ROME IMPROVEMENT 02/14/2021

MORE POWER!  MORE GLORY!!  MORE SPIRIT!!!

SURVEYING THE SITE—Mark 9:2-10

Have you ever fallen asleep in the middle of a movie, then waked without knowing what the heck is going on? Well, this week’s text is somewhat like that. Last week we were reading Mark 1 rather closely, and this week we have jumped seven chapters in order to read the text for Transfiguration Sunday. In those intervening chapters, Jesus has gathered the people: the sick, the possessed, the leper, the lame, the old and the young, women and men; he has fed the hungry (the 5,000 and the 4,000) and healed both Jews and gentiles. Jesus has taught in ways that when people have listened even the deaf can hear and in ways that the blind can see in order to proclaim the good news.

If you are old, as I am, you may remember that Transfiguration Day used to be August 6. In developing the Revised Common Lectionary, published in 1973, ecumenical conversations following Vatican II moved the date of Transfiguration Sunday for much of the Church. It was positioned as the last Sunday in Epiphany in the Lutheran Book of Worship released in 1978.

I appreciate this newer location because this day is now a line of demarcation between Epiphany and Lent. Recognizing that this day on the mountain mirrors the hill of Golgotha on Good Friday, we ponder what rising from the dead means in our lives today. The fruit of this pondering is a lens through which we can see and internalize the importance of the crucifixion story to come.

In addition, in its older position, many people were on vacation including pastors, and this new place gives pastors a time to talk about the importance of having conversation partners as we go forward in ministry together.

READING THE BLUEPRINT

Verse 1 of this chapter, “There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”, is something of an orphan verse. It really doesn’t belong to the chapter before, but it seems difficult to understand with this story.

If we read this passage as a pre-resurrection utterance, it gets claimed by those who advocate for the Messianic secret theory which says there are secret learnings that only the disciples knew about and that there are secret learnings for the faithful elite. I believe that any Messianic secret is not secret in Mark; it is fully revealed at the very beginning of the book of Mark: Jesus is risen.

The power of the kingdom of God is revealed in the verses for this week. Jesus bears/carries/leads Peter, James, and John, up a high mountain, apart, by themselves. Jesus is transformed before them, and his clothes became glistening/dazzling white such as no one on earth could bleach them. They are compared to what fuller’s soap does. The clothes are literally purer white than what can be achieved on earth. And there appeared with Jesus, Elijah and Moses, who were talking with him.

Peter did not know what to say, nor did he know how to respond to what he was seeing. He just knew that he was terrified. In response, Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us pitch three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

Peter was seeing the power of God’s kingdom, but he couldn’t get his head around it. If that weren’t enough, a cloud put everything in a shadowy mist preventing anybody from continuing to see anything. From the cloud came a voice saying, “This is my son, the beloved. Listen to him.” The cloud vaporized, and, when they could see again, as they looked around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them to tell no one what they had seen until after the son of man had risen from the dead. So, they kept this vision of the kingdom of God to themselves, questioning, “What is this rising from the dead?”

ROUGHING IN THE HOUSE

In answer to that question, as a narrative feature and as one of the bookends of Lent, the Mount of Transfiguration offers some interesting possibilities. First, we recognize the divinity of Jesus in this story. As the magi recognized Jesus as the Messiah on the Day of Epiphany, so now the disciples see Jesus’ divinity as he speaks with Elijah and Moses on this Sunday, the line of demarcation between Epiphany and Lent.

Second, in chapter 15, we will see Jesus as truly human on Golgotha, again with a person on either side of him. There are three crosses; Jesus is in the middle with a bandit on either side.

Third, at that time, the curtain of the Holy of Holies is torn in two which breaks the barrier that separates us from God’s presence. We also witness, in chapter 1, the heavens being torn apart breaking down the barrier between heaven and earth. This week the results of that barrier breaking are even more fully revealed as we see both the giver of the law, Moses, and Elijah, the prophet that did not die but was assumed into heaven, with Jesus.

