Last Sunday after the Epiphany
The Transfiguration of Our Lord
February 3, 2008
The Rev. Charles Henrickson
Every Picture Tells a Story (Matthew 17:1-9)
Today is the Transfiguration of Our Lord.
Trans-fig-uration? you say. Whats that? Thats
a word you dont use every day. And thats OK.
Because this was an event you dont see every day,
either. And one, if you did see it, you would never
forget. Thats why Peter, writing many years later,
remembered it so vividly. He says of Christ:
We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he
received honor and glory from God the Father, and the
voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, This is
my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, we
ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for
we were with him on the holy mountain.
So this is what the Transfiguration was. Peter saw it
with his own eyes. He heard the voice from heaven
with his own ears. Both the picture and the words
told a story, an amazing story.
We heard about it in the Gospel for today. Jesus took
three of his disciples--Peter, James, and John--up a
high mountain. There he was transfigured before them.
His appearance changed--thats what a
transfiguration means. How so? It says: His face
shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as
light.
Every picture tells a story. What story is this
picture telling us? His face shone like the sun.
He who created the sun--and the moon and the
stars--now shines with the brilliance thereof. Christ
is revealed in his divine glory as the very Son of
God. God of God, Light of Light, very God of very
God. This is a glory which Christ always had, from
eternity, from before the foundation of the world.
But it is a glory which had been hidden once the Son
of God became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
Jesus did not always or fully manifest his glory
during the days of his earthly ministry. But on this
day, on this mountain, he did. He pulled back the
curtain, so to speak, and his disciples were shown
that this is indeed the eternal Son of God. They
beheld God, the Second Person of the Trinity in his
divine majesty. The one by whom all things were
made, who for us men and for our salvation came down
from heaven . . . and was made man--this same Jesus
is here revealed as true God in the presence of his
disciples.
And his clothes became white as light. What story
might this picture be telling? The holiness, the
purity, of the Son of God come in the flesh. Jesus is
without sin, unstained by transgression or misdeed.
He is perfect in righteousness. He perfectly kept all
the commandments. As a man, born under the law, Jesus
loved the Lord his God with all his heart, soul, mind,
and strength. As a man, born under the law, Jesus
loved his neighbor as himself. Righteous, holy,
spotless and unblemished--thats who Jesus is, and his
white-as-light clothes here reflect that fact.
Now when we look at our own garments in that light,
what do we see? Our clothing is soiled, stained with
sin. And we cannot get it out, no matter how hard we
try. The Bible says that all our righteousnesses are
as filthy rags. All our righteousnesses! Even our
best deeds, done in the flesh, are considered as
filthy rags in Gods sight. This is a permanent stain
that even our most noble efforts cannot remove.
But the good news is that Jesus kept the law in our
stead, in our place. He did what you and I cannot do,
which is to keep Gods law of love perfectly. Love
for God. Love for neighbor. We dont do it as we
should. But Jesus did. And he did it all for us.
His righteousness gets transferred to our account.
More on this in a moment.
So the picture we see in the Transfiguration is that
of Jesus, his face shining like the sun, his clothes
white as light. Jesus, the holy Son of God come in
the flesh, revealed in his divine glory.
Now what else do we see? And behold, there appeared
to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Moses
and Elijah appear. What are they doing there?! They
havent been around for centuries! But now, for this
unique occasion, God brings them into the picture.
Moses, the great deliverer, who led Israel out of
bondage in Egypt, through the wilderness, and up to
the Promised Land. Moses, the great Law-giver, who at
Mount Sinai gave Israel the Ten Commandments straight
from God. Moses, the greatest of the prophets, but
who also told Israel, The Lord your God will raise up
for you a prophet like me from among you, from your
brothers--it is to him you shall listen. And now,
here he is, that long-prophesied Prophet who would be
even greater than Moses. Thats what God is saying by
having Moses standing there next to Jesus. Here he
is, the one Moses was talking about. The one you now
must listen to. He will fulfill the Law for you. He
will bring you out of bondage, the bondage of sin and
death. This Jesus will lead you to--and into--the
Promised Land of the kingdom of heaven. Yes, here is
one greater than Moses.
One greater than Elijah also. Elijah, another great
prophet from Israels past. In fact, all of Gods
dealings with Israel, all of salvation history, finds
its goal and fulfillment in the person of Jesus
Christ. He is what it all was pointing ahead to,
driving at, moving toward. Thats what the presence
of Moses and Elijah here is signaling. For later,
when the disciples look up, they see no one but Jesus
only.
No one but Jesus only. If you want to know where to
look for your salvation, if you want to know what the
focus and purpose of the whole Bible is, look at Jesus
Christ. Look to Jesus. Not as a law-giver. No, we
already have Moses for that. Not as an example, not
primarily. What Would Jesus Do? He would go to the
cross and die for your sins. So look to Jesus for who
he is and what he came to do. He is your Savior, the
Savior of the world. He came to do what you and I
will never be able to do, and that is, save us from
our sins and give us his life, his righteousness,
forgiveness for our sins, and life with him forever.
