Royster Memorial
Presbyterian Church
Matthew’s gospel Peter confessed his belief that
Jesus was the Messiah. In response Jesus praised
Peter; “You are the rock and upon this rock I will
build my church”. It was a wonderful, soaring
moment and the disciples, especially Peter, must
have felt really up.
Well, unfortunately that up time did not last very
long. Almost immediately the proverbial roller
coaster took a downward plunge. Jesus began to
talk about his impending death and the suffering
that His disciples would experience. Then Jesus
and Peter got into an argument that became so
heated that Jesus turned to Peter and said “Get
behind me Satan”.
Life on a Roller Coaster:
Reflections on the
Transfiguration
February 23, 2014
Dr. John Monroe
Exodus 24:12-18; 34:29-32 Matthew 17:1-9; 17-1421
Back when I was in college a couple of
buddies and I came to a 3 Dog Night concert
at the Hampton Coliseum. It was fun but what
was really fun is what we did the next day.
We came to Norfolk, actually my first trip
ever to Norfolk, to ride the roller coaster in
Ocean View. That was before they blew it up
making a movie. Anyway, it was exciting, up
one minute, down the next, sometimes a little
scary but fun. Well, in my experience life can
be like that too.
For that matter think of the lives of Jesus’
disciples.
In the previous chapter of
So the disciple’s lives, in a sense, were like a
roller coaster, up one minute and down the next.
What about us today? Might we make a similar
comparison with our lives? Up one minute down
the next. In my experience that’s kind of the
nature of life.
Some days are good ones,
everything seems to be going well and we feel up
in spirit, close to God. But then there are these
days when something happens that’s a real
downer. Maybe we get sick or there’s some
conflict at work or at school or at home; our spirits
sink and God seems distant.
As I reflected on all of this it occurred to me that
we use the word down in different ways. If I said
“I’m feeling down”, I would mean that I’m sad,
even depressed. It has a negative connatation.
But if I said “Things have been frantic, I need a
little down time”. That has a more positive
connotation. Down time is time off the treadmill.
Time to relax and rejuvenate, time to “be still and
know that God is God”. (Psalm 45:10)
So in some ways life can feel like a roller
coaster, up one minute and down the next,
exciting but sometimes a little scary.
Following that low point in Matthew’s gospel
where Jesus and Peter argued, the “roller
coaster” suddenly lurched back up again.
Jesus led Peter, James and John up onto a high
mountain. While they were up there Jesus
“was transfigured before them”. Up until that
time Jesus had been “the divine incognito” as
Paul Tillich put it, God disguised as a human
being. On that mountain though, for a brief
moment, His human veil was lifted, revealing
Him in all of His divine glory. Then a voice
from the cloud said “This is my beloved Son”.
It was an extraordinary experience and I’m
sure a real encouragement for Jesus’ disciples.
Amid the gathering clouds of controversy and
danger and death there was this sudden beacon
of hope. Mark notes that Peter did not know
what to say because he was afraid. That
however did not stop him from talking. Jesus
was standing before him in all of his divine
glory. Then suddenly Moses and Elijah, twin
pillars of the old covenant appeared with Him.
So Peter blurted out: “Lord, it’s a good thing
that James and John and I are here; let us build
three booths, one for you, one for Moses, and
one for Elijah”. It’s hard to know what Peter
was thinking. Maybe he was thinking about
the Feast of Booths, and annual celebration
commerating Israel’s 40 years of wandering in
the wilderness.
When I think of a booth I think of a phone
booth or a toll booth, some small, confined
space. Are there times or ways today when
we might, in a sense, put Christ in a booth?
Do we sometimes confine Him or our faith in
a “box” labeled religious so that they won’t
interfere with other areas of our life like work
or recreation that we have labeled secular.
And I think I sense something else Peter might
have been up to because I’ve done it myself.
You can almost see the wheels in his head
turning. “Let’s make three booths”, or more to
the point let’s stay up here; it’s quiet, there’s a
beautiful view, it’s safe and nobody is yelling
at us or pulling at us.
When the roller coaster ride of life has left me
feeling frazzled I sometimes do this sort of
thing. Not go up into a mountain of course.
In my case I usually come back here to the
columbarium, close the door and sit on the
couch. It’s quiet, safe, sometimes just what I
need. Some time for quiet reflection and
rejuvenation.
We should note though that the story of the
Transfiguration does not really end up there
on the mountain. That’s what Peter wanted, to
stay up there on the mountain, but very soon
the roller coaster began to descent as Jesus led
them back down into the valley.
When Jesus and the disciples came down from
the mountain they were met by a man, his face
etched with pain as he watched his beloved
son suffer. “Have mercy on my son” he cried
out. We can well imagine how Peter, James
and John felt, resentful perhaps, because their
time of peace and quiet had suddenly been
interrupted.
Matthew notes that the disciples were not able to
help because of their little faith. As Jesus healed
the man’s son though, the disciples began to
understand that the whole point of their mountain
top experience was to prepare them for the
ministries and mission work that awaited them
back down in the valley.
Think about all of this with respect to our lives
today. We too have those moments of inspiration,
those times when we really do sense God’s
presence with us, maybe even our own mountain
top experience of some sort. We should savor
these experiences because they truly are blessings.
But as with Peter, James and John so we with, the
whole point of our mountain top experiences is to
prepare us for the ministries and mission that
await us back down in the “valley”, out there in
the world.
And just as Jesus accompanied Peter, James and
John down that mountain into the valley, so today
Christ accompanies us when we head down into
those valleys. He is with us when we go out there
to face the challenges and difficulties of life, but
also seizing the opportunities of life.
So let us keep the faith and let us remember Jesus
promise that faith even the size of a mustard seed
can move mountains. So as the old hymn put it
“How good, O Lord, to be here, yet we cannot
remain, but since you bid us leave the mount,
come with us to the plain”.
In closing, think for a moment about Moses’
mountain top experience. When he came down the
people could tell that he had been in the Lord’s
presence because his face glowed.
Jesus promised to be with us whenever we
gather in His name. So like Moses we too
have been in the Lord’s presence. When we
leave here today I doubt that our faces will be
glowing. So how might people know that we
have been in the Lord’s presence? Remember
Paul Tillich’s challenge that we Christians
become “transparent”. When people look at
us let them see, not so much us but the Christ
living within us. How do we do this? How do
we reflect Christ’s presence? By sharing
God’s love and grace.
Thanks be to God. Amen