Today's Scripture Readings
Exodus 34:29-35 (NRSV)
Psalm 99 (BCP., p.728)
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 (NRSV)
Luke 9:28-36 (NRSV)
Blog Reflection
The ending of the Seasons after the Epiphany and Pentecost have a couple things in common. They both end with a glorious image of Jesus.
The last Sunday after Pentecost is Christ the King. We recall Jesus as the King who would come and establish the Reign of God and reign Himself in glorious majesty. The celebration takes place as we prepare to journey into Advent when we recall that Christ who came once in history, will come again in glory, as we prepare to remember his first coming at Christmas.
Today, on this last Sunday after the Epiphany we have an image of Jesus glorious in the Transfiguration. In the Transfiguration, Jesus reveals the glory of God as He prepares to go from that mountain to Jerusalem where He will be crucified on another mountain. When we leave this mountain with Jesus today, we will go with him into the desert we call Lent. As we walk with Jesus through Lent, we will be taking a good hard look at ourselves to make more space for God as we prepare to celebrate Holy Week and Easter.
Before Jesus can go on to Jerusalem, he goes up to the mountain to seek approval from God with what He is about to do. In that experience, Jesus receives the confirmation about the connection of what He is about to do, with the history of His own faith tradition. He is about to go forward and face the reality of His own death, before He can rise from the dead. Those who are with Jesus are terrified of what they are witnessing. But, though they are tired from their journey and work, they dare not fall asleep. This is such a contradiction to what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before the crucifixion.
One of the reasons why many Benedictine and Trappist Monasteries still celebrate Matins, is so that not only their bodies, but their hearts will also be awake to greet the coming of Christ. It is one thing to be awake physically. It is quite something altogether different to be awake in both body and mind. To be awake with all of one's senses, to greet God with the words of Psalm 3:5. "I lie down and go to sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me." It is God who allows us to wake up for another night and day, to recall the mighty acts of God who will "surely, strike all my enemies across the face, you will break the teeth of the wicked. Deliverance belongs to the Lord, your blessing be upon your people" (Psalm 3:7 & 8).
In the Transfiguration we may not know or understand everything that happened there. But, we do know that any encounter with Christ that gives us a revelation of God can only lead to good things. However, they will not happen without our willing to lose a little bit of ourselves to obtain it. It will require us to seek the goodness of God in ways and people that will disturb our comfort zones and shake our arrogance. We will need to be awake to see God's glory.
It is not uncommon that God is revealing God's Self in ways around us, but our minds and souls are still asleep. There may also be moments and opportunities to encounter the revelation of God, but, are we really aware of what is there?
God is revealing God's justice in the movements towards marriage equality. As more States and countries like Great Britain pass marriage equality, opportunities for releasing those held captive by prejudice are taking place right in front of us. Yet, those who are still stuck in age of LGBT people being condemned by God (which is untrue), would rather we not only fall asleep in ignorance, but become violently active to stop it.
As God becomes manifested in seeking to provide health care opportunities for women, the outrageous efforts of Christianists to threaten those who provide such care to the most poor and violated of women, is hardly a holy way to do things. There is nothing holy or even pro-life in closing clinics that provide much needed services to women who are low income and in the places where there is no help for them. Those who justify their actions by which they threaten abortion doctors and clinic workers, are not embracing the mission of God in our world. They are bowing down to a masked god of violence and oppression, dressed up as religious zeal.
As the news has been coming to the forefront of how dangerous the drone missile attacks are on targeted Americans, we have yet to acknowledge that the United States is murdering innocent families of women, men and children in Pakistan. Why should we only be concerned about Americans be targeted without sufficient cause, but those in Pakistan are fair game?
God is calling us all to wake up and see God's glory being revealed in what is taking place all around us. God does not promise to end all violence, oppression and poverty. God promises to be with us as God calls upon us to work to end these evils in our world. We must stop frightening the world about God being destructive, when God is the One who loves us all. God who is forever moving and changing in our midst, also calls us to move and change the world around us.
As Jesus needed to seek God's will before moving forward, so must we. If we are to experience all that Lent can provide for us, we need first to spend some time in silence seeking God's will. In our penances, prayers and readings through Lent, we must be open to seeking the presence of Christ in all people, places and opportunities. They are moments by which God can reveal God's glory in us, if only we will go with Jesus to the cross over and over again.
"All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me will find them" (Mt. 16:25 Common English Bible).
Amen.
Prayers
Exodus 34:29-35 (NRSV)
Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
Psalm 99 (BCP., p.728)
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 (NRSV)
Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.
Therefore, since it is by God's mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God's word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.
