the season of lent is upon us. i always have a hard time with this season. i don't think it is the discipline of the season. nor do i think it is the general wilderness feel of sacrifice for the season either. i think it is the anticipation of the end of the season and the beginning of easter. i find myself not appreciating the sacrifice i am making in order to grow closer to and find a deeper level of relationship with god. i believe lent has been abused by our consumer attitude toward christianity. i can remember a day when lent was barely talked about, or referred to as "that catholic thing." as a person who grew up with several very close catholic friends, i always observed their lenten fast. i appreciated the fact that they were sacrificing, even if i didn't have a deep understanding of what that meant on anything more than a superficial level. but back to the point at hand. as more and more christians have begun to participate in the lenten practices, it has become something that has been turned into a commodity in a typical american fashion. we look for efficiency more than sacrifice. we find things that will be the least painful, but still "significant" to give up. and mostly in my opinion we look for trendy things. things that we can give up year after year in order to simply tell our friends, i am giving up "chocolate" or some other yearly sacrifice.
so as not to give the wrong impression, i too have done that for many a year. i have found many a thing to give up, and yet have continued to feel unsatisfied at the end of the season. easter comes, and there is celebration, but there is no feast. so as i began to give this serious thought in the past several years and ancient wisdom was that things were sacrificed in order to take on something in place of that thing sacrificed in order to bring yourself closer and into a deeper relationship with god. simple, yet profound. give something up to take something on. i do want to differentiate this from typical american consumerism of busyness. we tend only to give up commitments when we have another to replace it with. this is poor form at best and probably destructive individually, familially, and ultimately communally. another post for another time however.
so after saying all of this running is one my favorite hobbies. there is in my opinion no better way to the see the environment around you than by enjoying it while running. i can cover great distances at a time either slow or fast and most importantly for me, it is a time of deep reflection. i get moody when i don't run. just ask my wife. my energy is off, i don't sleep well, i gain weight, and overall tend toward a sour outlook. that is no way to live. so i run. but i also run because at a deeper level of my being, it gives me deep satisfaction and provides me an avenue to experience who god has made me to be. i discover more about myself by running not only recreationally but also in races. i have been pushed to my very physical limits. and i have triumphed at times. but most importantly, i believe, i have failed at times in running. i have not met goals. i have been injured. and i have been deeply disappointed.
running offers, for me, a great picture of lent. we will have failures, triumphs, and hopefully deep personal reflection. the kind of reflection and introspection that results in outward action that draws us ultimately closer to one another and to god.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
on transfiguring
i am not going to lie. i was not that excited when my boss asked me to preach this week in chapel. i could have abandoned the lectionary for something much more amenable to preach about, but i think that is weak for a couple of reasons: 1. i believe the lectionary challenges the preacher to think beyond their comfort zone. 2. there is some inherent beauty to the rhythm of the lectionary. it moves with the seasons and that is something that is both informative and comforting.
so anyhow, i see what is cooking on the lectionary...and it is the transfiguration of jesus and the story of elijah being taken up in a whirlwind by chariots and horses of fire. seriously?!? so i pressed on. resolute that i would make at least enough sense of these texts to have something intelligible to say on thursday morning. the following is what i came up with:
"Transformed for what?"
I would be kidding anybody today if I stood up here and told you that I understand everything that is happening in the Scriptures we have heard today. I could start with the story out of 2 Kings in which Elisha follows Elijah until Elijah is taken up in a whirlwind of chariots and horses of fire. I am not sure I want to spend too much time even thinking about the absolutely terrifying prospect of walking along with someone and suddenly having them disappear in a rush of wind and stampeding horses. It is hard to even place myself in the shoes of Elisha from the time he was called to follow Elijah. As he is plowing his family fields with oxen Elijah comes by and throws his mantle onto him. Now a mantle would have been an outer cloak that Elijah would have been wearing. It would have basically signified that Elisha was a student or follower of his. It would also signify to others that Elisha was chosen as the one who will take over the prophetic clan that Elijah was leading. Much like the rabbis of the time, the prophets would have a group of followers and students who would learn from the leader and hopefully display that they were capable of leading the others in the ways that would be honoring to what God is calling them to speak.
