Changed for Good
Luke 9:28-36
February 18, 2007
Transfiguration Sunday
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
Her name was Carol. She and I happened to be in the same Art-as-Meditation workshop at the week-long seminar presented by the Institute for Culture and Creation-Centered Spirituality. As part of that class, we were to find a covenant partner -someone else we would meet with every day to talk about what we were experiencing; someone who would listen and encourage and when necessary comfort and question. We were to walk silently around the room and when there was someone we thought we might want for a partner, we were to silently indicate that and they could either accept or decline, again without saying a word. As I was scanning the room and intently trying to sense if there was a pull toward anyone, I was startled as I caught sight of Carol standing a few feet away looking at me. I was startled because I hadn't even noticed her in the class. AS she stood there, I had the sense that she wanted to be my partner, but was afraid I would reject her. Now, I have to tell you, that's exactly what part of me wanted to do. But something else inside seemed to be saying "yes" to her silent request. And so it was that we became Covenant Partners. On that first day as we shared a bit of our life stories with one another, I was struck by how pale and lifeless Carol looked. She wore no make up, her clothes were very plan and even her hair seemed to lack any luster.
It was an incredible week; the classes, the workshops, the morning "body prayer" experiences, the evening speakers and rituals each brought new ways of seeing, new ways of being, new ways of thinking. As Carol & I talked each day, it was clear that we had much in common and it was a joy to witness one another as we opened more and more to the Spirit -each beginning to sense in a new way that we were loved, profoundly and powerfully loved; each beginning to understand in a new way that our lives had meaning and purpose and value; each finding healing for some of the wounds our rigid religious upbringing had inflicted on our souls. Yes, it was an incredible week; you might even say it was a mountaintop experience!
But, the most incredible part was the transformation I saw in Carol. On Thursday afternoon, when I saw Carol I could not believe my eyes. In fact I almost didn't recognize her. Her eyes, once cloudy and filled with pain, were clear sparkling wells of light. Her face, once drawn and pale was alive with color. Her smile was radiant and even her hair seemed to shine. She radiated a profound but simple beauty.
"Carol," I asked incredulously, "what did you do to yourself? Are you wearing make-up? Did you change your hair? You look fantastic!"
With a smile of delight that enveloped her whole being, she said, "You're the third person to ask me that today. No, I'm not wearing make-up and I didn't do anything different with my hair. I guess it must just be God's beauty shinning in my face."
"[Jesus] climbed the mountain to pray, ... While he was in prayer, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became blinding white. [Luke 6:28]
There's something about being touched by grace, something about experiencing God's extravagantly welcoming unconditional love, something about the deep healing that happens when we discover our hidden wholeness and begin to embrace the fullness of who we are, that transforms us from the inside out and it shows on our faces and shines from our eyes.
Whatever happened to Jesus on the mountain that day, showed in his whole being and Peter, James and John had one of those intense, ecstatic visions that might have transformed their lives then and there, but they weren't sure what to do with it. Perhaps unnerved by what he had experienced, Peter engaged his mouth before his head, "Master, this is a great moment! Let's build three memorials: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." In other words, Peter wanted to build a church, design a ritual and chisel this experience in stone to hold on to it forever. But I suspect that Peter wanted to stay, not simply to keep this moment permanent but also to keep his life unchanged.
Our hearts and souls long for an experience of the Divine. At the deepest level of our being that's why we gather to worship. It's why we go on retreats, pray, meditate, read the scripture and other devotional materials. But, like Peter, we really don't actually want or expect any of that to change our lives all that much; especially not if the change means letting go of cherished habits, confronting unhealthy behaviors, speaking out against injustice, challenging intolerant attitudes in ourselves or our world or daring to step into new visions God might have of who we are created to become.
But mountaintop experiences are gifts, glimpses into the something more God always has in store. So it is that, less than a heart beat following Peter's utterance of his plan of action, a cloud surrounded them and the voice of God spoke, changing their present reality and altering any future they might have imagined: "This is my Son, the Chosen! Listen to him." Writing about this passage Rev. Ann Svennungsen said, "On Mt. Sinai, Moses received the Ten Commandments - on the Mount of the Transfiguration, the disciples received only one commandment - listen to Jesus." Listen to Jesus! Listen to Jesus, pay attention to his way of living, his way of loving, his way of being. It was the commandment that would sustain them through the difficult days ahead. It was the commandment that would truly transform their lives and the world.
And so, as we stand on the mountain with Peter, James and John, as we prepare for our own Lenten Journey, we receive the same commandment: "Listen to Jesus..."
Listen to Jesus as he invites you to claim who you are -a beloved child of God!
Listen to Jesus as he calls you to recognize God's spirit alive -here and now- in every atom of creation!
Listen to Jesus as he invites you live in openness to God's love -allowing that love to hold you and heal you!
Listen to Jesus as he calls you to step beyond your fear and become that love manifest in your day to day living!
Listen to Jesus as he invites you to see new possibilities and envision new futures!
Listen to Jesus as he calls you to feed hungry bodies and nourish famished souls!
Listen to Jesus as he invites you to risk stepping up and speaking out on behalf of those who have no voice!
Listen to Jesus as he calls you welcome the outcast, heal the sick, and free the bound!
Listen to Jesus -day in and day out; on the mountaintops of joy, in the clouds of dazzling darkness and on the winding roads of life!
Listen to Jesus as we journey with him toward Jerusalem, toward that Friday called good and toward the new life that is sure to follow!
Listen to Jesus!
Amen.
