Matthew17: 1-9: A good kind of change!

A collaboration

            There is a word that is six letters. It is a word that spark fear when it is used, anxiety when heard, and it has started small scale wars…in a congregation…and in the world. That word is something that I try not to use too often, because, frankly, I don’t like the word. But today, this word must be used. It is calling for us to hear it through its much more complicated word of “Transfiguration.”

            The word that can cause so much controversy is the word “c-h-a-n-g-e.” It is a painful word, I know. It is painful in that it conjures up notions of getting rid of things; cleaning out the closet and throwing everything in that closet away to make room for the “new” stuff that is coming in. you know, making way for the latest and greatest because the other stuff is just old and useless!

            But that is not the kind of change I am talking about this morning. I am not talking about change for the sake of change. I am talking about change for the sake of who we are, who Jesus is, and what will become of us. This change is one that will change our lives forever! It is a change that will bring our lives into meaning and purpose. It is a change that will bring the greatest blessing of all…eternal life in God’s Kingdom.

            Today, we celebrate the Transfiguration. This is the day that Jesus goes up to the mountaintop. The disciples go with him and there they see Jesus Transfigured. He goes from this guy wearing everyday clothing to being all cleaned up, shining like the sun, and his clothes are spotless! There is no dirt from his travels on his clothes. Everything is as clean as could only be imagined! No washing machine or detergent could get clothes that clean; yet, there he stands with Moses and Elijah!

The disciples who are present have a glimpse into who Jesus really is. Up till now, they hear him talking about things, healing, and teaching; but this morning on this mountaintop, they see that Jesus is really who he says he is! They see for themselves that Jesus is right there along with the holiest of men known in their time. Their presence confirms that Jesus is more than just a man. To make things even more solid, these disciples hear God say, “this is my Son, the beloved, with him I am well pleased. Listen to him.”

What does this have to do with change? Today, we recognize that Jesus is more than a prophet, a story teller, a teacher, a faith healer. Today we see that Jesus is the Son of God standing in the midst of the disciples and US! This clothing that Jesus is wearing that is now white means a lot. It means that Jesus is righteous and right with God. God even tells us that “this is his Son.”

This means that our lives will change forever! All the things that Jesus tells the disciples and us are to be “listened to.” When Jesus tells us of his being handed over, it’s going to happen. When he tells us that one will betray him, it’s going to happen! When Jesus heals, it is because he is God’s Son that he can heal! When he tells of his crucifixion and death, we need to listen as well.

The problem that we run into is that we can get stuck on this change…on this Transfiguration. Just like the disciples we want to stay in this brief moment. We might want to repeat that “it is good for us to be here.” Why not? It is a good safe place to stay in. If we can just stay in this moment of transfiguration…if we can just stay where God’s Son is revealed to us in all of God’s Glory, then we don’t have to worry about anything else!

The reality is that this change is permanent and yet temporary. We now know who Jesus is. We can stay confident in the fact that Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus is God’s beloved with whom God is pleased. It means that we now can take in all that Jesus says and does and has done up to this point and hold onto knowing that God is right here with us through his Son, Jesus.

It is also temporary. Jesus comes down from the mountain. He doesn’t stay up there. His clothes go back to being the color they were. The dust returns and Jesus is no longer shining like the Son in that spectacular moment! While it may be a let-down there can be a peace in knowing that God’s Son is walking right along with us; in good times and in bad.

That is why today and the word change is so important. In our world, everything changes at lightning speed, or we would hope so in some cases. We might even think that the world is changing SO FAST, that I know I can go to church where God never changes. I have caught myself a few times thinking, “this world is changing so much! I can go to church where I know that God is the only consistent, constant. Because things never change in church,” right?

Well, things do change in church and they do stay the same. Our language changes from generation to generation, there are so many different translations of the Holy Bible in many different languages. Those things change. What does not change is the fact that we have a loving God who calls all of God’s creation into a right relationship with God. Meaning, God wants us to know God, enjoy all that God has created and take care of what God has made, whether it be the environment or it be our own selves.

We live in a world, as children of God that is in a state of change and a state of consistency. Change doesn’t always mean throwing everything out to make way for the new. Change can mean doing some new things that may more clearly express our feelings and our worship and love for the God who gave us so many blessings. Change always brings “anticipatory dread.” Meaning, we will sit, myself included, and lose sleep over what change is coming our way, what is it going to look like, will it be accepted or rejected…all that stuff that eats away at us.

