Mountaintops in the Depths: Matthew 16:24-17:9 - Transfiguration Sunday

Sunset, view to Mount Tavor by vad_levin on flickr. CC BY-NC 2.0

When have you felt closest to God?

I hope that you’ve had many such experiences—such as when your children were born or baptized. Maybe you remember going to Lutherlyn or some other church camp during your youth. Maybe you’ve gone on mission trips or attended large-scale gatherings of Christians.  Maybe when you come to church on Christmas Eve or Easter Sunday. 

I think back to my wedding day, my ordination to the ministry on June 18, 2011, the day our adoption of Rebecca finalized. I’ve felt close to God out in nature, in places like Rocky Mountain National Park, the white sandy beaches of south Florida, or the brilliant colors of autumn at Pennsylvania’s many State Parks. 

Unfortunately, these are not everyday experiences. Not everyone can be close to God in these ways.

But in the last ten days, there were two occasions when I felt very close God, and I was not on vacation.

The first was when I was praying at Eleanor Shaffer’s bedside, as she smiled and spoke about how excited she was to see Jesus in heaven, along with all her loved ones, and how she hopes they have handbell choirs in heaven (which, I’m sure they do). 

Many of you were here for the second time I felt close to God—and that was when Becky sang that beautiful anthem last week, “Heaven, Help Me.” 

These experiences have challenged my understanding of Jesus’s transfiguration in our Gospel for today.

Click here to read today's sermon text

Jesus has led Peter, James, and John up onto a mountain. Suddenly, his face shines like the sun and his clothes bright as light. Moses and Elijah appear and begin talking with him. Peter is so enthralled by what he’s witnessing that he offers to build three tabernacles for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.

Even after all the miracles and healings they had witnessed, this is the greatest revelation of Jesus’s divine glory. In this moment, there is not even a shred of doubt: Jesus is the messiah. Everything he said about himself is true.

But before they can become too elated, a thundering voice from heaven speaks: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” Now, the three disciples are as scared as a human being can possibly be without dying, because the Bible makes it very clear that no one can see God and live” (Exodus 33:20). Mercifully, the whole thing ends before the disciples go into cardiac arrest. Jesus touches them and says, “Get up and do not be afraid.” Then they come down from the mountain and Jesus commands them to tell no one about the vision until after he’s raised from the dead. Otherwise, people are going to get the wrong idea about him.

People worshiped pagan gods on mountaintops. But we have a God in Jesus Christ who comes down into the depths of our human experience. The cross is where Jesus is to be worshiped. The cross is where Jesus defeats and destroys sin and death. The cross reveals the truth of who he is to the world. 

Unfortunately, the disciples will not understand this until after Jesus is raised from the dead. That’s why they must keep the vision a secret. 

Powerful and exciting experiences of God’s glory are not the norm of the Christian life. They are the exception. This is why it is so important to send our youth to Lutherlyn and make time for overnight retreats, mission trips, and large-scale worship gatherings. We need to step out of everyday life and open ourselves up to the presence of God. Unfortunately, such opportunities are not accessible to everyone. 

Sunday worship is one way we can all experience closeness with God. But when worship is reduced only to what I as an individual get out of it, it’s not worship. It’s self-indulgence. Worship is not entertainment. It’s not an emotional high. Peter, James, and John learned this as soon as the voice from heaven spoke. Even though they may have felt “privileged” to witness the transfiguration, Jesus didn’t take them up there as a reward. This was to prepare them to fulfill the Great Commission; to go and make disciples. 

Peter, James, and John saw Jesus’s glory on the mountaintop. But everyone else will see Jesus’s  glory when he heals their diseases and casts out their demons; when he forgives their sins and shows them how much they matter to God. 

It’s no wonder, then, why we see the power and presence of God when we open our clothing closet, when we gather for GriefShare, when we pray for and with one another, and in the ways that we care for one another in Christ. And why not? The power of the cross is sacrificial love—and when we translate that love into action, we see God’s glory. And together, we move forward into the unknown with confidence that we will see God’s glory upon the heights and in the depths.

Everything you need to be close with God is here before you today. With one voice, we will sing the praises of our faithful Lord. We will lift up our joys and concerns together in prayer. We will eat and drink the body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and the resurrection of our broken spirits. 

Then go with good courage out into the world, where you God will send you to entertain angels unawares, and where God will send people to minister to you all the same.

If you worry for what awaits you this week, remember that Jesus has forsaken the glories of heaven to dwell with you in your depths. For it’s not on the mountaintops that we know the fullness of Jesus, but in the depths where his goodness saves us.