Sunday Before Lent

Good Morning everyone! There is a rumour going around! And as rumours go, it spread rather quickly. They talked about it in the staff common room and whispered to one another down the telephone lines.

The student stood; on the brink of leaving school, wondering whether their long sought after goal had been achieved. Without a pass in the exam, there’d be no further study, with a pass, they could continue to college and to the job they felt called to do. Hours of study, of hope dashed by disappointment, year on year as the exam paper was returned, marked “failed”. And now, they stood results in hand. Opening it they discovered after five attempts, it finally read “Maths O level - pass”. The elation felt was quite overwhelming.

I can remember it so very clearly – my sense of joy and relief. At eighteen, it was and has remained one of my momentous mountain top experiences. I recall simply wanting to bottle the moment and not come down off the mountain.

A mountain top experience.

I wonder what your mountain top experience would be. In our gospel reading today, Luke, along with Matthew and Mark, records a mountain top experience. It involves the disciples; Jesus and two other men. It’s a passage we call, the transfiguration. The text contains hints and echoes of Israel’s past, which Luke no doubt intends his readers to understand, and by understanding Luke wants us to  be drawn into his main message – Luke’s big idea of the Gospel reading today, his theme and focus which is:  who Jesus is and what he came to do.

Luke tells us; Peter, James and John go with Jesus up a mountain to pray. A mountain in scripture, often being a place of prayer or of drawing close to God in a special way. (Just as we heard in our Old Testament reading this morning; where Moses had been up Mount Sinai.)  Whilst they are on the mountain; the appearance of Jesus’ face changes, his clothes become dazzling white; white being the colour of heavenly garments in scripture. Luke is if you like highlighting Jesus, marking him out. Wanting us, to take note of him. And then two other men suddenly appear alongside Jesus. They are identified as Moses and Elijah; the representative figures of Israel’s faith, both of whom experienced God on the top of a mountain and who were expected to return before the final judgement. Moses and Elijah; who represent the law and the prophets of the Old Testament.  These two great faith leaders come and speak with Jesus of his departure. And I think we’re meant to hear the double meaning here: the Greek translates departure as exodus, an exodus as in a journey or an exodus as in a departure in death.

The Exodus of the Old Testament – where Moses leads God’s people, out of Egypt from slavery towards the Promised Land. Luke points us here, to the far greater exodus; the exodus of Jesus taking us all from the slavery of sin and death – home, to a promised inheritance – to a new creation in which the whole world will be redeemed.  From slavery of sin and separation from God to freedom and new life in Christ. Jesus experiences this mountain top experience; knowing it will prepare him to follow what the law and prophets pointed to, in the Old Testament; fulfilling what was written. The disciples were simply overwhelmed by the transfiguration; by what they saw on the mountain.  So much so, they say daft things “lets build some dwellings”, says Peter. One for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. The three dwellings: remind us of the Old Testament Feast of Booths, the harvest festival which commemorated the exodus from Egypt. The disciples; Peter, James and John simply couldn’t see how the glory spoken of and seen on this mountain top - would work out, on a very different mountain top – the small ugly mound of Golgotha, outside the city wall of Jerusalem. On this mountain, in Christ’s death on the cross, all are offered; freedom from the slavery of sin to a life with Christ for eternity.

I wonder if we too find it hard, like Peter, to understand – or are bewildered by what God is saying or doing – perhaps in the world; when we see and read of catastrophic disasters, cruelty and suffering because of war or the injustice of the poor being made poorer by our own trading policies. Or maybe closer to home, around us, we see changes in society and culture we don’t understand. We wonder, why things can’t stay the same, why things just don’t work the way they did before, or maybe we even feel uncertain about changes others want to make.  

I’d like to suggest this morning, that Luke encourages us once again, together with Peter, James and John and all of Luke’s listeners to hear God’s voice: "This is my Son, my chosen, listen to him". And I think we’re meant to hear the echo of the words recoded by Luke at Jesus’ baptism: "you are my Son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased".

It seems Luke is encouraging us act. To do something: to listen to Jesus. To seek Jesus and to listen to Jesus, especially when we feel perplexed, bewildered, hurt, uncertain or fearful. Whether that’s  in the midst of change or adversity. Luke here encourages us to understand that God who loves all of his creation; would have us stop and listen for the Son’s voice and when we recognise it, to seek to follow him, looking for where God is at work, offering God our fear and being moved to join in with what God is doing in the world he has created.

So we meet here together as God’s people, week by week, seeking to draw nearer to Christ, in sacrament and word, to listen and to act, to be for Christ in his world, to encourage one another to work with and for Christ, to bring about the new exodus; to help others seek freedom from slavery of sin to life, new life, in all it’s abundance, joy and hope in Jesus. And that’s why, we want to open the west door wide and welcome small children to come in to Praise and Play in God’s house and why we’ll be starting in April an Alpha Course, offering a space for people to come and ask questions and seek God. And that’s why the One World Group will be seeking to raise funds to support Christian Aid, why Knit & Natter meet to send warm garments to people in Romania, and why it is important we keep a prophetic voice here in the heart of Stafford, remembering the holocaust and others who have been effected by genocide and supporting those who seek to bring peace and reconciliation.

The transfiguration, the mountain top experience points us unequivocally to Jesus; to who Jesus is and what he came to do. To bring freedom from slavery in and through his death to a life transformed, to a life in abundance. And the invitation is for us come to Jesus,” This is my Son, my chosen, listen to him”. Amen.