“It’s all about Connection”
Rev. Jon Greene, Deacon
Grace Episcopal Church, Radford, VA
February 23, 2020
Transfiguration Sunday, Year A
Exodus 24:12-18
2 Peter 1:16-21
Matthew 17:1-9
Psalm 2
May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all our hearts, be always acceptable to you, Oh Lord, our savior and redeemer.
Amen
The other night I was sitting in my hot tub, smoking a cigar and working on this sermon (or more correctly, this sermon was working on me).
I spent that time gazing at the stars.
It was a cold, clear night, and the stars were amazing.
I saw planes zip by, a meteor and then a satellite creep across the sky and then disappear as it went into the earth’s shadow.
It reminded me of gazing at the stars at sea back in my Navy days.
But, mostly it took me back to a warm, clear Arizona night in the summer of 1973.
A group of friends and I were having a sleepover and, as we were wont to do, lying on our backs gazing up at the sky.
We watched the planes buzz by, maybe caught glimpse of an occasional meteor, much like I did the other night…but mostly that night we were watching for…Skylab.
Skylab was the first manned space station and in the mid-70’s there were four missions of three astronauts each that spent a few weeks in orbit and then returned to earth.
Back then space flight was a big deal. We all knew about it.
And about every hour and a half, we could see it crawl across the sky.
Now I certainly remember the moon missions of Apollo, but I have a vivid memory of this particular night, watching Skylab.
I remember the sense of awe at the vastness of space.
I remember sensing my own smallness in that vast universe.
and I remember feeling connection to those three men nearly 300 miles up
I felt a connection to something else…something I couldn’t put words to then, but I recognize it now as connection to that vast expanse of creation and the God that loved it into being.
Connection. It’s really all about connection.
In today’s Old Testament reading, we hear about God’s connection to Moses and, through Moses, to all the Israelites.
And today’s Gospel reading focuses on two mysteries that are at the core of our connection to God: Incarnation and Transcendence.
Incarnation…God taking the form of flesh, joining us in this world of pain and tears.
And Transcendence…we beings of the flesh somehow transcending, moving beyond, this broken world and encountering God.
In the Transfiguration, Peter, James and John recognized that this guy they’ve been following around is not just their rabbi,
he’s a great prophet like Moses and Elijah, but, somehow more…
he is the Word made flesh, God incarnate.
Ok, it took a 2X4 across the back of the head to make them realize it, but they finally got it.
They also see the fully human Jesus, transcend, transfigure into the universal Christ, fully God. God transcendent.
But, I think its important that we recognize that this was not only a transcendent moment for Jesus.
It was transcendent for the three disciples as well.
They saw Christ in his Glory.
And they saw the cloud and heard the voice, the same that Moses saw and heard.
They came into communion, in connection, with the divine.
It wasn’t their idea to climb that mountain. They didn’t do anything to prepare for it, they didn’t earn it, and, at the time, it appears they really didn’t even get it.
They might not have really recognized the enormity of that day until much later,
But connection they had, nonetheless.
It’s all about connection…with God…with each other.
When we recognize that little piece of Christ, God incarnate, in someone else.
When we experience the awe and overwhelming joy in the presence of the divine
And recognize that we are invited, in every second of every minute, into that transcendent and everlasting dance of love with the Creator, the Word and the Spirit
Connection.
The story of the Transfiguration of our Lord is told in three of the four Gospels, only the Gospel of John leaves it out.
So clearly this is an important story.
And I think it is important for us to recognize that this episode wasn’t for Jesus’ sake.
If you look at the passages just before the story of the Transfiguration, Jesus tells his disciples.
If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.[1]
You see Jesus was getting ready to enter Jerusalem for the final time.
He knew what lay ahead of him…the cross.
And he knew what lay beyond the cross.
So he didn’t need the affirmation from the Father of the Transfiguration.
But his disciples did.
They needed something to hold on to during the days and hours to come.
When they would see their teacher brutally tortured and executed.
When they would deny him.
They needed to know that they were still connected to that terrifying voice from the cloud that boomed out
LISTEN TO HIM!