Fourth on this day, we are reminded of the baptismal event of chapter 1 by the voice from heaven saying, “Yes, this is my son, the beloved.”. Then we are affirmed in our faith and encouraged not to be distracted through the addition of “Listen to him!”

PUTTING UP THE WALLS

In the 1^st century world of power-politics, Jesus commands his disciples not to make the ministry about power. Jesus’ ministry is not about his divine, extra-worldly connections. Jesus’ ministry is concerned with the needs and relationships of the world—of our relationship with God and one another. No wonder then, that the disciples kept this matter to themselves wondering, “What is this rising from the dead?”

Faith is not something we can do by ourselves. We must do faith in relationship with one another. Faith is a precious gift from God that is meant to be talked about, tested, and proclaimed. Paul Tillich, a 20^th century theologian, tells us, “Revelation is meaningless if it is not able to be recognized by the community.” He tells us that even the most important learning about God and God’s work in the world has no value unless it is able to be shared and understood by the community that surrounds us—the community that God has given us.

Faith, and the revelations we have of God’s work, requires conversation partners. This week we are shown some of the conversation partners Jesus has in his ministry. We may think that these conversation partners are only available to Jesus. After all, we are not lifted up before others with Moses and Elijah at our sides.

But, in Scripture, we do have them at our sides. In the writings of Moses and the accounts of Elijah, we have their testimony of God’s presence in the world. There we witness their willingness to stand against oppressive power with God at their side. We have been given these major figures and more as our conversation partners in faith.

Yet, these are not enough. From the cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 12 which overshadows us in all that we do, comes the voice, “The one whom you follow, the one who dies on the cross and rises from the dead, the one who lifts people up from the places of alienating death into new life and community, listen to him!” To know Christ’s leading, to hear Christ’s words, to be able to follow and understand, is to also be willing to consider, “What does this rising from the dead mean to us and the world we live in today?”

HANGING THE TRIM

Valentine’s Day is all about inviting others to be intimate conversation partners in God’s love for the world because our love for one another is only a pale reflection of God’s love for us. So, in the presence of Moses and Elijah, witnessed by Peter, James and John, hear Christ’s word of loving invitation. “Will you be my Valentine? Will you be my conversation partner sharing the good news for all people?”

The Grand Old Duke of York, Matthew 17:1-9

The old song goes, “The grand old Duke of York,/ He had ten thousand men./ He marched them up the hill/ And he marched them down again./ Now, when you’re up, you’re up/ and when you’re down, you’re down,/ And when you’re only half way up,/ You’re neither up nor down.”

Welcome to Transfiguration Sunday. Today we are poised on the threshold between the end of Epiphany and the beginning of Lent. We have just come from the mountain on which Jesus preaches his first sermon in Matthew, and now we are standing on another mountain. As we look forward a few weeks, the followers of Jesus will climb the hill at Golgotha and then climb the mountain in Galilee where Jesus promises to meet the disciples after the resurrection. So many mountains, so little time.

In our readings today we also read about Moses and his great trip up the mountain. Lastly, we are reminded in Scripture of the six days of creation and how God did not end creation there but gave us the seventh day for rest, to join God in celebrating the goodness of creation.

So here we are. But you may ask, “Where is here?” I know that Joyce Carol Oates has written a book with that title, but that is not where I am going today. Still I think that it is a good question though. Where is here?

One of the places where scholars believe that Jesus and his disciples may have been standing that day was Mt. Hermon which is the site of the source of the Jordan River. On it is carved the oldest known depiction of Pan. Elsewhere on the mountain are niches that have been carved out for other gods. Is it possible that this is where Peter, James and John stood looking up at the appearance of Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus? Could they have thought that the world would want to remember the moment with three more grottos or niches among so many?

