Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany - The Transfiguration - Br Andrew

Andre-Rublev's Saviour

Homily preached by Br. Andrew at Maroubra on Sunday 15^th February 2015:

The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany - the Transfiguration

Readings:

2 Kings 2:1-12; Psalms 50:1-6; 2 Corinthians 4:3-12; Mark 9:2-9


Today, is the last Sunday after the Epiphany, and as the last Sunday before the beginning of Lent is also the Sunday of the Transfiguration of the Lord. 

The word Transfigure is derived from Latin “transfigurare” or “across figure” and this word came into the English via the Old French between 1100 and 1250. Its common meaning is ‘to transform into something more beautiful or elevated.’ To change the form of something or someone into something more beautiful or elevated

Spiritually speaking, when we find ourselves on this mountain top each year with Peter, James, John, Moses, Elijah and Jesus it is not only outward experiences that concern us, because, you see for those of us who walk in the footsteps of Christ we are ever learning new things of  him.

This is His final Epiphany experience, or rather ours before He begins the Journey to Death and Resurrection in Jerusalem. Epiphanies are Manifestations, revelations of certain information to certain individuals.

THE primary or official EPIPHANY, occurred when Jesus was made manifest, revealed to the Nations in the three Magi, who came to worship him, as King of the Jews witnessed by his parents.
The second time was at his baptism in the Jordan when God made it known in person that Jesus was his own beloved son. Andrew and John were present at that time.
Here we are once more atop what must have been Mount Hermes, (we can talk about this on Thursday), with Peter and James and of course John who was present at Jesus baptism.

It says “And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one* on earth could bleach them” (Mark 9:2b, 3) I guess the easiest way Peter could describe the event to Mark must have been that Jesus’ clothes became so white that he had never seen the like before because we don’t have any description of Jesus here just his unearthly laundromat.

Retrospectively, in Peter’s realization that he was in the presence of the True and living God he later refrains from giving the description to Mark or any of us for that matter because he saw the face of God and lived – just a thought?

We notice that as soon as Christ is transfigured that Elijah with Moses can be seen speaking with Jesus, were they there all along and did the Transfigurement then allow the disciples to see and to hear them? What might we SEE if we were to place ourselves in this diorama with the group and encounter the living God in Jesus; would we be open to learning or would we like Peter want to pitch tents, because it would be too much for us, I guess it had better be too much for us else what are we doing here?


Elijah represents the epitome of Prophet hood and was to return before the Messiah arrived, we know that one with a spirit like his walked and talked in John the Baptist and was executed and now Elijah appears with Jesus before Jesus, in his turn is about to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world, past present and to come.

Our reading from the second book of the Kings is about the Ascension of Elijah who was taken to heaven in a whirlwind by God. The reading takes us through what was the last walk in his life and also through the brief and final stages of the apprenticeship of the prophet Elisha.

“2. Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal”( 2Kings 2:1) And they walk from Gilgal to bethel and from Bethel to Jericho and from Jericho to the Jordan, each time Elijah telling Elisha to remain behind and each time Elisha saying “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you”  Notice the Company of Prophets telling Elisha that today the Lord will take your master  away from you and he tells them to be quiet because he knows.

Unlike Peter, Elisha is absolutely aware of what is going on and ready to take up the challenge to walk with his master to his master’s death.

Moses – the representative of the Torah the living Law, also died in special circumstances somewhere nearby the place where Elijah crossed over the Jordan on dry ground. He was led up to the top of mount Nebo from where he surveyed the Promised Land, he was never to enter because of his disobedience. It is questioned that depending upon which mountain was the mount of Transfiguration and from which part of the mountain range Moses viewed the Promised Land that he may have been able to have seen the mount of Transfiguration… What we do have here are some interesting ponders – that Moses who sinned and did not cross over the Jordan died on Mount Nebo and was hidden by God in a valley somewhere.
That Elijah crossed over the Jordan by striking the water with his furled cloak and crossed over on dry land before Ascending into heaven in a whirlwind. AND effectively speaking the Jordan was where Jesus’ earthly Ministry began.

