Here is the sermon preached by Rev. Rick Waller on Feb. 19
“Super, Dazzlin’ White”
Sermon for Transfiguration Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012
I hate cameras.
I have what I think is a good reason for my hatred. My Dad was always fiddling with them, and most times it was because he wanted “just a few pictures” or “just a few seconds” of filmed history of his family, wherever we were.
I remember several times when we were doing something, or seeing something, and he would say, “Hold it right there! Don’t move! Let me get the camera!” Then he would run off, sometimes it would take what seemed like hours, in order to get a picture of what was usually some silly thing, like riding a bike or riding a pony, or--and this is embarrassing--filming his children, both boys at that time, dressing up in Halloween costumes as girls.
How embarrassing!
But that wasn’t the worst. When he wanted to film inside, and when he had time to set it up, he had a set of HUGE and bright lights to give enough light to take pictures with regular outdoor film. Good photographers were even then experimenting with different kinds of film, but my Dad…he experimented with blinding his children with lights that contained 500-watt bulbs-at least 4 of them! Sometimes it took a while before we could see things without spots before our eyes, after such a filming.
You might be asking yourself what this has to do with Transfiguration Sunday. Let us get to the scripture from Mark today, chapter 9:2-9, and maybe I can help you “get the picture.” (Sorry, I couldn’t help using that bad pun.)
2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. Mark 9:2-9 (NRSV)
Imagine with me a certain scene changed here just slightly. Can you envision Peter saying some different words—“Hold it! Stay just where you are! Let me get the camera!”
Of course, there weren’t any cameras, but Peter hoped to capture the sight for eternity, or at least celebrate the moment he was seeing…they ALL were seeing. James and John, the other two of the favored disciples, were content to just sit in witness, or maybe they were just too stunned to say or do anything, but Peter…Ah, Peter was a man of action, so he wanted to commemorate the event with SOMETHING! He wanted to do SOMETHING!
Sort of like my father, who loved to capture moments. But also like my Dad, sometimes the attempt to commemorate made the moment less spectacular—for his victims…I mean for his family.
I have to confess something. I got rid of many of the pictures and movies of my youth, because often they were embarrassing, as I said. I won’t go into detail, but my Dad took pictures of EVERY detail of life
Even in the bathroom…and NOT just in the tub, either.
But I remembered so many things when someone pulls out pictures they have taken, (give examples). I was a witness to the happiness on their faces when persons remembered those in the pictures, and also when they didn’t recognize someone and wanted some help in doing so. It was a time to draw people closer, and I recognize that as a good time for fellowship. I have come to regret getting rid of the early pictures of my life, because I have only my memories now, and they are getting hazy. Age will do that. But I will never forget that bright light, that “Smile for the camera!”
And I DO use cameras. I took a camera to my trips to Guatemala, and Mexico, and Hawaii, and Ireland. I was blessed to go on those trips, some of them mission trips at which I had to work, and I was by George going to share the pictures when I got home!
And I took pictures of my own family’s trips to places on vacation. I probably would have turned into my Dad except that I had those memories of staged pictures in my younger days…and I held myself back from taking so many worthless pictures.
Some days I wish I hadn’t—I could show more to my grandkids…and embarrass my son and daughter.
But Peter, James, and John—they saw. And they obviously remembered, including the words of Jesus to keep silent until after Jesus rose from the dead. Can you imagine getting that warning or something similar from someone about an event in your life? Probably the three disciples didn’t really think that they would be believed anyway…until after the Resurrection.
One of the really good things I read about this time in Jesus’ ministry called Peter the Vice President in Charge of Doing Something. Peter suggested that, though no mention was made of any tools or materials near to hand (after all, they were on top of a mountain), that he would make three booths, three tabernacles, three…monuments of the occasion. Maybe he thought they should just stay there and have everyone come to them, to Jesus and the disciples!
But then Peter was interrupted in his planning—God spoke. Peter, already planning what he would do to glorify Jesus, the person he had already called the Messiah, was stopped in his tracks…or thoughts. God spoke in recognition of the Beloved. God didn’t say, “Hold it! This is a camera moment! Take a few pictures of the three most recognized people of my Chosen to show the world!”
God just said, “Listen to what My Son has to say.”
I believe Peter ALMOST lost the moment of a Great Event while scurrying about trying to plan for the future. Peter was not living in the moment, even when it was presented by God. He showed his humanity in wanting to DO something. He wanted to immortalize the time and event…and it almost was lost to his inattention!
When I was first starting my journey into ministry, I went to a retreat called Licensing School. A person who wants to be a minister has many pathways toward that goal, and that was my first. One of the things we had to do was to stage a wedding ceremony. Everyone there, including about a dozen “ministers-to-be,” were assigned roles that could be found in the weddings we might be presiding over. My role was the photographer, and the pastor who was teaching this little exercise took me aside and told me to be obnoxious, like some of the photographers he had had to deal with in his services.
Boy, did I know something about obnoxious cameramen and picture-taking! I busied myself, intruding everywhere, even between the ‘bride’ and ‘groom,’ and especially as they were walking down the aisle and were reciting the vows…until finally the appointed minister firmly told me to go sit down and let the couple proceed with the main event of the day.
And that is what was supposed to happen. There are priorities in life, and I—and Peter--were missing the point of what was occurring—me because I was told to do so, Peter in his zeal.
But of course, this was not the only time that the disciples misunderstood what Jesus was saying about his destiny. The reading today left out the first verse of Mark 9—those of you who got out your Bibles to read along saw that first verse—where Jesus said “"Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power." Mark 9:1 (NRSV)
And Jesus had said or would soon say (Markan verses 8:31, 9:31, and 10:32-34) what we now know to be his destiny on earth—to die by the hand of man and rise again. Those words from God, “Listen to my Son!”—the disciples didn’t follow the words of their God!
The truth was that Jesus, as the Christ upon whom the world awaited, could not be simply contained on a mountaintop, either in a tabernacle or on film if it had been available. Jesus stated his destiny many times and yet was not understood until it came to fruition— ‘they heard but did not understand.’
Even on the way down the mountain, Jesus showed again why he came to earth—to heal the broken. An unclean spirit was living in a young boy, and the disciples could not drive it out…but Jesus did. Jesus came to heal, to preach, to teach…and to die for all of our sins.
And Peter wanted to capture a moment in the life of Jesus, a moment of vision into Jesus’ glory—but not his mission here.
Humans often miss the message because we concentrate on things which are attractive to our imaginations. Three persons changed, transfigured, GLOWING—THAT would attract our senses…but not our sense. The old expression, ‘missing the forest for the trees,’ is very appropriate for this moment in time. We can’t miss Jesus’ message, and mission, for the miracles he performed. They were the small miracles.
The REAL MIRACLE was the promise, the covenant, about our salvation.
Let us accept that promise…and get to work in sharing it.