About eight days after Peter had acknowledged Jesus as the Christ of God, Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"--not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
Blog Reflection
The ending of the Seasons after the Epiphany and Pentecost have a couple things in common. They both end with a glorious image of Jesus.
The last Sunday after Pentecost is Christ the King. We recall Jesus as the King who would come and establish the Reign of God and reign Himself in glorious majesty. The celebration takes place as we prepare to journey into Advent when we recall that Christ who came once in history, will come again in glory, as we prepare to remember his first coming at Christmas.
Today, on this last Sunday after the Epiphany we have an image of Jesus glorious in the Transfiguration. In the Transfiguration, Jesus reveals the glory of God as He prepares to go from that mountain to Jerusalem where He will be crucified on another mountain. When we leave this mountain with Jesus today, we will go with him into the desert we call Lent. As we walk with Jesus through Lent, we will be taking a good hard look at ourselves to make more space for God as we prepare to celebrate Holy Week and Easter.
Before Jesus can go on to Jerusalem, he goes up to the mountain to seek approval from God with what He is about to do. In that experience, Jesus receives the confirmation about the connection of what He is about to do, with the history of His own faith tradition. He is about to go forward and face the reality of His own death, before He can rise from the dead. Those who are with Jesus are terrified of what they are witnessing. But, though they are tired from their journey and work, they dare not fall asleep. This is such a contradiction to what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before the crucifixion.
One of the reasons why many Benedictine and Trappist Monasteries still celebrate Matins, is so that not only their bodies, but their hearts will also be awake to greet the coming of Christ. It is one thing to be awake physically. It is quite something altogether different to be awake in both body and mind. To be awake with all of one's senses, to greet God with the words of Psalm 3:5. "I lie down and go to sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me." It is God who allows us to wake up for another night and day, to recall the mighty acts of God who will "surely, strike all my enemies across the face, you will break the teeth of the wicked. Deliverance belongs to the Lord, your blessing be upon your people" (Psalm 3:7 & 8).
In the Transfiguration we may not know or understand everything that happened there. But, we do know that any encounter with Christ that gives us a revelation of God can only lead to good things. However, they will not happen without our willing to lose a little bit of ourselves to obtain it. It will require us to seek the goodness of God in ways and people that will disturb our comfort zones and shake our arrogance. We will need to be awake to see God's glory.
It is not uncommon that God is revealing God's Self in ways around us, but our minds and souls are still asleep. There may also be moments and opportunities to encounter the revelation of God, but, are we really aware of what is there?
God is revealing God's justice in the movements towards marriage equality. As more States and countries like Great Britain pass marriage equality, opportunities for releasing those held captive by prejudice are taking place right in front of us. Yet, those who are still stuck in age of LGBT people being condemned by God (which is untrue), would rather we not only fall asleep in ignorance, but become violently active to stop it.
As God becomes manifested in seeking to provide health care opportunities for women, the outrageous efforts of Christianists to threaten those who provide such care to the most poor and violated of women, is hardly a holy way to do things. There is nothing holy or even pro-life in closing clinics that provide much needed services to women who are low income and in the places where there is no help for them. Those who justify their actions by which they threaten abortion doctors and clinic workers, are not embracing the mission of God in our world. They are bowing down to a masked god of violence and oppression, dressed up as religious zeal.
As the news has been coming to the forefront of how dangerous the drone missile attacks are on targeted Americans, we have yet to acknowledge that the United States is murdering innocent families of women, men and children in Pakistan. Why should we only be concerned about Americans be targeted without sufficient cause, but those in Pakistan are fair game?
God is calling us all to wake up and see God's glory being revealed in what is taking place all around us. God does not promise to end all violence, oppression and poverty. God promises to be with us as God calls upon us to work to end these evils in our world. We must stop frightening the world about God being destructive, when God is the One who loves us all. God who is forever moving and changing in our midst, also calls us to move and change the world around us.
As Jesus needed to seek God's will before moving forward, so must we. If we are to experience all that Lent can provide for us, we need first to spend some time in silence seeking God's will. In our penances, prayers and readings through Lent, we must be open to seeking the presence of Christ in all people, places and opportunities. They are moments by which God can reveal God's glory in us, if only we will go with Jesus to the cross over and over again.
"All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me will find them" (Mt. 16:25 Common English Bible).
Amen.
Prayers
O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son
revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that
we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be
strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his
likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, Book of Common Prayer, p.217)
O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know
you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend
us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that
we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of
any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen. (Collect for Peace, Book of Common Prayer, p. 99).
No comments:
Post a Comment