Holy, holy, holy? You bet!
Transfiguration 16c, Luke 9:28-43a, February 7, 2016
When I was a child the church that I was part of would begin worship each Sunday by singing the same hymn. Yes, I said THE SAME HYMN. It went like this, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty. Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee. Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed trinity."
Can you imagine? The same opening hymn every Sunday! As a child this familiarity brought me comfort. As I have grown older, I have come to appreciate variety. There is a beauty and special meaning to different opening hymns for on different days in different seasons.
But these days I am convinced that the old entrance hymn that dominated by early years points to an important reality that is being lost sight of, at least in North America.
Where is our deep sense of the mystery, the holiness, the otherness of God? Dear people, we need to have a sense of the holiness, of the otherness of God – from us.
These days I am very much confronted by our mortality. These last 2 months we have been slapped upside the side of our heads, individually and collectively, as Brenda and Joan have died. I have been beside my own mother as she has been dying and now has died.
Don't get me wrong. In many ways our humanity which necessarily includes our mortality is wonderful. Each person is blessed with a unique personality. Some of us are blessed to grow old together. This often includes a growing awareness that nothing lasts forever.
But there are also limits that come with being human. If we are deluded into thinking or feeling that everything depends upon us, sooner or later we will be forced into despair and/or apathy. How can we live with awareness and sensitivity when there is so much death, so much suffering, so much hatred and violence? How can we live with genuine joy and hope: even as infants are being born with deformities and disabilities due to the Zika virus, which their parents up until now knew nothing or little about? How can we live our own systems contribute to such great financial and legal injustice for so many others? How can we live with love and hope when in an instant those we deeply cherish could die or be afflicted with any kind of terminal illness? (Pause)
Jesus, Peter, John and James go up the mountain to pray. While they are there, Jesus' face and clothes begin to glow. I have seen people's faces glow: pregnant mothers; people making promises to love and cherish each other on their wedding day; people being ordained, even different members of their family. It happens. It's wonderful.
But I have never seen any of those people's clothes suddenly become dazzling white. Jesus is one of a kind! The voice from the cloud overhead specifies Jesus' uniqueness, "This is my Son, my chosen". God tells us that we are to listen to Jesus.
On that day Jesus was on the mountain top with Moses and Elijah, both of whom had lived hundreds of years before. Together they symbolize the Law and the prophets. As Jesus stands with them, He is the fulfilment of the law and the prophets. We are privy to something amazing.
Perhaps (like us?) Peter wants to film it, have something to bring out to show his family. Perhaps he senses that he may need to be reminded in the future that this "really happened". On the surface his intention looks great. It is an incredibly special moment. The commemoration Peter proposes is in line with the history of his ancestors and their celebration of the Festival of Booths. That celebration proclaimed God's power in freeing them from the slavery of Egypt.
But now Jesus points Peter and ourselves to the implications of God's glory. God's glory is caught up in mystery. This mystery includes God's coming among us in order to deliver us and all people from the power of death and evil. God's will is to work through the cross. Here God's power is first manifested first vulnerability. Jesus takes on death and all its powers through love and sacrifice. So it is that Jesus, Moses and Elijah speak of Jesus' 'departure'.
So it is also that Jesus leads Peter, John and James down from that mountain to another reality. There Jesus meets a crowd. From the din of that crowd one man shouts out in great pain. He calls to Jesus. This man's son, his only child, is critically ill. An alien force controls his son, throwing the boy down, mauling him. This father has begged the disciples to help him, to free his son. Alas, it has been to no avail. Now the man begs Jesus - free my son!
Jesus is frustrated with his disciples; with those who have heard his words and witnessed his actions. They don't see him. They don't understand that the power to help, to heal, to withstand other powers must come from outside of us, from beyond us, from God.
Nevertheless, Jesus does not allow his frustration, his exasperation with others, prevent him from fulfilling his purpose to help, to deliver, to restore people to each other and to God. So, Jesus does heal the boy. He rebukes all that holds the boy down, all that is seeking to limit and destroy him. The son is restored to his father. And people are astounded at the greatness of God.
So, I wonder on this Super Bowl Sunday when many millions of people will be deluded into thinking that "glory" is about winning or a half time show or commercials that run at 5 million dollars a hit even as millions of other people are starving and or homeless, even while many, many of our elder people won't have any companionship today – do we see our need for the glory of this God who in becoming One of us makes His/Her way to the cross ?
Holy, holy, holy – Lord God almighty. Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee. Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty. God in three Persons, blessed Trinity.
Do we realize that God is our creator, our sustainer, the beginning and the end of all people and creation? We cannot even begin to comprehend God nor see all of God's glory. For just as we receive a fleeting glimpse there are clouds and blinding light. But know this – God dares to become human in Jesus. Jesus shows us the way. He leads us to pray by example and through His Spirit. He wills to give us a power which is so different from our drive for power.
O God, help us. O God, free us to love as you love us, to forgive as you forgive us, to be agents of healing and hope as you heal us. O God may we glimpse your glory and in so doing be enabled to follow Jesus however falteringly. May we like those early disciples come to know that regardless of our faithlessness and perversity through your Son, your chosen we are also your children. Help us to hear your call to bear your creative and redeeming word to the world. Holy, holy, holy. Indeed. Amen and Amen.