And that they were connected to the God incarnate who touched them and said gently, “Get up and do not be afraid”
So the Transfiguration was intended for the disciples to experience that connection, to give them strength for the journey ahead of them.
The journey to the cross…and beyond the cross.
And Transfiguration Sunday, similarly, is intended to give us strength for our Lenten journey.
Our journey to the cross…and beyond the cross.
It is intended to show us the connection of The Father to the Son and the Son to the disciples…to us.
I tell you, it’s all about connection.
Now it’s unlikely that Jesus is going to come grab three of us and make us climb a mountain to achieve one of these moments of connection to the divine. It’s up to us.
The real question for me is how do we get that connection?
How do we recognize the God incarnate when they show up in front of us?
How do we transcend this broken world and walk into God’s presence?
How do we connect?
Well there’s a reason they call it practicing religion.
Because connection with the divine is all about practices
and it’s all about practice.
By this I mean there are practices, the things we do,
and we need to practice them, do them over and over again.
Because the fact of the matter is, that it is work to get these practices right, really, to get ourselves right, so we are ready to approach God.
We need to practice.
I would suggest that there are three practices we ought to be thinking about
1) Communal praise and worship,
2) Personal prayer and piety, and
3) Service to others
Praise and worship: where we make a joyful noise to the Lord, kneel together in prayer, or experience the infinite and all-powerful God incarnate in a cracker and a sip of wine.
Personal prayer and piety: where we study the scripture, fast, and pray in ways that allow us to drown out the noise of this world so that we can listen for God’s still, small voice.
Service: where we offer ourselves in service to others knowing that, when we do, we are offering ourselves to Christ. And the mystery is that, when we do this, somehow, we recognize the Christ in others and, sometimes, in ourselves.
You heard earlier that we are only two days away from Shrove Tuesday…Fat Tuesday…Mardi Gras…pancakes!.
(By the way, I’m with Robbie, please don’t microwave the sausage).
That means Ash Wednesday and Lent is to follow.
Only three shopping days to figure out what you are going to do for Lent.
And, if you are like me, you are waiting until the last minute to decide.
Ok, don’t panic, I’m going to help you come up with a Lenten practice.
As a good Catholic child, I was always expected to “give up something” for Lent.
The idea was deny myself, to suffer, like Jesus suffered for our sins.
So I gave up chocolate (and later, beer) so that I would suffer during Lent.
As my faith has matured, I’ve developed some issues with the theology behind this.
First, I really like beer, but somehow the suffering of not having an IPA after work seemed to pale in comparison to what Jesus went through.
More importantly, the idea of suffering (for sufferings sake) is missing the point.
Remember, we are asked to “metanoia” in the Greek text, which was translated as “repent” but more correctly means to “turn”.
We are asked to “turn” to God.
We are asked to connect.
I’m suggest that you focus your Lenten practices not on ‘giving up something” but on connecting with your Lord and God and with God’s creatures here in this world…
Through praise and worship,
Through prayer and piety,
Through service.
For praise and worship, join us on Wednesdays at noon for communion or Wednesday night for our film series. Or find a service somewhere else that works for you.
For prayer and piety, set aside time to read scripture or for contemplative prayer…fast on Wednesday (or Friday or whatever works for you)…or make time to commune with nature.
For service: stuff some coins in a UTO box; take some food to Red Door; volunteer at Our Daily Bread, the Clothing Bank, or for a new job here at Grace; visit a friend that is sick or lonely, or just hang out with the students at Red Door.
Practice your faith: Worship, pray and serve.
I’m going to say that again…
Practice your faith: Worship, pray and serve.
Because that’s the way we connect.
And it’s all about connection.
Please pray with me:
Lord Jesus Christ, as we walk the way of the cross with you, help us to connect with you--and with our fellow creatures here in this world.
Give us the wisdom and the discipline to practice our faith.
Help us to transform ourselves through worship, prayer and service, just as you were transformed on the mountain.
In your name we pray,
Amen
[1] Matthew 16:24