That these three in manners of speaking have all met before in sin and in death and now the Law and the prophets have come to bear witness with the Apostles in the sound of the voice of God, a theophany, “This is my Son, the Beloved;* listen to him!’”(Mark9:7b)
 Using a cloud to protect the Apostles from the terrible presence of God assists the disappearance of Moses and Elijah. Arriving in dazzling light and departing in cloud.
If we have managed to place ourselves alongside the party in this diorama have we listened?
Will we now listen to Jesus?

Just a little about Paul because it really needs much more time, perhaps Thursday. We really do need to listen with dictionaries and thesauruses in hand when we read Paul. 

Briefly what he says is that the Ministry of the New Covenant, more glorious than that of Moses is like the very first creation of God, Light and yet it has been entrusted to frail human beings who were fashioned from clay. Paul himself alludes to the struggles he has had and to his feelings of inadequacy, we know the struggles of Peter just from our Gospel readings yet God has entrusted us to take the light of the Gospel to the world.

This light is so bright and regenerative that it can withstand all our weaknesses even after all the evil that has been done in its name it is still the reflection of God’s divine glory and has the capacity to transfigure the soul.

If ever we become inflated with our own solo capacity to preach the word we need to climb our own private Nebo’s and recall our weakness and sin and Christ’s ultimate act of self-sacrifice that had enabled us to follow Elijah over the Jordan – dry shod.

And take up our frail urns which only the Spirit of God can strengthen and let the Gospel light shine.

Do We Know Who Jesus Is For Us? Demons Do!

 “Moses said to YHWH, “But, never in my life have I been a man of eloquence,

Either before or since you have spoken to your servant.”

 Ex 4:10

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B:

4th Sunday after Epiphany Year B

Do We Know Who Jesus Is For Us? 

Demons Do!

 Gospel Mark 1:21-28

This week, the Lectionary calls us to the Book of Deuteronomy (18:15-20), the last book of the Torah.

We read; "Moses said to the people: 'Your God will raise up for you a prophet like myself, from among yourselves ... to him you must listen." As Christians we see these words fulfilled in Christ who came to serve and liberate others from whatever weakness, struggle or bondage they may find themselves in. In the gospel today (Mark 1:21-28) we discover that Jesus is not just a prophet like Moses, but far more than that. Mark tells us that Jesus had an authority in his teaching that went beyond that of the religious leaders, and even beyond Moses. In his power to heal and liberate the demonised man, Jesus reveals his divine authority. It can be tempting to take our experience of Christ and use it for our own ego glory, as if we are somehow better than others because we know Christ. The glory of God that is revealed in Christ is authoritative and powerful, but it is the power to serve, and, an authority to liberate.

Modern people tend not to like this type of story and dismiss it as fabrication or try to psychologise it away. Some will try to defend it and the sceptical reject it. We need to distinguish between the phenomenon and our interpretation of it. Often, I have felt the fear of something mysterious outside my ability to understand. It is not that these things like Jesus exorcising a demon do not happen, they do, but how do we interpreted with our western frame of reference. We have our conditioned prejudices,   that close us to certain truths and open us to others. All this changes the nature of how we read the story. We may not want to admit that our culture defines us, and what we can see. Still, we are able to say something about the events in the synagogue of Capernaum.

There is no question whether this happened. The witness of Mark is that it did happen. Now and then some people believe this, and some people do not. We are called to believe, to trust the report. It is not a question of what or how it happened. within our 20th century bio-medical healing model it is often unclear how healing occurs. In this paradigm we treat symptoms, but the healing is something else. The question we need to ask is; what does it mean? In the social setting of Capernaum and Galilee people are powerless, held in place by culture and convention with little or no opportunity to change. In the synagogue evil sits in the midst of holiness. The scribes have no authority.

