charity felt that the roads were cleared enough that she could get home. So she headed that way (without telling anyone) with plans to surprise Mark. But about a mile and a half from home, she slammed into a drift and was stuck.

Although she knew it would be smartest to stay in the warm car, she also knew exactly where she was and convinced herself that she could make the walk home. But about 100 yards into her walk, she lost her bearings. She was lost. And after a while, it was dark. The cold was burning her hands. She pulled them up into her sleeves and pulled her arms to her chest then squatted down to provide as much body heat as possible.

She prayed and prayed, and God answered her. He LITERALLY answered her. "Have children," he clearly said to her. She heard it. You see, at the time, she and Mark did not intend to have children. She knew he didn't want them and she was willing to go along with what he wanted. But she heard God's voice, and she promised God that if He would save her, she would have children and raise them up to serve Him.

About twenty minutes later she saw some headlights. How Mark realized she was missing and found her is a whole other story in itself. But suffice it to say, Charity was saved. And she kept her promise.

Seven of them…although one is already with God. Six beautiful children love and walk with God every day because of message that God gave their mother one winter.

Prayer. God wants to have a relationship with you. Talk to Him…and listen to Him.

God also talks to us through other Christians—the church.

How many times have I sat in this room…in this very room…and been touched so deeply by the Holy Spirit that tears have flooded my eyes and run down my cheeks? More times than my kids will let me forget! Ugh…is mom crying again?? 

But it’s not just in the sanctuary…or necessarily in the church building at all. Part of the church meets here on Sunday morning, but “the church” is the collective body of Christians in the world.

God uses you and I (the church) to talk to his people. Wow! I believe that we often don’t even realize when God uses us to give a much needed word to another human being much less how. But that’s one reason that it is so important that we come together as the church. We need each other. The body of Christ needs all of its members. God uses our time together to talk to us through one another. Come together…and listen to Him.

And finally, God uses circumstances.

What about Moses and the burning bush? Think about it. Imagine that you are out mowing the lawn this summer and out of the corner of your eye you realize that one of your bushes is on fire…and then God starts talking to you through it. Sound a little crazy? Think you might think twice about sharing that with others? 

You know, the thing is…God gets our attention in whatever way He knows He can get our attention.

Some of you have heard the story of my call to ministry. It involves the story of the Transfiguration. In fact, after Pastor David gave me the dates I would be preaching this year, I was at my desk and I thought…I’ll bet one of them is Transfiguration Sunday. So I turned to the first one…and sure enough.

It’s a long story that I will share with you when you have a free couple of hours, but the abbreviated version is that God has reinforced every step of this journey into ministry with the story of the transfiguration. Including today. God is talking to me right now, through this time with you.

But God also talks to me in other ways…ways He knows will get my attention.

As Pastor Watson has been mentoring me into ministry, he allows me to come to his office for a weekly meeting to talk about things going on in my job and in my walk with God. One day, I asked him…have I ever told you the story of my call to ministry. And he said, “I don’t think so.” I said, “Well, it’s a long story, but I will tell you this. God talks to me through Bruce Springsteen.” 

Pastor David just sat back and smiled…then said, “I don’t think I’d tell that to the Board of Ordained Ministry.”

Ha!

But it’s true. It’s not ALWAYS true. And when I’m seeking the answer to a question, I don’t pull out my “Born in the USA” CD and listen to it to find the answer. After all, I don’t worship Bruce Springsteen.

But I’m grateful that I have a God that knows me so well and pursues me so diligently that he would be so creative in the way that he speaks to me.

Some people experience God through visions or dreams. Do these things sound crazy? Really, Gina. Bruce Springsteen? God’s voice in a snow storm? Visions? Dreams? Yes…and a burning bush, and a giant hand writing on a wall, and a talking donkey, and a pillar of cloud and fire, and Moses and Elijah on top of a mountain.

Sound crazy. Oh yes. That’s why Peter, James, and John kept it a secret. But it’s not crazy.

A couple days after Jason died, Lisa had a dream about him. In this dream Jason was sitting on a huge gold throne. Lisa was at his feet looking up at him. He reached his hand out and told her that everything was going to be OK. He then proceeded to give her instructions on how to take care of the finances, which made her laugh because she had no clue about any of their finances. He was an accountant, after all, and just took care of them. When she woke up the next day, although she was still so sad, she felt a calming peace and knew that this was God's message to her that Jason was in Heaven and that everything would be OK.

Lisa remarried a few years ago.

Scott had lost his wife to an extended illness in the days between the death of Jason and the birth of Lynsi. Each has a son and a daughter and are now raising them all together while daily celebrating the lives of the spouses they lost.

God will also talk to you through circumstances in your life. I don’t know what that will look like. But I believe more in “God-incidences” than coincidences. Are you paying attention? Look around…and listen to Him.

Father in heaven, We thank you that you are a God who is present with us. You are active and involved in our lives…not distant and uncaring. 

Lord, open our eyes…open our hearts and our minds to you. Speak to us in ways that you know we will understand and give us the strength to respond to You obediently. Amen

Just a bunch of sheep...

 
The first time I thought of people as "sheep" was in Mr. Ison's Composition II class my first year at Fort Hays State University.  We read the short story A&P by John Updike.  I really liked that story and have read it several times since that discussion one day in the Spring of 1992.

