Amen
The story is told of a man who went for a walk in the woods. The man was not aware that he was walking toward an abandoned well covered with sticks and leaves. Falling to the bottom of the well, far in the woods, he thought he would never be found. He prayed ceaselessly, asking for Jesus to help him. Several hours later--after much prayer--the man suddenly had a miraculous insight into how to extract himself from the well--and he climbed to freedom. The man experienced a religious conversion as a result of his rescue and gave Jesus the credit for giving him the revelation which led to his freedom. Thereafter, every time the man met someone who did not know Jesus--he took them for a walk in the woods and pushed them into the well.
Where do you expect to find God? Our common assumption is probably that people attend worship and Sunday school to find God --of course there are others who would claim a higher likelihood of finding God in the out-of-doors, on the golf course, at a sporting event, or in whatever "well" they may find themselves. We generally assume that one of the reasons we have the Bible and religion is to help us find God. We know the world is filled with people like the man in the woods. Who have somewhere in their lives had an experience that they identify as the moment when they found God--and they now see one of their primary objectives in life to be helping others find God--often the same way that they did. Most of us assume that everyone else experiences or sees the world the way we do--and if they don't--they should. It is an interesting fact of history that most religions have a special regard for mountains --if there is any place that would seem to be a particularly appropriate location for meeting God--for getting closer to God--a mountain would be it. A quick review of the history of the people of faith suggests that a good place to find God is on a Mountain top. Throughout the Old Testament the high holy places of the faith were more often associated with mountains than anywhere else.
In our first lesson for today from the Old Testament Moses climbs Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments and meet with God. Later in the Old Testament the prophet Elijah confronts the false prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel--there are other high holy places like Mt. Gerezim and Mt. Horeb--the vision of a new Jerusalem is linked to the holy hills of Mt. Zion. Is it any wonder that Jesus takes his selected disciples up to what becomes known as The Mount of the Transfiguration--and ultimately the destiny of our faith is defined by a cross on a small rise known as Mt. Calvary. Humanity seems to have conceived the idea early on that we can get closer to God by climbing higher than the every day plain of existence--While we may know that it is only metaphoric language that refers to God on high--we still seem to need to envision God at the top of some vertical dimension in our lives--the cathedral arches--the holy church spires--the towering sky scraper constructions of our great cities--all lift our eyes and aspirations--proclaim the triumph of power from the penthouse observation balcony God is on high--climb the mountain and you will be that much closer to God. There is something about the mountains--every year we have at least one student in the congregation who is drawn to a Colorado school because of the mountains. Mountain top experiences are important--they are the moments that define our lives. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus has just informed his disciples of the course that his life must follow--that they are now headed for Jerusalem and the cross. Then he withdraws with Peter, John and James to the mountain. Here on the mountain we have described a mystical and surreal moment that defies logic or explanation--Luke describes an encounter between Jesus and the ancient authorities of the Old Testament--Moses the Law giver and Elijah the greatest of the prophets appear in conversation with Jesus. In language that sounds strangely like that of our Old Testament lesson Jesus appears to be transformed.
The Law and the Prophets which defined the faith of Israel now meet fulfillment in the words and actions of Jesus. As the disciples look on the very veiled glory of God descends as a cloud and the voice of God proclaims--"This is my son, listen to him" There are moments in life that are life changing--over the last few weeks we have heard sermons that reflected on the power of God's call to each of us--several in this congregation have described how they believe they have been touched or guided by God. Most of us have such moments that are usually only discerned in retrospect--the moment when we made a decision or choice that defined the direction of our lives. History is filled with such defining moments--the story of faith is marked by them--Moments when great figures of faith met God. For the apostle Paul who wrote our second lesson for today that moment was on the road to Damascus --there he was encountered by a blinding light and the vision of Jesus converting him from Saul the persecutor of Christians to Paul the greatest of the missionary apostles. The mountain top experience actually needs no real mountain to lift the searching soul to a higher calling. For the early church father and saint Augustine it was a quiet garden--for Martin Luther it was the terror of a lightening storm--for John Wesley the founder of the Methodist Church it was the quiet of a study as he read a commentary on the Book of Romans and found his heart strangely warmed.