Jesus comes with something new. Our experience of catharsis is that it is so often temporary or a violence against others and not real freeing or cleansing. In Jesus we see a real cleansing power that drives out the uncleanness that invades even our holy places. If we are honest all of us, are somehow powerless and enmeshed in the context of our existence. As we worship we have luxury that most of the world cannot afford. We are destroying ourselves environmentally. We often feel powerless, caught in the structure of where we are. Any attempt at change can cause deep pain and fear to arise and excuses to be made as we flee from the truth of the prophet. We need Christ with his new teaching and new authority, to break the bonds which hold us fast. His true healing brings together our many parts into a beautiful wholeness.

Jesus' new teaching is a truth which breaks into the pain and powerlessness of our personal conditioning and cultural structures. It heals our cultural structures and our separation from God and offers to make our social structures a supporting place to be, a place to be at home, rather than a prison of delusion and deception. One kind of "evil spirit" which we discern more easily today is the cry that can burst out of us or others when we are mentally unwell. It alienates us because of the separation and fear it causes us and others. In our culture, we tend to think of mental illness only in bio-medical terms− brain drug levels out of balance. However, much of what is experienced is a rupturing of relationships, a wounding of soul. Often this rupturing (dis-ease) is the key issue for healing. Drugs can sometimes restore the balance very quickly. However, the recovery of self-esteem, the trust of self and others, and the regaining of trust from others, is a much slower and more difficult task; and communal integrity is not so easily restored.

The healing Jesus gave to the demonised man was the weakening of the forces of his isolation. Something has to break into the void between and in us. In Mark, it is Jesus' resurrection. When our sickness is terrifying, and there is deep psychological pain, we need to let go of our security and reach out to an unpredictable other to find resurrection freedom. If we long for God’s reign to be seen in us, and happen through us we will have to let go of having things done “our” way. Yet, when we embody Christ’s liberating grace, by choosing to serve and live Christ's gospel values, the authority of Jesus can be most clearly seen in us.

Third Sunday in Advent Year B - Br. Andrew

Andre-Rublev's Saviour

Holy Redeemer

An ECCA Parish

In the care of the Ecumenical Franciscan Order

Homily preached at Warrimoo on  Sunday 14th December 2014:

THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. Year B.

Readings: Old Testament Isaiah 61:1-4,8-11; 

Psalm 126,

Epistle 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28; 

Gospel John 1:6-8,19-28

 http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=285346748

Why are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor the Prophet nor Elijah?

Although year B is the year in which we read through the Gospel of Mark, today our Gospel reading comes from John because we need to hear something about the other John, the Baptizer, that only this John wrote because he was one of two of Jesus’ disciples who were also disciples of John the Baptizer and had to be there at the time.

Writing here about 40 years after Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, John the Evangelist introduces John son of Zachariah as a witness who came to testify to the Light to all who would believe in the Light. Most importantly this John tells us that the other John, the Baptizer, is not the Light. And this is the very first thing John the Baptizer himself tells those sent by the Pharisees when they came to ask him whether he was the Messiah.

The Gospel says “He confessed and did not deny that he was the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Light”, there were those ready to proclaim him Messiah, St Luke tells us that people were full of expectation and nurtured the hope in their hearts than John was the Messiah – Luke 3:15, that is why John the Baptizer was so emphatic in his denial that he was the Messiah, the Light just mentioned by the Evangelist.

So who are the other two?

The Priests and Levites then ask John whether he is Elijah or the Prophet. “Neither” he says.

At their request he explains who he is and what he is doing, ‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I, is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Matthew 3:11)

 The Prophet Malachi (4:5,6) foretold that before, the time of the final destruction of the Jewish city, temple, and commonwealth, he would send Elijah back to preach repentance and reformation before the Lord sent His consuming fire. The fact that John’s preaching had been so much like Elijah’s is what had drawn them all out into the desert to confess their sins and to be baptized.

Was John the Baptizer really Elijah? St Luke tells us that John came in the Spirit and Power of Elijah, John was like Elijah, but not Elijah, in Luke I: 17 he says 17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he (John) will go before him (Jesus), to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’ This echoes the verses from Malachi chapter 4 that I paraphrased above concerning the end of the Jewish Commonwealth in 70 AD.