To be honest, this church, globally and locally, will change. It needs to adapt and change with the world. It is no secret that less and less people are attending, let alone, are claiming any faith in God. The reality is that we do have to change in some way. It does not mean that we give up everything for the sake of change. In fact, we hold onto those tenets of our faith that identify who we are and who we believe God, our creator, and Jesus, our Savior, Redeemer, and Lord, to be.

From this moment on in our faith at the Transfiguration we now see Jesus as the one who goes to the cross for us, who dies for all of us and our sin, and who is resurrected to show us all that God does love us, that we are worthy of God’s love, and that we will have everlasting life: AMEN!

Matthew 5:38-48...What am I?

For those of you who don’t know, I grew up in Hagerstown, Maryland. Life took me into New England as I was discerning my call to ministry. I ended up coming through the New England Synod. There was this unusual language that I often heard when my wife, Robin, would talk to her clergy friends. They would get together and joke about how they are ENTJ’s or INTJV’s. I often still hear it among colleagues.

            I constantly asked, “what is that language you are speaking?” The response was that it was their results from a test called Myers-Briggs. It is a personality test. They would eventually look at me and say, “what are you?” The only thing that I could come up with was that my psychological test was done at the Massachusetts Hospital for the Criminally Insane, so, I hope I am okay. I never had a Myers-Briggs test before; yet, I felt like I got left out of some club or insider thing. What was I?

            This last verse that Jesus says in today’s Gospel reading got me really thinking. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” That is easy for Jesus to say…”be perfect!” This is our fourth week in the Beatitudes. We started out with those blessings. We heard about the manner in which we are called to live out the blessings by helping each other. If we would have been here last week, we would have heard Jesus proclaim that he had come “not to abolish, but to fulfill the law.”

            Today, we hear Jesus tell us to be perfect! That is absurd isn’t it? How can we be perfect? Here’s a hint…if you think you are, wait 5 minutes because someone will come along and tell you differently…and we all know we are not perfect! There is only one that is perfect and without blemish…and that is God’s Son, Jesus. So what is this perfect about? Without getting too “Greeky,” the word can be translated as perfect. The word can also imply “completion, an intended goal, or determined end.” In those three cases, Jesus could be asking us to be persistent. Be persistent, work to completion, work toward the intended goal…Jesus is telling us to keep working at “IT.”

            What is the “IT.” Let’s go back to our beatitudes. Blessed are you the poor in Spirit…all those blessings are goals that Jesus has. “that the kingdom of God is brought here on earth and not left to some place far away. Two weeks ago we heard that the blessings for the hungry, the poor in spirit, the meek, the peacemaker…all those blessings are the goals that Jesus sets for us. Remember, “Blessed are you…” when we lift up and help one another then the blessings that Jesus talks about helps us to bring that slice of the kingdom of God into our earthly world!

            Jesus calls us to be persistent! Keep working and don’t stop! Keep trying to bring my kingdom here to the earth! That puts a whole different perspective on things, doesn’t it? Jesus is telling us that it is not going to be easy to bring peace, feed the hungry, help the meek! It can become frustrating, and tiring, and so many other adjectives we can throw in.

            But we are called to persist. Why? Because it can put the very last part of this Gospel…this Good News we call the “Great Commission,” in jeopardy! If we stop trying to bring God’s Kingdom here to the earth…if we stop feeding the poor, caring about the poor in Spirit (ourselves included); if we stop trying to lift each other up and just continue to tear down, then we are putting the Commission that Jesus tells, “go and make disciples…baptize…and forgive,” then all of what Jesus tells us is for naught. In fact, if Jesus hadn’t persisted in telling the women to “go and tell” the disciples to meet him there…THERE WOULD BE NO GREAT COMMISSION! There would just be “the end.”

            Jesus persists throughout this Gospel of Matthew! He persists in trying to teach, to reveal who he is, God’s Son, and tell his disciples that death will not have the last word. Even at the point of his crucifixion, he persists in seeking forgiveness for others. He persists in forgiving Peter who denied him, AND he persisted in appearing to the disciples to call them to go tell anyone and everyone that the Son of God is ALIVE!

            Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we are called to be persistent. To set out on the goal that Jesus has for us in making sure that God’s Kingdom is here on earth. We have a mission statement that has been around for quite some time. It is a statement that is clear and calls us to be persistent in our faith and in our love for Christ. We are called to Unite in Christ, Grow in Faith, Serve in Love, and Share the Good News of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

            I still never figured out exactly what I was; a E(xtrovert) or I(introvert) but I do know that I am a persistent person at times. And I know that we all possess that persistence quality and may we be persistent in our lives of discipleship of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord: AMEN!

Matthew 5:13-20 What does it mean to be salt or light?

A Collaboration

            Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ: AMEN!