Who is able to do this? No one but Jesus only.
Then there is one more thing we see in the picture at
the Transfiguration. A cloud. Behold, a bright
cloud overshadowed them. Notice that, a bright
cloud. Not a dark and threatening cloud, like the
storm clouds on Mount Sinai when God gave Moses the
Ten Commandments. No, this is Gospel, not Law. A
bright cloud. The presence of God, but not in a
threatening way. In a saving way. The presence of
God surrounding us with his love, his protection, his
presence to guard and guide us--like the pillar of
cloud that led Israel through the desert. In Christ
we have the presence of God with us, to lead us all
the way through the dreary desert of this world, all
the way home to heaven.
So there is the picture. Jesus shining like the sun,
his clothes as white as light. Moses and Elijah
there, telling us that Christ is the goal and focus of
Gods plan of salvation. The bright cloud of Gods
presence, his saving presence surrounding us. Thats
the picture, thats what we see.
Now what do we hear? Are there any words? A voice
comes from the bright cloud, saying: This is my
beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to
him. This of course is the voice of the heavenly
Father. The Fathers voice, testifying to his Son,
approving of his Son. This is my beloved Son. The
Father loves the Son with a perfect love. Always has,
always will. But especially does he testify to his
love for the Son precisely as the Son goes forward
with his saving mission, to save sinful mankind. With
him, with Christ, God is well pleased. Gods good
pleasure is shown in sending his Son to do this great
work. God is well pleased with Jesus.
This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
Now you might think this is just a word for Jesus,
that the Father is saying how much he loves him. But
where does that leave us? Out of the picture? No.
For through Jesus, this becomes a word for us, too.
When the Father says of Jesus, This is my beloved
Son, with whom I am well pleased, hes speaking to
us, too.
God is telling us to what measure he would go to
rescue us. He would give his only-begotten Son, his
beloved Son, to die for us. For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever
believes in him should not perish but have eternal
life. God shows his love for us in that while we
were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Because the Father loves his Son, he loves us, too.
For in Holy Baptism we were joined to Christ, you and
I. We were clothed with the white robe of Christs
righteousness. Our sins were washed away. God placed
his name on us. Now we are Gods children, accepted
and dearly loved for Christs sake. Now, through
baptism, God the Father says of each one of us, This
is my beloved child, with whom I am well pleased.
All this, because of Christ. Through Jesus and his
saving work of dying for us sinners, God is pleased
with us and loves us.
And so the Father says of Christ, This is my beloved
Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.
Listen to him! Yes, disciples, listen to Jesus when
now he tells you that he must go to Jerusalem, where
he will suffer and die. For this way to the cross is
how Gods plan of love will be carried out. Yes,
sinners, one and all, listen to Gods beloved Son
Jesus, when he says to you, today, Come to me, all
you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. Yes, church, listen to Jesus. And keep on
listening. For he alone has the words of eternal
life.
Today we have been with the disciples on the holy
mountain for the Transfiguration of Our Lord. Both
the picture and the words speak volumes of Gods love
for us. Here we have beheld our bright and shining
Lord, our beautiful Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the
Son of God come in the flesh. He is the goal and
focus of all salvation history. In him we are
surrounded by the bright cloud of Gods gracious
presence. We lift up our eyes and see no one but
Jesus only. And we hear the Fathers voice,
testifying to his beloved Son. Thus we hear how much
God loves us, so as to send his Son to suffer and die
for us. Now, joined to Christ in baptism, you and I
have God as our Father, telling us that we too are his
beloved children. And telling us to listen to Jesus,
for our Lord has more words for us disciples to hear,
our whole life long.
Every picture tells a story. And in this picture, the
Transfiguration of Our Lord, God is telling us the
never-ending story of his great love for us in Christ,
in both the picture and the words.
Charles Henrickson
4749 Melissa Jo Ln
St. Louis, MO 63128
(314) 845-8811 (home)
(314) 779-8108 (cell)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
____________________________________________________________________________________
Looking for last minute shopping deals?
Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.
http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping
___________________________________________________________________________
'CAT 41 Sermons & Devotions' consists of works that are, unless otherwise
noted, the copyrighted property of the various authors; posting of such
gives members of this list implied consent for redistribution _with_
_attribution_ unless otherwise specified by the author, as well as
for quoting or use in a congregational setting
_with_or_without_attribution_.
Note: This list's default reply is to the *poster*, NOT the list.
Do *not* reply to the list with your comments, but to the poster.
Subscribe? Send ANY note to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Unsubscribe? Send ANY note to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Archive? <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/>
For more information on this or other lists offered by Confess And Teach
For Unity, you can contact the CAT 41 list administrator at:
Rev. Fr. Eric J. Stefanski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