As for “the Prophet” he was the One “Like Moses”-(Deuteronomy18:15-18) Jesus combined the offices of prophet, priest, leader, and deliverer. Which none of those subsequent to Moses did; we can easily see that Jesus is like Moses, Moses who was the Archetypal prophet, the mould none others save Jesus could fill. The lives of Jesus and Moses shared many similarities. They were both delivered from death as infants, both were prophets. Both performed miracles. Both were leaders. And both were willing to die for the sins of others. Moses offered to die, if it became necessary, so that God would forgive the sins of the people that Moses was leading (see Exodus 32:30-33), although God did not accept his offer – Jesus did die for our sins so that people might enter the kingdom of heaven.

As though looking through a time tunnel, we now view the coming Saviour from the steps of Mount Horeb and the Lord said

“18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command.”

Then move onward through the prophet Isaiah as he predicts the deliverance of the Jews from Babylon… Take a few seconds to re-read the first verse of the Old Testament Reading.

These very words are read by Jesus in the synagogue in Nazareth as recorded in Luke 4:21 and afterwards as he rolled the Scroll up again he began to say to them, Today that very Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ I am He who will bring to you Good News, Healing, Freedom and Enlightenment, as is the summary of Isaiah 61:1

 If you listened carefully to the reading as Isaiah foretells the release of the Jews by Cyrus in order that they return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and restore the city to its former grandeur, it is exactly the opposite to what is to happen after both the likeness of Elijah and Moses have been among the Jews.

As we can’t help knowing, verse 9 of Isaiah 61 did not come to pass if the Jewish people had clung to the Lord in obedience once returning to Judah and then had accepted Jesus as saviour when he arrived they likely would not have had to flee from the destruction of their Commonwealth.

It is believed that Psalm 126 was written by Ezra after the return to Judah

It was so amazing that Cyrus should dismiss such a number of captives without money and without ransom, that he should issue a decree for them to return to their own country, and to rebuild their city and temple, and especially that he should send them home loaded with presents, Ezra 1:1-4; this was nothing other than the work of Yahweh, who could only in this way “turn the captivity of Zion”

Those who were returned at this time where the faithful few we could say somewhat akin to the Thessalonians now awaiting the second coming of our Saviour, notice the similarity in the final verses of the Old Testament Reading and the Psalm – they are in accord, gardens can be references to Paradise.

Paul speaks quietly and reassuringly to the Thessalonians, speaking to them of the various types of ministry and labour appropriate to Christian Mission, of the expected demeanour of subordinate to superior and or brother to brother. Not stifling the Spirit nor being heedless of the Prophets, to remain as Jesus had left the believers sanctified, sound in body, mind and spirit and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

To make this Epistle known to others…

And so we are through the time tunnel and let us end our race with the promises with which we began. John 1:26b,27  "John answered them, ‘I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.’"

 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Sermon Extra - 19th Sunday after Pentecost

Loaded for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Year A - 19^th October 2014

The Backside of God

Exodus 33:12-23

Written: July 30, 2006

Centennial United Methodist Church

Linda Loessberg-Zahl

 A mother wanted to talk to her young son about his behavior in

kindergarten. One day she picked him up from school, put him in his booster

seat in the back seat and started for home. This would be the perfect time.

She often used the time in the car to talk with him. “Jeff, I want to have a

face-to-face talk with you about school.” They talked about the concerns his

teacher had about his behavior. After he agreed to stop chasing the girls at

recess, she said, “Do you have any questions?” He said, “Yeah… how come

whenever we have a face-to-face talk, all I ever see is your back?” Jeff

ended up with a different perspective than he expected. Have you been

there? Have you ever ended up with a different view than you expected?