Or maybe I could start with the story of the transfiguration of Jesus of Nazareth. It was high on a mountain that we read Jesus experiences such a significant inner transformation that Peter, James, and John are dumbfounded. There really is no better word to describe the situation the disciples find themselves in. They are so terrified as to not understand not only what is happening on the mountain, but what Jesus tells to them as they are coming down the mountain. I imagine there was quite the surprise and confusion as they stood on the mountain and two supposedly dead (although I suppose Elijah never technically died) guys are appearing as though they are alive before them. This is only compounded when a voice from the clouds, that common depiction of God, tells them to listen to Jesus. Haven’t they already been listening to Jesus?
So, needless to say, I feel like I am in your seat today, waiting to hear from someone with a bit more intelligible things to say about what these scenes are all about and what in the world they mean! And perhaps you can at least sympathize if not empathize with me today when I tell you that obviously I am in the unenviable position of being the one who is trying to make sense of these scenes. And I have spent the better part of a week mulling these ideas over, these non-understandings and have come to some conclusions. But before we get to these conclusions perhaps it will do us well to simply take a moment to locate ourselves in the stories. Where is it that you most identify? Is it with Elisha, confused, yet hopeful that this will be the moment you have been waiting for? Is it with Elijah, ready and prepared, resolute? Or is it with Peter ready to at least try to say something that makes sense of the situation even if it is a ridiculous proposition? Maybe it is with the other disciples; too afraid to even act out or talk until you walk away from the one whom really deserves to be asked the question? Or maybe it is with the voice from the clouds needing to hear the reassurance that Jesus of Nazareth really is worth following and listening to? No matter where you find yourself I believe these stories are significant even if the events of them are not.
When you consider these two stories I believe we have a case of the undercard stealing away the show from the main event. In other words, I believe the events surrounding the central events of Elijah being taken up in a whirlwind of firey chariots and horses and Jesus being transfigured are not as significant for us as those things surrounding these events. And if at this point you are confused, I want to welcome you to the space I have occupied the last several days. In all seriousness, I do believe that something very important did happen to Jesus on that mountain, but I also know that what happened to Jesus is not going to be intelligible for me to describe in any detail. The idea of metamorphosis is something akin to what happened, but that seems to make as little sense of things as anything else I could say about it.
In 2 Kings we find Elisha following Elijah with a fervency that is not matched by the others of the prophetic group they are a part of. Elisha is told three times by Elijah to stay put and stop following him, yet Elisha refuses to stay where he is and tells Elijah that he will not leave his side until he is gone. He knows the consequences of what will happen on this day and yet he refuses to stop following. The same can’t be said for the disciples we will meet in the Markan story, who are marked by failure, and the same probably can’t be said of how we follow Christ at all times. Elijah simply has a drive inside of him that perhaps comes closest to the way we run after something when we really, really want that thing. And most of the time those things are material. And to be clear Elisha knew what was at stake. Elijah asks him point blank, what do you want from me? And Elisha answers that he wants the double portion inheritance. This would be the inheritance of the firstborn. He wants to lead the prophetic guild. I believe this is not Elisha being materialistic or desiring worldly gain, as it might be easy to confuse it for such, but that Elisha clearly understands his calling. He understands what it means to take on the mantle of Elijah and will do whatever he must to be obedient to this call. He leaves behind his family and responsibilities in the field on the abrupt call of Elijah. He follows even when it is clear that everyone thinks he is crazy for following and that things do not look good. And he has the determination to follow through with the conditions of the call – he must watch and see Elijah taken up. Amid all the confusion and chaos of that moment he does that, and yet it is unclear that he understands he himself has inherited what he asked for. He must have the courage to step out and try to part the waters, to lead himself back along the path of exile into the community in order to reintegrate and become a part of the people once again. We can learn something from this clear sighted commitment. We are each called by God to something. I cannot tell you what that calling is, but I do know that when you know that calling, you must determine the best path in order to follow that call. It might get tough at times and it may be confusing and chaotic. However, we are called to maintain our focus and see things through to the very end. In this we will begin to be transformed to become someone different, perhaps even to the point that it is evident to others that we are called and set apart for the glory of God.
