SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT B

[cappie]

 The Transfiguration occurs before Jesus’ death,  before his resurrection. Thus, literarily, this event occurs before even our knowledge of and hope in the Resurrection. The creed says, “I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.” And that is our hope, and that hope colours all of our faith and our life. But even before that hope, there is a divine light shining here in our world. The light of the Transfiguration cries out: God is with us.

In this account of the Transfiguration, Peter’s response is almost comical. Understandably terrified, he says to Jesus, “  let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” As hearers of this text,  we know you cannot house this kind of glory. You cannot capture this kind of event in a tent. Just like a camera cannot ever quite capture the magic in a special moment, one cannot set up a tent for the miraculous and transcendent.

So, what does that mean for us today? The rest of our readings give us some guidance. In our reading from the Hebrew Scriptures, we encounter Elijah, his anointed successor Elisha, and the chariots of fire. We have a similar moment of miracle and of transcendence as Elijah ascends to heaven in the whirlwind. Elisha has been with Elijah step by step and has seen wonders and prophecies. And he knows that when Elijah’s time to depart has come, the power of God is not housed in a body but in God’s Spirit. It is for this reason that Elisha asks for a double portion of the Spirit. Elisha reminds us that the power and wonder and beauty of God at work in our lives and in our world was happening before the church and before the Crucifixion and, indeed, even before the Resurrection.

Like Elisha, we look for that light and that power in the Spirit. And we look to be that power in the Spirit. From the second epistle to the church in Corinth, Paul’s words give us some further guidance. “Let light shine out of darkness.” Paul affirms that we are the bearers of the divine light. Jesus shines in our hearts, giving light and reflecting the glory of God from within us. That uncreated light that shone from the face of Jesus and terrified the disciples is now inside us. We are bearers of the divine light.

That same Spirit who rested on Elijah and Elisha is the same   who shines in us. God thunders from the heavens and speaks in the whirlwind and moves as a consuming flame, but God also makes God’s presence known to us in the light that shines within each of our hearts. The knowledge of Jesus is that same light. The light within us is divine, for it is only the divine that can open our hearts and our minds to the mysteries of God. Our knowledge of God is always accompanied by an encounter with God. Let that sink in. It is God who shines in our hearts giving us knowledge of the glory of God. Yes, God is always with us. But there are moments when God makes Godself especially known to us. Every time our thoughts turn to God, we have an encounter with God. Every thought we have about God is indeed a thought in and with God.

And so, as we move through the season of Lent, let us hope and pray that we find that divine light. Let us look for that light within us that radiates out with the love of God. For that light is divine. Let us bask in the glory of the transfigured Christ. Yes, he is the one who has died and risen again. But today, he is the one who came to earth, emptying and humbling himself, walking this earth with his family and friends and even his enemies. Let us bask in the mysterious and terrifying light of Jesus, who loved his creation so much that he became incarnate and fully human – God with us.

We look to the resurrection and the life to come. But first, here, and now, we look for those moments of divine transfiguration—that transcendent light, beauty, and terror that come with the presence of the Holy Spirit.

 

[Era Might]

5 hours ago, cappie said:

Our knowledge of God is always accompanied by an encounter with God. Let that sink in.

Yes! Amos the prophet asks: Do two walk together, unless they have made an appointment? Abraham had to set out from his father's house before he could know why he had to go in the first place. We come to a knowledge of God in the process of knowing ourselves. Jacob had to wrestle with God before he could know who he wrestled with.

[little2add]

4th Sunday 

 

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.(A) I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’... (you know the rest of the fable)

“As earth as it is in heaven”

for this I pray,  my daughter 

One of my favorite Parable‘s 

Edited March 14, 2021 by little2add