 Have you ever wanted to see a particular play or concert, but you put

off getting tickets? You finally call Ticketmaster, (the box office, ticket

sales company) and you’re surprised and excited to hear that they still have

reasonably priced seats left. You think they are probably way in the back of

the audience. The salesperson says, “Actually these are pretty close to the

stage.” You figure they must have cut the price of the most expensive seats

at the last minute so they could fill the place. You get to the auditorium and 2

the usher takes your tickets and leads you from the back all the way down

toward the stage. You go up a few steps and there are your seats. You

realize that you are sitting to the side and almost behind the stage - with a

perfect view of the huge speakers. If you lean to the left and peek around

the speakers, when the performers come on the stage you have a great view

of their backs! Jilted! You wanted a front and center seat, so that you could

view the performers close-up, face-to-face, and take in the full meaning and

glory of the experience. Instead, like little Jeff, you end up with the

backside view.

 Moses was hoping for a face-to-face experience with God in the story

from Exodus that you heard today. Moses says to God, “I know you say

you’re with us, but could I see you in your glory?” “Couldn’t you just show

me your face?” I’d like to sit down for a tête-à-tête with God, a face-to-face

conversation about the meaning of life. How about you? Wouldn’t you like

to see God, face-to-face?

 In the tradition of the Old Testament, God tells Moses, “To see my

face would be too much for you, but if you’ll stand in that cave in the rock,

I’ll put my hand over you until the last minute, then take it away and let you

see my back.” 

 I wonder if Moses felt a bit jilted. He had a front row ticket, but

ended up seeing only the backside of God. That’s the best the rest of us ever

get as well.

 Now God promises Moses, “My presence will go with you.” This

conversation we overhear between Moses and God points to the great

mystery that surrounds God’s presence. That’s God’s promise to us too.

God’s presence goes with us as well. Often we also just catch a glimpse of

the backside of God, as God walks by. Sensing God’s presence is like

catching sight of someone passing by, out of the corner of our eye. Have

you experienced that? Have you experienced God’s mysterious presence in

your life?

 We don’t always recognize God’s presence for at least a couple of

reasons. First, we may be suffering from what they call inattention

blindness, and secondly, we may not recognize God from the back.

 Have you heard about what they are calling ‘inattention blindness’? It

has come up again in the whole debate about using cell phones while

driving. At first the experts thought using a cell phone with head phones or

a speakerphone would decrease the probability of having an accident while

talking on a cell phone, because it frees up your hands. But they found that

this wasn’t the case. Instead, it’s your attention that needs to be freed up to 

more safely drive a car. Scientists have found that our conscious minds only

perceive a fraction of the information that is coming into our senses.

 In an article from the Monitor on Psychology (Volume 32, No. 4 April

2001, “Sights Unseen”) Siri Carpenter writes “studies of visual perception

have demonstrated how startlingly little people see when we're not paying

attention.” Cognitive psychologist Brian Scholl, PhD, from Yale University

says, “This research is showing us something that we didn't think was the

case—that we can fail to perceive very major things going on right in front

of our eyes.” Several fascinating studies have been done that support this

startling fact.

 For example, Simons and Chabris showed people a film of two

basketball teams, one wearing black shirts and the other wearing white. The

researchers asked participants to count how many times a basketball was

passed between members of one team, ignoring the other team. Many people

in the study didn't notice a woman who walked through the scene carrying

an open umbrella, even though the woman was on the screen for several

seconds. The participants were so focused on their counting task that they

missed what was right in front of them.

 Sometimes we may have ‘inattention blindness’ when it comes to

God’s presence in our lives. We get so focused on whatever we are doing, 

that we fail to see the powerful presence of God in our lives. It’s not that

God is not present to us, it’s that we are not present to God. Did you catch

that? It’s not that God is not present to us, it’s that we are not present to

God.

 Is there something in your life that is taking your focus away from

God’s presence with you? Look for God’s guiding presence with you, and

God can help you with whatever has your attention.

 Is there something distracting you from God’s purpose for you? Like

Moses, God has important work for you to do in your life. Pay attention to

God’s presence with you and you will find a renewed sense of purpose in

your living.

 Maybe you’re very intentional about looking for God’s presence in

your life, but you haven’t seen anything. Sometimes we miss God’s

presence because we don’t recognize God from the back. Did you know that

God looks like other people from the back? Sometimes God looks like

someone from our family or a close friend, who loves us and wants to help

us grow into the people we were intended to be.