I want also to return to the thought that the disciples failed in following Jesus. I am not saying by any means that they ultimately failed, but they did experience failure. This story comes in the middle of significant events of failure on the part of the disciples. Mark is specific to mention that this is six days later. So naturally you might ask six days after what? Or maybe what has happened that we might want to look back at the six days? Six days earlier we find Jesus has healed a blind man in Bethsaida and then he went on with his disciples to Caesarea Philippi. Caesarea Philippi was known as the place where people would worship the Greek god Pan. Pan was the Greek god of the shepherds and flocks, of the mountain wilds, and hunting and rustic music. But in Greek mythology, he also took credit for inspiring sudden fear and loneliness in people and places. So imagine what it means for Jesus to be at this place in Caesarea Philippi where one of the sources of the Jordan River springs to the surface of the Earth and Jesus tells Peter and the other disciples that not even the gates of Hades will stand against the church that he is building on the solid foundation of rock. He is effectively telling them that sudden loneliness and fear, as might be inspired by the coming events of his life and crucifixion will not defeat him and the kingdom of God. He is giving them a foretaste of what is to come. He goes on to tell them of his death and resurrection and Peter tries to rebuke him for which he is ultimately rebuked himself (it was after all when Jesus calls him Satan). And finally, Jesus has told his followers that in order to follow them they must lay down their lives, pick up their cross and follow; they must lose their lives to gain them. It is all of this that immediately precedes and must be fresh in the minds of the disciples as they follow Jesus up the mountain to where they are at once terrified to find Jesus transformed into glory and Elijah and Moses are present before them. Stupefied, Peter suggests that they build tents or places of worship for the three of them as though they were going to stay there atop the mountain, Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. And then the voice from heaven booms at them to listen to Jesus. Jesus didn’t even take the time to reply to his suggestion. Instead as they were coming off the mountain confused and probably still trembling, Jesus tells them not to tell anyone about what happened until after he is raised from the dead. And even though the concept of resurrection would have meant something to the Jewish ears of these three disciples, they are confused. They don’t know what to make of what they have seen and heard.
Maybe they were expecting a different kind of Messiah. Perhaps they expected Jesus to overthrow the current political powers. It is inconceivable for them at this time that Jesus would be talking about rising from the dead and living after death. Perhaps this is also because we know they will have a hard time understanding and grasping that Jesus is resurrected from the dead even when it has happened. The three disciples fail to grasp the significant call for themselves to be transformed and changed for the current world. They fail to watch Jesus in the garden in the coming days and James and John are about to quibble over who is greatest among them. One of the commentaries I read suggested that this scene reinforces to us that, “Appearances of glory do not provide evidence for God’s truth.”
So I ask you, what are we to be transformed for? If we believe something significant happens in Christ promising the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives, what are we changed for? I suggest we begin to get at this in asking how poignant it is that Jesus demands that the disciples not go and tell. Outside of their non-understanding of the significance of the event, it would have been big news to Jews in the area that they saw Jesus speaking with Elijah and Moses. Instead we see that faith is a prerequisite of healing and understanding of the true nature of God. This is what seems to make the sacrifice so big. We must learn and commit to seeing the world in a new way. The kingdom is not something far-off and other timely; it is now in the present. Jesus’ transfiguration suggests that he is preparing to usher the kingdom in with his death and resurrection, which he points to. What the disciples don’t seem to get is that Jesus will bring the kingdom to the present in part in the tension that it will be not wholly present until the final new creation. In failing to grasp this, the disciples seem almost disappointed that Jesus would be alive and present with the saints of Elijah and Moses without being the Messiah they seem to desire, overthrowing the present world order.
