In the presence of God’s glory

The Transfiguration of Our Lord

February 3, 2008

Matthew 17:1-9

"[Jesus] was transfigured . . . and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light."

This day, in which we, once again, hear of our Lord’s going up the mountain so that His appearance is transfigured so dramatically that His face shone like the sun and His clothes became white as light, and His Father spoke, just as He did at Jesus’ baptism, declaring Jesus to be His beloved Son with whom He is well pleased, and adding that they are to listen to Him, well, we’ve heard this, so many times, that this is very familiar ground.

The problem with familiar ground is that we tend to trod it ever more casually. This is how our country has gotten—very familiar, very comfortable, very casual. Almost no one dresses up to go out to dinner. Men leave their baseball-style caps on, even indoors. Language, which would have gotten my mouth washed out by my mom, is heard from the lips of all ages, in all places.

Because our country has gotten so casual, so has the church. Our sanctuary is not a sanctuary from our culture. A great number of people don’t dress up to come to church; they don’t wear their best. I’ve had guys leave their ball caps on, even during wedding rehearsals, so that I have to tell them to take them off. Because so many people are potty-mouths outside of church, their brain and lips don’t know any better when they are in church, and all manner of words and jokes get spewed.

What we have to work at remembering, dear Christians, is that, when we are in church, we are in the presence of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. This needs to inform us as to how we dress and how we speak and how we act.

I know that some folks have situations in which they must get up and use the restroom, during worship. That can’t be helped. But, the number of people, whom are seen getting up during worship, is continually confounding.

I know that the sermon is not always riveting, but you never will get anything out of a sermon if you are reading the bulletin or looking around and not paying attention.

I know that some people can’t sing, or don’t enjoy singing, but it is one thing to not sing the hymns or liturgy, is a quite another to sit there as if in a coma. This, a pastor witnesses, all too much. Even if you are not going to sing, you should have your eyes on the hymns and liturgy, taking in the meaning of the words, so that you might get something out of them.

This also goes for horsing around during worship. Again, some of our behavior is mind-boggling and offensive. Some of the giggling that is done—well, my dad would have smacked me upside the head, right there in the pew. And, folks, if the little kids distract you—and, some of you, about all you do during worship is make eyes at the little ones—sit someplace where you won’t be easily distracted. There’s almost always good seats in the front of the church.

And, parents, I know that youngsters can be awfully lippy when you try to tell them to do anything, but the fact is that some of the clothes our young people wear to church are not appropriate. If your children have dress shoes, they shouldn’t be wearing tennis shoes—especially when they are acolyting. If they don’t have dress shoes, then okay—but, how come they have all of this expensive video game equipment?

The same goes for jeans and t-shirts. If you own better, wear better. And, as for jeans, that goes for adults, too. Unless you can’t afford better, don’t let church become so familiar, so common, so casual, that you come to church in the same clothes that you wear to a basketball game. But, if you can’t afford better, please, never let clothes be a reason that you don’t worship the Lord.

We might not have the glory of Jesus Christ before us, in the manner in which Peter and James and John had it revealed to them on the mountain of Jesus’ transfiguration, but we have no less than all of Jesus’ glory in this hour. Before I get to that, let’s pick up something from the Old Testament lesson.

This section of Exodus picks up right after God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. In giving the Commandments, God was generous enough to Israel that He entered into a covenant—an agreement, a contract—with them. Covenants were ratified by the killing of animals for the shedding of their blood, because life is in the blood.

Look what Moses did with the blood. "Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, ‘Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.’" This must have been quite an experience. I wonder how the people reacted to having blood thrown all over them?

Did they react to the blood, or were they concentrating more on the grandness of the event? God had descended to this mountain to speak with their leader. He had used His own finger to write upon two stone tablets the commandments by which He willed His people to live. He was so gracious that He didn’t force these commandments upon His people, but allowed them to decide for themselves whether or not they wanted to be a party to God’s holy Law.

The people chose to obey God. The people made their confession of faith. To ratify their union, God had Moses throw the blood of the covenant upon them, marking them as those whom He set apart for His people, who promised to believe in Him and abide by His Law.

What a holy moment this was. It was just as holy a moment as Jesus being glorified on the mountain of His transfiguration.

And, did any of it sound familiar to you? Did any of it sound like anything that has happened in your life; that happens in this church?

No, we don’t throw blood. Other than the occasional tantrum by the pastor, nothing gets thrown in the modern church. But, what about the rest?

Do you ever get the chance to stand up and show God and your fellow church members that you choose to obey God? Do you make your confession of faith? Was there a moment in your life where you, with your own lips, ratified your union with the Lord? Has God done anything to mark His covenant of blood upon you? Has He set you apart to be His child? Have you promised to believe in Him and abide by His Law?

As you listened to that series of questions, did you not hear Baptism? Did you not hear confirmation? Did you not hear Holy Communion? Did you not hear what you profess, in every worship service, in one of the creeds?

We don’t have God coming down to give us His Commandments, face to face, as He did to Moses. And, we don’t have the Father come down to transfigure His Son in a moment of glory like none other. But, dear Christians, we do have God come down, into this holy sanctuary, every bit as glorious, every bit as marvelous, as in those historic events.

God comes down to wash clean the one who is baptized in the Son, with whom the Father is well pleased. God is present when the confirmand makes the good confession of faith, as the one being confirmed promises to listen to Jesus’ voice all of his days. In the person of Jesus, God comes down to this altar, with the glorious body and blood that rose from the grave in victory over sin and death and hell. God comes down, in every word of promise in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, with His forgiveness, life, and salvation for you.

This sanctuary should never become too casual, too familiar, for this is holy space, where the glory of Jesus comes down from heaven, into your ears and eyes and nose, onto your skin, inside your mouth—the glory that is His because He laid down His life that you might take yours up, and take it up in transcendent glory, forever. Amen.