First Reading: 2 Kings 2:1-12
1Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”
4Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.”
6Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.
9When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” 10He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” 11As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
Psalm: Psalm 50:1-6
Out of Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth in glory. (Ps. 50:2)
1The mighty one, God the Lord, has spoken;
calling the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty,
God shines forth in glory.
3Our God will come and will not keep silence;
with a consuming flame before, and round about a raging storm.
4God calls the heavens and the earth from above
to witness the judgment of the people.
5“Gather before me my loyal followers,
those who have made a covenant with me and sealed it with sacrifice.”
6The heavens declare the rightness of God’s cause,
for it is God who is judge.
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
3Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Gospel: Mark 9:2-9
2Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
9As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
CHILDREN’S SERMON. “Beam me up, Scotty”. I am guessing that many of us recognize this phrase. Who said it? It is commonly believed that Captain Kirk said this to his chief engineer, “Scotty” when he wanted to be transported back to the Starship Enterprise after some exciting adventure on an alien planet. Actually he never said that exact phrase but it has become part of the English slang to indicate the desire to get someplace quickly. If Scotty could beam you up, where would you want to go? Share with your neighbor.
Prayer: Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be honoring to you, my Redeemer.
SERMON
Today we come to the end of Epiphany. Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and we will enter the Church season of Lent when we walk with Jesus to the cross. Epiphany is always book ended by two major “Aha” moments — Jesus’ baptism opens the season and we hear God, the Father, speak from heaven saying, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” In today’s text the Father speaks again and says, “This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him.” For a moment today we see the beam of light, the molecules shuffled and we have a glimpse of Jesus as true man and true God. A mountain top experience marks this transition to a new phase in his ministry. We call this moment the Transfiguration.
3and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no one on earth could bleach them
Transfiguration is not transformation. We do not see Jesus as something he has not been all along because our eyes have been veiled, our minds have been blinded, as the second reading says. Captain Kirk while on the Enterprise is The Leader, the captain of the ship. On the alien planet, he enters as a visitor from outer space and always faces some sort of challenge to communicate with the inhabitants who may or may not eventually acknowledge his true identity. Captain Kirk does not change his essence when he transports from here to there but his identity is not always acknowledged. In the same way, Jesus has been incarnated here in our reality and his true identity has been becoming more and more clear through the Epiphany Season. The Father calls him “Son” – aha. He has power over demons – aha. He can command the environment, disease and death – aha. Today he transfigures right in front of Peter, James and John, right in front of you and me. What was that about and what does it mean for our lives?
Today Jesus stands in one of those “thin places” we talk about, one of those places where the eternal and the temporal seem to be able to co-exist. Jesus’ human essence is magnified. White is whiter than white. Elijah and Moses who live in eternity step into temporal time for a minute. Jesus did not suddenly take on the shape of an angel nor did the two men appear in some unrecognizable form. Jesus is transformed into a more real expression of himself.
How is this significant for us today in 21st century reality? One of the take aways for us is that Jesus, God, is not limited by the rules of our reality. So often in times of dilemma as we face our crosses, we look for God to be active in ways defined by our reality. Our text tells us that there are aspects to the character of Jesus that we have yet to experience and that are at his finger tips to deal with our situations. That gives hope.
I also feel that it is significant that at a transitional moment when Jesus, true man, is stepping into a huge challenge, the cross, that he draws into the community of the believers through the ages. The Evil One would have us think that the Bible is an old, out dated document that does not speak to reality today. I’m sure you have all heard the accusation of being not modern and not progressive. As Jesus faces his future, he turns to community – Elijah and Moses from the past and Peter, James and John from the present.
So when you face the next challenge remember that Jesus is more than we can imagine and remember that we need community of wisdom from past elders and fellow believers.
4And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses,
who were talking with Jesus.
Perhaps like me, you have wondered why those two men? Why Moses and Elijah? One explanation is that Moses who received the law on Mt. Sinai could confirm to Jesus that all people are sinners and are lost without his journey to the cross. The cross is the only way and resurrection is the goal, not the defeat of Roman domination. Elijah, always pictured standing on the other side of Jesus, was one of the greatest prophets and he could confirm the prophecy of a coming savior who would be the sacrificial lamb. Moses and Elijah came alongside Jesus and affirm the path forward.
I don’t remember an episode of Star Trek where Captain Kirk is beaming up or down by himself. He always goes with his faithful friend “Mr. Spock” who is unencumbered with emotions and has mental-lock talents and with his friend “Bones,” the doctor who could whip out his handy-dandy gadget and scan the body of the sick person and know exactly the problem. Captain KIrk was not alone on his adventures and Jesus is often pictured reaching out to his support community, his disciples, and now we see that the greats from eternity appear as part of his crew.