N.T. Wright, the Bishop of Durham for the Church of England, puts it this way in his book Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (which I highly recommend): “What Pastor Gospelman (he is speaking here about two fictitious preachers on Easter) never notices is that the resurrection stories in the gospels aren’t about going to heaven when you die…Jesus is risen, therefore God’s new world has begun. Jesus is risen, therefore Israel and the world have been redeemed. Jesus is risen, therefore his followers have a new job to do. And what is that new job? To bring the life of heaven to birth in actual, physical, earthly reality…The resurrection is indeed the foundation for a renewed way of life in and for the world. But to get that social, political, and cultural result, you really do need the bodily resurrection.” I believe N.T. Wright is on to something here. Jesus, whether in transfiguration, death, or resurrection, is not calling us to other-worldly existence. He is calling us to transform the world in the present through transformed lives. It is our job, duty, and obligation of joy that we are able to participate in the creation of the new world, that we are part of the building of the kingdom of God. So, in closing let me ask, what are you doing and how are you working to transform not only your life, but the world around you? The kingdom of God is here, perhaps not in its full glory, but it is here, how are you participating?
so anyhow, i see what is cooking on the lectionary...and it is the transfiguration of jesus and the story of elijah being taken up in a whirlwind by chariots and horses of fire. seriously?!? so i pressed on. resolute that i would make at least enough sense of these texts to have something intelligible to say on thursday morning. the following is what i came up with:
"Transformed for what?"
I would be kidding anybody today if I stood up here and told you that I understand everything that is happening in the Scriptures we have heard today. I could start with the story out of 2 Kings in which Elisha follows Elijah until Elijah is taken up in a whirlwind of chariots and horses of fire. I am not sure I want to spend too much time even thinking about the absolutely terrifying prospect of walking along with someone and suddenly having them disappear in a rush of wind and stampeding horses. It is hard to even place myself in the shoes of Elisha from the time he was called to follow Elijah. As he is plowing his family fields with oxen Elijah comes by and throws his mantle onto him. Now a mantle would have been an outer cloak that Elijah would have been wearing. It would have basically signified that Elisha was a student or follower of his. It would also signify to others that Elisha was chosen as the one who will take over the prophetic clan that Elijah was leading. Much like the rabbis of the time, the prophets would have a group of followers and students who would learn from the leader and hopefully display that they were capable of leading the others in the ways that would be honoring to what God is calling them to speak.
Or maybe I could start with the story of the transfiguration of Jesus of Nazareth. It was high on a mountain that we read Jesus experiences such a significant inner transformation that Peter, James, and John are dumbfounded. There really is no better word to describe the situation the disciples find themselves in. They are so terrified as to not understand not only what is happening on the mountain, but what Jesus tells to them as they are coming down the mountain. I imagine there was quite the surprise and confusion as they stood on the mountain and two supposedly dead (although I suppose Elijah never technically died) guys are appearing as though they are alive before them. This is only compounded when a voice from the clouds, that common depiction of God, tells them to listen to Jesus. Haven’t they already been listening to Jesus?