Sheep.  Yes, I think that's a good analogy.  At Answers.com and Wikipedia.org I found characteristics of these animals and narrowed them into 7 broad statements.  Sheep are:

1. social.  They live in herds and are inclined to follow a leader.  When separated from the flock, they suffer stress.
2. prey animals. They are vulnerable and defenseless.  Even when not killed by a predator attack, they may die of their injuries or just from panic.
3. jealous and competitive.  There is a pecking order.
4. food-oriented but must be led to good sources of food and water.
5. extremely unintelligent with a herd mentality.  They are easily panicked.
6. creatures of habit.
7. stubborn and often go astray, needing patient and reliable shepherds.

Consider the vast intelligence and power of our God.  As the Creator of all things, how does our intelligence as humans (His creation!) compare to His intelligence?  What is a good analogy?  Man:X as God:man - man is to "X" as God is to man.  What is X?  A chimpanzee?  A gnat?  How about a sheep?

When scientific "discoveries" are made the offer evidence that contradicts the Bible, it always amuses me.  For example, I was reading about the Big Bang Theory just last night.  That theory has evolved over the last 25 years so that it barely resembles it's own previous definition.  Yet scientists in every year along the way have been fully convinced that this theory was/is absolutely the truth.  It will continue to change and they will continue to have absolute and firm faith in their flawed knowledge.  And they proclaim their faith with such arrogance!  It is laughable.

What makes this dangerous is that many of us sheep listen to them proclaim this absolute and firm faith and follow them.  It's interesting that the one sheep that other sheep follow is not the smartest, most reliable, or even most fit--it is simply the first one who moves.  With scientists looking for answers to questions only God can answer, they are often the first ones to move.

I have said this before and I continue to believe it:  I am not afraid of science.  The laws that govern our world were created by God.  Science only supports the Bible.  It is man's flawed theories of science that contradict the truth.

But there are other sources of wolves out there that attack the sheep...false religions, temptation of sin, and a herd mentality (our current culture) that prefers to worship the created rather than the Creator.
 
In a quick search, I found that sheep are mentioned 200 times in the Bible.  Many of those are direct comparisons to humans.  Shepherds are mentioned 118 times.  Abraham, Isaac, Rachel, Jacob, Moses, and David were all shepherds.  This was NOT a glamorous job!  In fact, it was quite the opposite.  It was a lowly position requiring reliability and patience.  Yet God chose these humble people to accomplish great things.

When Jesus was born God sent His angel, Gabrielle, to proclaim the birth of our Savior.  Where did Gabrielle go?  One would think that this announcement would come to someone important and well-known...say the king, or the Jewish leaders (Pharisees), or at least the socially and culturally influential.

No.  Gabrielle came to the humble, socially inept, and culturally unimportant shepherds.  These people were not even named in scripture.  After getting past the fear that gripped them when their peaceful evening in the field was interrupted by an angel's voice, they went to see the Baby for themselves.  They shared the whole story with Mary and Joseph then left that stable with their lives forever changed...glorifying and praising God.  Luke tells us that "Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart."  (Luke 2:19)  I love this verse.  Mary is a new mom!  What a beautiful beginning to Mary's new journey as a mother.

Psalms 23:1 tells that the Lord is our Shepherd (Old Testament).  John 10:11 tell us the Jesus is the Good Shepherd (New Testament).

There is, apparently, something about this analogy.

We, as sheep, are easily led astray.  We do not want to be separated from others, which is what happens when we live counter-cultural lives.  It is so much easier just to go with the flow.  We are jealous and competitive, trying to raise ourselves up by pecking others down.  Compared to God, whether we like it or not, we are extremely unintelligent.  The problem is that many of us cannot grasp the fact that we simply do not know the things we do not know.  We are creatures of habit with routines, friends, and surroundings that provide us with a nice little comfort zone.

We do, however, have a Shepherd.  One that is reliable and patient.  In fact, He is so devoted to our care that He gave His life to provide us (the vulnerable and defenseless) with eternal protection.  Through the Holy Spirit, He leads us to the spiritual food and water that will sustain us and help us to grow strong in our faith.

With the Holy Spirit within us, then, God expects us to also go into the world and help shepherd his people...our fellow sheep.

When Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him three times between the time Jesus was taken into custody and dawn of the next morning, Peter could not fathom that he would do such a thing.  But he did.  This trusted friend of Jesus found himself being a scared, lost, vulnerable sheep.

After His resurrection, Jesus talked to Peter again about this incident.  Peter was devastated by his own failure.  Jesus asked him three questions giving him three opportunities to make up for his three denials.  The question:  Do you love me?  Three times Peter answered positively.  (John 21:15-17)  After each of the three questions and each of the three answers, Jesus gave him a command.

Feed my lambs.
Take care of my sheep.
Feed my sheep.

In Updike's story, Sammy chooses to leave the flock when he realizes that the herd's beliefs contradict his own.  He is warned that life will be harder without the security of the flock (the culture at that time).  Strangely enough, Queenie and the others that he is defending neither acknowledge his existence nor realize the sacrifice he made on their behalf.   And he goes out into the day knowing that life will be hard.

And it is.

Thank God we have a Shepherd.