Moses was known as “the friend of God.” “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Exodus 33:11). As. Moses was leading the “stiff necked” Israelites through the wilderness, God expressed frustration and said he would guarantee safe passage but would not go with them. The people and Moses despair and Moses pleads with God – if you don’t go with us, I don’t want to go. God relents. It is in this context that Moses is called “the friend of God.” That is a wonderful title given Moses. I’m sure God also has a name for Bethany, perhaps, “My church of friends in Indianapolis.”
When I think of Elijah, a major prophet who did major miracles and is often confused with his follower Elisha who did more down to earth miracles, I think of his encounter with the 400 prophets of Baal. He defeated them when God responded to his prayer and sent fire to burn the sacrifice soaked by water. But the story continues with Elijah’s flight across the desert to Sinai where he hovers in a cave wanting to speak with God. God was not in the earthquake, not in the wind, not in the fire but God spoke to Elijah in a “still, small voice,” and passed by protecting Elijah with his hand. It is a tender moment of intimacy and respect. Today we see Elijah again in the presence of God in an intimate moment.
Moses and Elijah supported Jesus as he faced the cross. Perhaps we need to ponder how we support our friends as they face trials!
Support in our Adventures
I also think that Moses and Elijah appeared because they could encourage Jesus in unique ways. Mr Spock and Bones went with Captain Kirk for a reason. Of course they were fellow leaders on the Enterprise but Captain Kirk wanted their company. They added perspective and support to the unfolding events and that helped the captain.
Both Moses and Elijah knew what it was like to stand alone on a mountain battling Evil. They stood between their people and Evil. Moses stood at the Red Sea and had to step forward in faith and put his rod in the water for it to part. Elijah stood alone on Mt Carmel and prayed for the fire of God to eat the sacrificed bull with 12 barrels of water poured on it. The followers of both men were silent. Both men carried responsibility and could encourage Jesus as he walked to the cross. Both men followed God’s plan and God was faithful – but it was scary.
Jesus faced a death people would not understand. Both men also had deaths cloaked in mystery. Moses walked up to Mt. Nebo with God and died with God holding his hand and no one knows where Moses’ grave is. Likewise we read about Elijah’s death, more accurately his being swept up to heaven in a whirlwind, in a chariot of fire. Both were very mysterious deaths but both men could testify again of God’s faithfulness and participation in the death of his servants.
Moses and Elijah had to leave behind a ministry with followers that were flakey at their best. Moses would turn over to Joshua and Elijah would turn over to Elisha but the story was still unfolding and a new chapter of life would begin without their presence. We look at our upcoming grandchildren and fall on our knees. Jesus would turn over to disciples who would deny and betray him. Supporters help us walk through those very discouraging or doubtful aspects of our journeys.
Perhaps the challenge of support is not telling the other how to act but being a presence who can draw lines of similarity and share encouragement of God’s presence as we walk through our trials. As we visit with someone who loves us and has faced similar challenges, our courage is built to move forward.
We know Jesus as true God knew truth but I believe being true man he also needed the reassurance of the companionship of Moses and Elijah. We know Biblical truth but we need the company of believers encouraging us. Our text encourages us today to be there for each other and to let them know we have their backs or at least stand by their side.
“This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!”
The way forward is not to build churches to this or that great hero as Peter suggests. God speaks into the disciples confusion as they try to process the “aha” experience. God says, “listen.” As we come to our trials, Transfiguration reminds us our God is more than we can imagine, we need each other, and the way forward is to listen to the living Word.
Epiphany is about understanding who our God is as revealed in the person of Jesus. We started with baptism and the voice in the cloud saying, “This is my son with whom I am well pleased,” and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove. At the Transfiguration, the veil is taken away for a moment and we see that the Jesus who has taken on humanity is the light of the world. He’s the captain of our ship. Jesus cast out the unclean spirit that would cripple the man in the synagogue. He has power over the evil in our lives. Jesus gently extended his hand to Peter’s mother-in-law, put his arm around her and lifted her up and the fever left so she could serve him. He gently lifts us up and enables us to do his will. Jesus healed many who came to him for help. This is only the beginning of the Gospel of Mark.
Mark reveals Jesus as true God and true man. This Jesus was not satisfied just with healing us physically but came to spread the good news of the coming of the kingdom, eternal presence with him, under his rule. Now Jesus turns his face to Jerusalem. Let us journey through Lent with him. Ash Wednesday we will place ashes on our foreheads. AHA! Beam us up, Lord, we are ready to listen.
Let the people of God say, “AMEN.”
On the Way to Wonder 