So, needless to say, I feel like I am in your seat today, waiting to hear from someone with a bit more intelligible things to say about what these scenes are all about and what in the world they mean! And perhaps you can at least sympathize if not empathize with me today when I tell you that obviously I am in the unenviable position of being the one who is trying to make sense of these scenes. And I have spent the better part of a week mulling these ideas over, these non-understandings and have come to some conclusions. But before we get to these conclusions perhaps it will do us well to simply take a moment to locate ourselves in the stories. Where is it that you most identify? Is it with Elisha, confused, yet hopeful that this will be the moment you have been waiting for? Is it with Elijah, ready and prepared, resolute? Or is it with Peter ready to at least try to say something that makes sense of the situation even if it is a ridiculous proposition? Maybe it is with the other disciples; too afraid to even act out or talk until you walk away from the one whom really deserves to be asked the question? Or maybe it is with the voice from the clouds needing to hear the reassurance that Jesus of Nazareth really is worth following and listening to? No matter where you find yourself I believe these stories are significant even if the events of them are not.
When you consider these two stories I believe we have a case of the undercard stealing away the show from the main event. In other words, I believe the events surrounding the central events of Elijah being taken up in a whirlwind of firey chariots and horses and Jesus being transfigured are not as significant for us as those things surrounding these events. And if at this point you are confused, I want to welcome you to the space I have occupied the last several days. In all seriousness, I do believe that something very important did happen to Jesus on that mountain, but I also know that what happened to Jesus is not going to be intelligible for me to describe in any detail. The idea of metamorphosis is something akin to what happened, but that seems to make as little sense of things as anything else I could say about it.
In 2 Kings we find Elisha following Elijah with a fervency that is not matched by the others of the prophetic group they are a part of. Elisha is told three times by Elijah to stay put and stop following him, yet Elisha refuses to stay where he is and tells Elijah that he will not leave his side until he is gone. He knows the consequences of what will happen on this day and yet he refuses to stop following. The same can’t be said for the disciples we will meet in the Markan story, who are marked by failure, and the same probably can’t be said of how we follow Christ at all times. Elijah simply has a drive inside of him that perhaps comes closest to the way we run after something when we really, really want that thing. And most of the time those things are material. And to be clear Elisha knew what was at stake. Elijah asks him point blank, what do you want from me? And Elisha answers that he wants the double portion inheritance. This would be the inheritance of the firstborn. He wants to lead the prophetic guild. I believe this is not Elisha being materialistic or desiring worldly gain, as it might be easy to confuse it for such, but that Elisha clearly understands his calling. He understands what it means to take on the mantle of Elijah and will do whatever he must to be obedient to this call. He leaves behind his family and responsibilities in the field on the abrupt call of Elijah. He follows even when it is clear that everyone thinks he is crazy for following and that things do not look good. And he has the determination to follow through with the conditions of the call – he must watch and see Elijah taken up. Amid all the confusion and chaos of that moment he does that, and yet it is unclear that he understands he himself has inherited what he asked for. He must have the courage to step out and try to part the waters, to lead himself back along the path of exile into the community in order to reintegrate and become a part of the people once again. We can learn something from this clear sighted commitment. We are each called by God to something. I cannot tell you what that calling is, but I do know that when you know that calling, you must determine the best path in order to follow that call. It might get tough at times and it may be confusing and chaotic. However, we are called to maintain our focus and see things through to the very end. In this we will begin to be transformed to become someone different, perhaps even to the point that it is evident to others that we are called and set apart for the glory of God.
