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!