            “What’s on your mind?” It sounds like a fairly simple question doesn’t it? It is not an easy question. It is not easy, because it depends on what time of day you are asking it, what kind of mood the person is that you are asking, and a whole slew of other things can go into that answer.

            I am taking that question from a very well-known source that does intend the question to be easy, but is also using it for marketing purposes. “What’s on your mind?” is the question that pops up every time you log onto Facebook. Sometimes I really feel like writing “what IS on my mind; AND I DO! Sometimes it may be a joke that I find funny, something, ironic, or something that is going on in the world that I am not too happy with. No matter what you post, I can guarantee you that one of your “friends” will find it objectionable or want to start a debate about it…especially if it does not fit their opinion. Full disclosure – sometimes I get caught up in responding to other people in the same manner.

            This past week someone posted a picture of a homeless man sitting on a bench. The gist of the picture was “shouldn’t a veteran be housed instead of giving refugees priority.” Now, I am not getting into the whole political debate over this.

            The point is that this is the second part of the beatitudes. Last week, we heard the blessings that Jesus declares for the hungry, the poor in spirit, the merciful, the persecuted, and the peacemakers. We heard these words last week. They are words to lift up all of God’s children. Jesus words last week to give hope and promise to those who have been beaten down by the garbage that living in the broken world experience. The words of Blessings are not to be taken lightly because, Jesus the Son of God, all will be lifted up and that there is the reward of eternal life in God’s Kingdom…that this, the hard knocks, the oppression will only be temporary. I would like to think that all those people sitting and listening to Jesus are not there waiting to add or interjecting commentary to what he is saying.

            So, now we are at part two of the blessings. These aren’t blessings though. In fact, Jesus is telling us who and how those blessings are going to happen. He starts off with an emphatic “you.” “you are the salt of the earth.” We know what happens if salt loses its flavor and Jesus is quick to remind us that it is thrown out and trampled “under foot.” Being salt means that those people sitting there bring their different experiences and lives to the great gathering. No two experiences are the same because they aren’t the same. All these experiences shape who they are and how they respond and so many other aspects of life. My favorite part of this reading is when Jesus talks about being a light.

“We are the light of the world,” Jesus says and then utters those words that we here in baptism and that Jesus is actually commanding “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father in heaven.” It is here in this part of the Gospel that Jesus reveals their role and ours in this world. We are to be light. I am sure that we have all sat in a dark space or had the power go out and sat there in the dark. When we light a candle, like we do on Christmas eve, this room becomes draped in light. It is that soft light that can lead the way. It is that soft light shine and show others around us…proving we are not alone. It is that light that helps us to sing from our hearts about the birth of Jesus Christ, so that there is no darkness. I don’t know about you but that is my most favorite time of any worship…when we welcome Jesus by candlelight.

Being light also means something else. Being light means that they and we have become a guiding light. Because of that light, people…those people who hunger and thirst, the poor and the mourner, the merciful and meek can now find their way out of those times and places that bring them down. It also means that we are in that spot, when we are feeling alone, down, trampled on, or just plain forgotten that we all have a light to focus on to help us out of those times.

What I am saying is that Jesus is our ultimate light. Jesus is that person we can all look to for our faith, forgiveness of our sins, and so much. Here, today, Jesus tells us that we are also light. We are the beacon that can help someone out of those pits and chains of despair. In basic, clear terms Jesus is telling us, “I am calling you to be the hands and feet of God…not the mouth!” Jesus is telling us “help my children!” and I think that is important for all of us to hear!

In the picture I talked about earlier of giving a choice between the homeless vet or the refugee, I responded “Can’t we do both?” That was not too well received by some…and that’s okay; But IF we are salt…and Jesus says we are, then we are called to different areas of ministry in life to where some of us can help take care of one of the issues while another group of talented and gifted people handle the other issue or we work on the together. It means that where there is hunger, some can feed, those who seek justice, some can offer legal services, and the list goes on and on. It means that we all have different approaches to solving problems and issues and maybe (here’s a thought) we work together to bring peace, to provide justice, to help those who mourn, and lift up the meek.

You see, brothers and sisters in Christ, the Son of God tells us that we are light and we are salt. Because of those gifts that God has given us, we can make this world a better place and hopefully bring the Kingdom of God…as best we can…into this world until we reach that time when we see Jesus face-to-face.

I am reminded of what Ronald Reagan once said at the end of his term in office.

"I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still." - RR

Jesus calls us to be light and bring God’s light into our world. Called to be the light always pointing to Christ and to God who created us. Lifting each other up in God’s name to bring heaven to this place on earth.

And so, “let your light shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven: Amen!