Glory Revealed
THE TRANSFIGURATION
Exodus 34:29-35 • Psalm 99 • 2 Peter 1:13-21 • Luke 9:28-36
According to Luke’s telling, do you realize how close we were to missing this remarkable account of the transfiguration? Had the disciples slept through it all, we’d have a lovely account of disciples going up the mountain with Jesus to pray, but we would have missed the glory of God revealed in Jesus. We would have reinforcement of the example of prayerful companions and shared ministry, but we would lose the insight toward prominent tenets of our faith.
Our scripture surviving through the millennia speaks to our abiding beliefs and central components of our tradition, which include the belief of Jesus as the Messiah. The transfiguration, which is included in the three synoptic gospels, points toward Jesus as Messiah. Moses spoke of a greater one to come, and in Judaism, Elijah is the one expected to return as the Messiah. While we don’t have their specific conversation—the disciples were apparently awake and close enough to see but not necessarily to hear—there’s plenty of scholarly commentary to support the idea that the three holy men on the mountaintop are conversing not only about Jesus’s upcoming departure in Jerusalem but also about the ultimate fulfillment of the Second Coming of the Son of Man.
I admit, the Second Coming is not my theological strong suit. Yes, we affirm it in our creed and in our Eucharistic Prayer, but when I think more practically of Christ returning, it is not some distant event I imagine where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth” for some and joy and salvation for others. When I imagine Christ’s return, it is in the present moment, Christ appearing here and now amidst the joy and sorrow, in mighty and miniscule ways. The clarity and peace in the presence of Christ has a way of judging the present moment for what it is, revealing what is good or not. Jesus being revealed in full glory with Moses and Elijah reminds me that we often see God most clearly when we are being obedient to God as both Moses and Elijah were. When we are awake and aware in the present moment, putting and keeping God first and foremost, we see the many ways God shows up, how the kin-dom of heaven is here and now.
Remember when Jesus was received as Messiah the first time, when he triumphantly entered Jerusalem to the shouts of Hosannas from the crowd? The people put faith in him for being the one to save them from the oppressive powers of the time, but he did not exactly fit the expectation of the time. Yes, he rallied the people in hope and confronted the powers and principalities, but he did not do so with the might of a sword or violence. Ultimately it was the powerful victory over death that revealed God’s glory, God’s strength and fidelity to us all.
So what makes us think that our imaginings of a Hollywood-worthy Second Coming would be how Christ would choose to come again? Yes, our scripture has given us some vivid depictions, the images of which people have used to find similarities with our past and present to point to then or now being the end of days. But every night, every moment, and every day comes to an end. The most subversive, greatest threat to oppressive power is still love, and it is readily available at any and every moment to turn the tables. A unified love in the God who breathes life into all Creation is what the kin-dom of heaven is like. That unity in love and presence radiates in its brilliance, revealing what is True and Holy and Good and transcends any concept we have of space and time; it binds us in a kinship united in God’s glory. This is transfiguration. This is the possibility for us all, our hope and our salvation.
We aren’t typically transfigured overnight, and the journey there can be long.
I had the privilege of sharing breakfast with a friend from the days of my curacy at St. Luke’s in Hot Springs. She and I submitted a United Thank Offering grant to get a shower built at St. Luke’s to provide a shower ministry for the many unhoused in the downtown area, an idea that sprang up after our experiences of offering a warming shelter in the winter prior. As the bishop said in his letter of recommendation, it was ironic that a town known for its healing waters had no sanctioned public place for people to wash. It was an extension of our own baptism to provide dignity for others in the simple ability to clean themselves. Of course, I didn’t know when we were working on the grant that I would be leaving Hot Springs so soon, and I’m glad to say that I still call Dr. Sally Carder a friend because she was quick to tell me I left her with that ministry because we did get the grant, and a shower was built.
What was also in the works was the building of awareness of the people in the community—those who were under-resourced and those who had plenty to share. For the past six years, if not more, Dr. Carder has been working to know the people by name who come to shower and to seek shelter in the cold or the heat. She told me she’d pull over if she saw someone on the side of the road whom she knew was supposed to be in the nursing home to talk with them. She would walk alongside folks in the food line if she needed to get updates on someone she hadn’t seen in a while. Along the way, she’s been building relationships across various congregations, recruiting volunteers to help and to get first hand experience of being in relationship with people they wouldn’t normally meet. She shared with me the story of being at the city board meeting when they were going to vote to buy a building to be a resource center so they could have a dedicated space for the kind of work they’re doing and hope to do. Dr. Carder has a gift for proclamation, and it’s her story to tell, but I tell you, it has transfiguration written all over it. All the work over the years built up to this moment when it was not one person’s glory but God’s glory revealed in the meaningful relationships, ecumenical partnerships, and common good upheld.
As she spoke with her Christ light shining brightly, I also shared with her the work we are doing here in Northwest Arkansas to build community relationships through community organizing. I thought of all the good work that St. Paul’s has sponsored and is a part of, and I realize that there are many of you whose lives have been touched by your work with community members who aren’t necessarily the neighbors in the house next door to you. Even this afternoon we will celebrate the baptisms of four of our neighbors across the street and witness the rededication of eight more. After six weeks of baptismal preparation, months of sobriety, and a lifetime of seeking, these women will make apparent to all who are present the glory of God’s love. And we are all strengthened in our faith for witnessing such a wonder.
When we offer ourselves in prayer, when we walk alongside others, when we seek wisdom from our ancestors or from God and have the confidence that God will provide, we, too, are transfigured. We are, quite literally, changed for the better, more fully into who God created us to be, radiant with the gift of God’s love. We don’t need to imagine what the kin-dom of heaven is like. It is here and now. The love we seek, the belonging we seek, the assurance and strength we need, it is here and now, as close as our next breath. If we’re awake and paying attention, Jesus reveals so much about God to us and always shows us the way to union with God. And, yes, we do await Christ’s coming in glory, but we don’t have to wait long if it is God’s glory we seek.
© 2023 The Rev. Sara Milford
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – Fayetteville, Arkansas