I want also to return to the thought that the disciples failed in following Jesus. I am not saying by any means that they ultimately failed, but they did experience failure. This story comes in the middle of significant events of failure on the part of the disciples. Mark is specific to mention that this is six days later. So naturally you might ask six days after what? Or maybe what has happened that we might want to look back at the six days? Six days earlier we find Jesus has healed a blind man in Bethsaida and then he went on with his disciples to Caesarea Philippi. Caesarea Philippi was known as the place where people would worship the Greek god Pan. Pan was the Greek god of the shepherds and flocks, of the mountain wilds, and hunting and rustic music. But in Greek mythology, he also took credit for inspiring sudden fear and loneliness in people and places. So imagine what it means for Jesus to be at this place in Caesarea Philippi where one of the sources of the Jordan River springs to the surface of the Earth and Jesus tells Peter and the other disciples that not even the gates of Hades will stand against the church that he is building on the solid foundation of rock. He is effectively telling them that sudden loneliness and fear, as might be inspired by the coming events of his life and crucifixion will not defeat him and the kingdom of God. He is giving them a foretaste of what is to come. He goes on to tell them of his death and resurrection and Peter tries to rebuke him for which he is ultimately rebuked himself (it was after all when Jesus calls him Satan). And finally, Jesus has told his followers that in order to follow them they must lay down their lives, pick up their cross and follow; they must lose their lives to gain them. It is all of this that immediately precedes and must be fresh in the minds of the disciples as they follow Jesus up the mountain to where they are at once terrified to find Jesus transformed into glory and Elijah and Moses are present before them. Stupefied, Peter suggests that they build tents or places of worship for the three of them as though they were going to stay there atop the mountain, Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. And then the voice from heaven booms at them to listen to Jesus. Jesus didn’t even take the time to reply to his suggestion. Instead as they were coming off the mountain confused and probably still trembling, Jesus tells them not to tell anyone about what happened until after he is raised from the dead. And even though the concept of resurrection would have meant something to the Jewish ears of these three disciples, they are confused. They don’t know what to make of what they have seen and heard.
Maybe they were expecting a different kind of Messiah. Perhaps they expected Jesus to overthrow the current political powers. It is inconceivable for them at this time that Jesus would be talking about rising from the dead and living after death. Perhaps this is also because we know they will have a hard time understanding and grasping that Jesus is resurrected from the dead even when it has happened. The three disciples fail to grasp the significant call for themselves to be transformed and changed for the current world. They fail to watch Jesus in the garden in the coming days and James and John are about to quibble over who is greatest among them. One of the commentaries I read suggested that this scene reinforces to us that, “Appearances of glory do not provide evidence for God’s truth.”
So I ask you, what are we to be transformed for? If we believe something significant happens in Christ promising the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives, what are we changed for? I suggest we begin to get at this in asking how poignant it is that Jesus demands that the disciples not go and tell. Outside of their non-understanding of the significance of the event, it would have been big news to Jews in the area that they saw Jesus speaking with Elijah and Moses. Instead we see that faith is a prerequisite of healing and understanding of the true nature of God. This is what seems to make the sacrifice so big. We must learn and commit to seeing the world in a new way. The kingdom is not something far-off and other timely; it is now in the present. Jesus’ transfiguration suggests that he is preparing to usher the kingdom in with his death and resurrection, which he points to. What the disciples don’t seem to get is that Jesus will bring the kingdom to the present in part in the tension that it will be not wholly present until the final new creation. In failing to grasp this, the disciples seem almost disappointed that Jesus would be alive and present with the saints of Elijah and Moses without being the Messiah they seem to desire, overthrowing the present world order.
N.T. Wright, the Bishop of Durham for the Church of England, puts it this way in his book Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (which I highly recommend): “What Pastor Gospelman (he is speaking here about two fictitious preachers on Easter) never notices is that the resurrection stories in the gospels aren’t about going to heaven when you die…Jesus is risen, therefore God’s new world has begun. Jesus is risen, therefore Israel and the world have been redeemed. Jesus is risen, therefore his followers have a new job to do. And what is that new job? To bring the life of heaven to birth in actual, physical, earthly reality…The resurrection is indeed the foundation for a renewed way of life in and for the world. But to get that social, political, and cultural result, you really do need the bodily resurrection.” I believe N.T. Wright is on to something here. Jesus, whether in transfiguration, death, or resurrection, is not calling us to other-worldly existence. He is calling us to transform the world in the present through transformed lives. It is our job, duty, and obligation of joy that we are able to participate in the creation of the new world, that we are part of the building of the kingdom of God. So, in closing let me ask, what are you doing and how are you working to transform not only your life, but the world around you? The kingdom of God is here, perhaps not in its full glory, but it is here, how are you participating?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)