 Sometimes God looks like people like Cathy Arends. Cathy is a

minister and nurse who works with pregnant women who are incarcerated at

the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women. Wendi, an expectant 

mother in the pastoral care program, says: "Ms. Cathy was the only person

that saw any good in me. I knew from the first time we met at the prison that

she saw me as a child of God with potential. It didn’t matter to her what I

had done. She saw my future and was willing to stand by me. Without her

presence during my long labor I don’t know what I would have done. She

stayed with me throughout the night - she didn’t have to - she wanted to. I

saw the face of God in her. Now I know God loves me, and I’m never

coming back here." The mother of Shawanda, another young woman wrote

to Cathy: “Without your steadfast love for my daughter, I am afraid she

would have tried to kill herself. She told me she can feel God’s love every

time you come to the prison. You have done more positive things for her

than anyone in the past 7 years. I truly owe it to you that she made the parole

board.” Shawanda and Wendi caught a glimpse of God when Cathy Arends

walked by.

 Pastor James Fenhagen found that from the back, God looked a lot

like a group of Israeli and Palestinian parents who he says “came to this

country to bear witness to the possibility of peace in the Holy Land as seen

not by the political leaders, but by a number of grieving parents.” “The first

speaker was an Israeli business man from Tel-Aviv who just several weeks

before had lost his son in the conflict that is tearing the Holy Land apart. He 

was followed by a Palestinian woman who told of holding her daughter in

her lap as her child died of gun fire. ‘We are here tonight,’ she said, ‘to tell

you how we have been brought together by our grief. We have moved

beyond politics. We are together because we care for all our children.’” That

night, as he listened, James said, “I saw the face of God in the faces of those

men and women who had come together to share their lives with us” (From

The Gift Of Pentecost, Pentecost, 2002 - Washington National Cathedral,

The Rev. Canon James C. Fenhagen).

 The scripture (1 John 4) tells us that God is love and wherever there is

self-giving, healing love, we can be sure God is there. Have you seen

someone who looks a lot like God from the back, someone who seems to

bring God’s love when they come into the room? Is there someone you may

not even know personally, someone in the news, someone in the community,

who seems to shine with the love, the compassionate face of God?

 You probably heard in the news this week about Charles Moore, the

homeless man in Detroit who found $21,000 in bonds. He went to his

counselors at the neighborhood service organization for help in finding the

owners. He only received $100 reward money from the family. A lot of

attention in the community and news was focused on the stinginess of that

family, but my attention was glued to the generosity of the strangers who 

learned about it. Charles is a roofer by trade who lost his job and became

homeless. Did you hear that he has received over $4000 which he plans to

use to find a home, and the offer of a job? Those caring strangers inspired

me. I caught a glimpse of God walking by.

 More than anyone, Jesus puts a human face on God. Jesus Christ

gives us a portrait of God’s concern for justice, God’s tender compassion,

God’s healing power, God’s inclusive vision. God’s presence was so

powerful in him, when Jesus walked by people said, “I think we just saw

God.” So, first and last, look closely at the witness of the life of Jesus and

the presence of the risen Christ in your own life.

 Dare to discover God’s presence in your life. Be present to God’s

presence. Pay attention to the ordinary gifts of grace and love you are given,

while you’re taking care of other business. Notice those in your life and in

our world who inspire you, who have a resemblance to God from the back.

Look at the divine features in the face and life of Jesus. You’ll catch a

glimpse of the back of God, as God passes through your life. That’s more

powerful than anything you’ll see through Ticketmaster! Amen

https://centennial.amloessb.com/

All sermons appearing on the Centennial United Methodist Church

are licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Last Sunday after Epiphany or The Transfiguration - Br Luke and Br Andrew

St- Andre-Rublev's Saviour

 Holy Redeemer

In the care of the Ecumenical Franciscan Order

Homily preached at Winmalee on 2nd March 2014

by Br. Luke written by Br Andrew

Light and Cloud transfigured Him - for extra notes go to What does Messiah Mean?