The common theme to the mountain top experience may not be a mountain or even the experience but that God comes--God meets us. The challenge the disciples had and that we have today is understanding and interpreting such moments--what does this mean?--how are we to live from this moment on? One thing that such encounters with God makes clear--is that God did not just make the universe and then go off on vacation. Creation for God was a beginning act not the final act--God has remained concerned about us even when we have failed to recognize the divine presence. There is an ancient story about a farmer whose horse ran away one day. The farmer complained of such misfortune and being cursed by God because he lost his horse. But a week later the horse returned with a whole herd of wild horses from the hills. The farmer felt very lucky and blessed by God. But a few days later, when the farmer's son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, the horse threw him and he broke his leg. The farmer moaned about the bad luck and the curse of God. The next week the army marched into town and took away every able-bodied man they could find to work as slaves for the king. But since the farmer's son had a broken leg, they left him with his family. When we hear this story we struggle to interpret it. Do we just see the events as a run of good luck and bad luck mixed together? Or is it possible to see each of those events as the work of God?
In the mystical wonder of the moment--with Jesus' face glowing and the ghostly presence of great heroes of the faith walking among them--the disciples have no difficulty believing that God is present--that they are in a place that is holy--they even suggest enshrining the place with permanent structures--but the miracle of God's presence is not limited to such holy moments--there are other places where God also dwells. Jesus leads his disciples back down the mountain. Mountain top experiences never last--sooner or later you have to come down from the mountain. Reading this lesson is almost like watching some action adventure story. You know the type--where after the hero of the story has been busy in one place the camera cuts to another location where there is another story developing. In the early days of movies and television there would be a transition like, "Meanwhile, back at the ranch." While Jesus and the three disciples have been up on the Mountain having their God experience--the rest of the disciples were facing the hard realities of life in the valley. While three disciples were sure that they had found God the other nine were feeling lost in the wilderness of daily life. Jesus and the three return charged and ready for the mission only to find that things have not been going so well while they were gone. The whole situation had to be a little like when a colleague at work or a friend or neighbor take a break in the midst of winter to go to some warm and exotic place while the rest of us slog through the cold and muck of the approaching spring. They come back all aglow with their tan and their recharged batteries only to find the rest of us still stuck in the old routines. Healings and miracles had been part of the Jesus mission prior to the mountain top experience--and they were still the agenda when he returned from the mountain. The disciples had already begun to share in the ministry Jesus brought--they had already had expeditions of proclamation and healing among the general public. But when Jesus went up the mountain the disciples stumbled--Jesus returns from the mountain and is met by a man whose son could not be healed by the disciples. There is a limit to our too human efforts--even when it comes to miracles. The glow of the mountaintop is replaced by the hard realities of life among the faithless--the lost--the confused and misguided. Jesus says simply, "Bring your son here." The encounter is as dramatic as any mountain top experience and changed the life of the boy and his father--yet Luke simply says, "Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father."
The greatness of God encounters us at the
moment of our need--the power of God makes whole--it is not a
matter of miracle--or even of transcendent clouds or mysterious
voices. The good news for those of us who live on the plains--is
that there are no mountains required. God dwells with his people.
The disciples had become numb to the pain and suffering of the
crowds--so many sick--so much disease--the lame--the blind. Our
world floods our hearts and minds with images of global suffering--thanks
to cable television and the power of the world wide web there
is no suffering that cannot be described to us in a matter of
minutes if not seconds. The miracle moments of grace and wonder
are lost--we are overwhelmed by the world. We would proclaim the
power of God and provide for the miracle of grace to touch lives--but
the darkness of the word threatens to overwhelm us. That is when
we need to be embraced by a moment such as this--when the mystery
of God surrounds us in power beyond words--the glory of God--the
power of Christ--the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Even the best and the brightest of us cannot manifest the life
brightening presence of God. There is a place for wonder and awe
in our lives--for light beyond light. I am reminded of a most
wondrous truth of physics. A candle lit in a darkened room can
light the darkness and fill the room--but that same candle placed
outside in bright sun light will cast a shadow even with its flame.
The glory of God--the light of Christ--reveals to us that at our
best we are but shadows of God's glory. That's why we look for
God's presence in our lives--that's why we come to this place.
Here at this table of grace we are met by our Lord--here in this
place we hear his word. As the voice from the cloud proclaimed,
"This is my Son, Listen to him." In the mystery of this
moment--listen--hear the proclamation of forgiveness--feel the
promise of community--see the opportunities to bring light to
the dark places of our world.
Amen