Where Will You Go Today? Luke 9:28-43 - Transfiguration Sunday

²⁸Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³⁰Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. ³¹They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³²Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. ³⁴While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. ³⁵Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” ³⁶When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

  ³⁷On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. ³⁸Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. ³⁹Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. ⁴⁰I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” ⁴¹Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” ⁴²While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. ^43aAnd all were astounded at the greatness of God. (NRSV)

Grassy Field by aloyr on Flickr. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Microsoft Windows was the newest “big thing” when I was in high school. I remember turning the on the school computers, and the first thing to appear on the screen was the Microsoft logo, with the slogan “where do you want to go today?”

Any time I turn on a computer, I ask, “is it going to work today?”

But I also thought, “where I really want to go is anywhere but here.”

That’s the problem with the Christian journey: you can’t tell Jesus where to go—and you never know where he will lead you.

Today’s Gospel begins with Jesus praying on a mountaintop, with Peter, James, and John nearby. The three disciples are barely able to fight back sleep, when Jesus’ face suddenly changes, and his clothes become dazzling white.  Moses and Elijah appear and begin talking with Jesus about his departure in Jerusalem.

Surrounded by Jesus’ glory, Peter hastily offers to build three dwelling places—which actually is a good idea. Mountaintops are great places of pilgrimage and rest. Peter, James, and John would certainly enjoy bringing people back there and telling them about what they witnessed.

But then, a voice from heaven interrupts Peter, saying, “this is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him!”

And it’s all over. Neither Jesus nor his disciples will return to that place.

The very next day, they meet a father whose only child is being tormented by demonic powers.

What a difference a day makes: seeing Jesus’ glory one day, only to see hell-on-earth the next. The disciples are so terrified that they cannot do anything. And it won’t be getting any better: Jesus will journey straight into human misery and evil. Entire towns will reject him; religious leaders will say he’s Beelzebul; and his own disciples will desert him. His final destination is hell-on-earth, on a hill called Golgotha, in Jerusalem’s garbage dump.

Ultimately, we know Jesus by the places he goes. His glory is not known solely on the mountaintop, but down in the valleys and low places where God’s children suffer. Yet how does that compare with how the Christian life is packaged and sold here in 21^st century America?

I can’t escape this mental picture of the Christian life as some solitary individual, standing in a grassy field, gazing at the sunrise with arms stretched out towards the sky. Who among us has the time or ability to do that on a hectic Monday morning?

Nevertheless, the Christian journey has become synonymous with achieving your full potential. You become strong and successful in all you do. You’re righteous and whole, at peace with God, with yourself, and with everyone else. You can’t wait for Sunday morning to come, so you can walk into church and praise your heart to the God who’s made everything so wonderful.

Somehow, being like Jesus and living like Jesus has become disconnected from going with Jesus.

Christianity has become a means of escape—escaping this troubled world; escaping your problems. It’s always easier to keep safe distance from other people’s poverty and pain. It’s always easier to forsake generosity and self-sacrifice when you’re not in control of the outcome. It’s easier to sweep conflict under the rug rather than to stir up bitterness and resentment by working through it. It’s easier to die than it is to change. And—it’s always easier to go and do things rather than stopping and listening to Jesus.

Any way you slice it, the pursuit of your own glory will always be more appealing than the pursuit of Jesus’ glory.

As we embark upon Lent, Jesus invites you to consider the break-off points in your walk with him—the places, times, and situations where Jesus bids you to follow him, and you don’t. Jesus’ disciples get quite a stinging rebuke when they fail to cast the demon out of the man’s son. He calls them a “faithless and perverse generation.” They are intolerable—and their greatest failure is yet to come. Yet Jesus does not abandon them. Just the same, Jesus does not give up on you. He wants you to witness his power and glory not just on the mountaintops, but in the doldrums of daily life—and in the depths of human suffering.

Lent is all about repentance—the turning away from sin and the quest for personal glory, towards the glory of resurrection and rebirth. Opportunities are waiting for you this very week to see Jesus in the faces of the poor and broken; to share your precious time and treasures and let God worry about the outcome. Somewhere in your life there’s a conflict you’ve been avoiding; a change to be made; or a challenge to be confronted. Stop substituting activity and busyness for listening and prayer.

To get Jesus, go with Jesus. His glory shines when generosity meets human need. His glory shines as Christians bear one another’s burdens and walk together through crisis and conflict. His glory shines when forgiveness is given and received. And God’s work is done by listening and then doing—not the other way around.

To know Jesus, you go with Jesus. And you don’t have to fear the darkness or the weakness of your flesh. He’s going to give you much to celebrate and plenty of things to talk about.

When the morning comes, will you dare to ask Jesus, “where do you want to go today?”