Readings

Old Testament reading Exodus 24:12-18

Epistle 2 Peter 1: 16-21

Gospel Matthew 17:1-9

These are musings derived from a now dim recall of the Sermon preached by Br.Luke on the Feast of the Transfiguration, 2nd March last.

I have linked to the readings to assist with your understanding my cloudy recalling of the Light shed that day on the beginning of Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem.

The following week would be the first Sunday of Lent, the beginning of the Churches' Penitential Season; 40 days in length. 1

In the first reading we join Moses on Mount Sinai during another 40 day period,

The appearance of the LORD’s glory was like devouring fire on the mountain top. Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and ascended the mountain; and he was there on the mountain forty days and forty nights and his face became so dazzlingly bright in God's reflection that it was forever after veiled. His purpose there to receive the Commandments and the Law, to return with them to the Children of Israel, who, waiting below, had witnessed him entering the cloud, had seen the dazzling lightning of God's glory.

“And when Jesus died on the cross the veil in the Temple was rent and no more is humanity separated from God...”

It was but six days after Peters confession of Faith that Jesus took him along with James and John, with him up an high mountain by themselves, perhaps mount Tabor- there, like Moses he was transfigured before them, not just his face but his entire being. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light.  Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him.

The response of Peter with his foot shaped mouth indicates that at least he recognized the other two as Moses and Elijah, representatives of the Law and the Prophets, but how, was there a Midrash identikit accompanying the oral tradition?

Thinking that the time was now at hand Peter wanted to settle everyone into booths. While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And see, a voice came out of the cloud, which said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” When they heard it, they fell on their faces, and were very afraid.  Jesus touched them and they raised their eyes to find themselves alone with him.

As they made their way down the mountain Jesus promised them not to say anything about what they had seen until after He had risen from the dead. They certainly listened since we certainly don’t read that they did speak of it before the appointed time.

 Indeed, later in his Epistle Peter says

 “For we did not follow cleverly devised fables,” but of prophecy, being moved by the holy Spirit when we revealed to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, but we were actually eyewitnesses of his splendor For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, “This is my much-loved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” We heard this voice come out of heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Peter then adds one doesn’t choose prophecy the Spirit chooses you.

In our passages that day Old and New Covenant have met to fulfil the Law and the Prophets in Jesus Christ, witnessed by the children of Israel and by the Disciples of the Messiah .Cloud and fire have played their part in transfiguring the face of Prophet and Messiah and Peter, the Rock upon whom is built the Church has heard from out of the mouth of God Almighty, that he who is to die is Son of God indeed. It is an awful thought!

Our Psalm on the day, Psalm 2 is one of the Messianic Psalms and in reading it we find another face of the Messiah – the Messiah of the third temptation of Br Simeon’s Sermon last week.

⁷ I will tell of the decree. The LORD said to me, “You are my son. Today I have become your father.

⁸ Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.

⁹ You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

¹⁰ Now therefore be wise, you kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

¹² Give sincere homage to the Son,^‡ lest he be angry, and you perish on the way,

for his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.

1. Information: - The number forty had great symbolic meaning to the Jews and today among Christians and Muslims as well.  The number forty to the Jews is a number that, when used in terms of time, represents a period of probation, trial, and chastisement (not to be confused with judgment which is represented by the number 9).

As the product of 5 and 8, it also signifies grace (5) ending in revival or a new beginning (8).  Thus, when 40 is referencing a period of probation, it also often coincides with the meaning derived from the factors 5 and 8.  When it relates to enlarged dominion or extended rule, then it is related to the factors of 4 and 10, with 4 representing the creation of something and 10 representing perfection and completeness.

Daven Hiskey, August 2 2010,today I found out.com, The Biblical Expression “40 Days and 40 Nights” Just Means a “Really Long Time” Copyright © 2012 -Vacca Foeda Media, accessed 13 March 2014,<web://todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/08/the-biblical-expression-40-days-and-40-nights-just-means-a-really-long-time/