Even if this is the place where the transfiguration took place, I suggest that the problem of the day was that Peter and the disciples did not know where here was. They did not appreciate that the ministry of Jesus was about to change. They did not realize that their place in the mission and ministry with Jesus was about to change. They did not realize that in just a few chapters—days, weeks, months—Jesus would be crucified, he would die, and he would rise again from the dead to lead them from another mountain into a ministry of hope into the world and for the sake of the world. They could not comprehend that there, because they were not able to know where this here is. In many ways they were only half way up the hill even though they had been led up to the top.

So, in the midst of this Transfiguration Sunday, in the midst of seeing Jesus’ face shine like the sun, in the midst of Jesus’ clothes appearing dazzling white, in the midst of the appearance of Moses and Elijah, with the disciples hearing the voice from the bright cloud saying, “This is my son, my beloved, with him I am well pleased. Listen to him.”, do we know where here is? Are we so awed by the vision that we cannot respond appropriately? Are we wanting to lie down in fear of what we are called  to do and be in the world?

Because if we don’t know where here is, then we will never know if we ever get there. As a matter of fact, we may not even know that there is a there to get to.

Are we going to say, with Buffalo Springfield, “something’s happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear.”? Will we then walk away not speaking of what we have seen and heard until sometime in the future? Or, is it possible for us to orient ourselves and claim our place in the world, to declare our here to a world that is struggling with where here is.

Yes, this is Transfiguration Sunday, and the one thing we learn from this passage is that building may not be the right answer or response. We also learn that falling down in fear is not the right response either. Even the majestic image of Jesus with Moses and Elijah may be set aside. What matters most for the disciples and for us today is that when we look at the world we live in, it is not about the distractions of what is going on around us, but, when we awake to the reality of our situations, if we can see only Jesus, that will be enough. God’s voice from the cloud announces, “This is my beloved son. With him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Maybe we should, for whether we are at the top of the mountain or at the bottom, Jesus continues to lead us in ministry to the world.

 “The only son of God,/ He saves us, women and men./ He marches us up the hill/ And he marches us down again./ Now, when we’re up, we’re up/ and when we’re down, we’re down,/ and when we’re only half way up,/ we’re neither up nor down.”

May we know the here of this Transfiguration Sunday so that we might fully know the there to which we are going.

HICKORY DICKORY DOCK or 3 BLIND MICE

THE ANGELUS TRUMPET           

The Unexpurgated Source for Alternative Bible Facts

 

HICKORY DICKORY DOCK or 3 BLIND MICE

In a startling report, Josh Kristy disciples are revealed to be blind.

Dateline: Galilee, February 26, 17:01:09

by Matt Hughes

Following is a transcript of last evening’s broadcast courtesy of our news affiliate ATTV: “If it’s news, it’s where we’re AT.”
Earlier today, Josh Kristy took with him Peter, James, and his brother John, who most think are his closest disciples, and led them up an undisclosed mountain. This reporter was able to follow at a distance and report these happenings to you through enhanced long-range digital camera and sound equipment.

It appears Kristy took these three disciples with him because, unbeknownst before now, they are blind, thus limiting their ability to attest to the strange occurrences that transpired at the ad hoc summit meeting where Moses and Elijah were also ostensibly in attendance.

As the film begins, you can clearly see that Kristy’s appearance is dramatically different from that at his recent gatherings. His face is glowing brightly, and his clothes are sparkling white. The level of brilliance is high enough to distort the image, yet the disciples seem to be unaware. They stand together apparently preoccupied with their own conversation.

In this next clip, two apparitions, most likely Moses and Elijah, join Kristy in what appears to be a serious communication of import and still the disciples seem unaware. They continue to be preoccupied by their own concerns.

And here, you will notice one of the disciples, most likely Peter, tugging on Kristy’s sleeve, still apparently unaware of the spectacle before them, but excited about something.

In this last clip, a cloud, unlike anything our meteorologists can describe or explain, appears, and, when isolated lightning and thunder were seen and heard, the disciples fell flat on their faces as they tried in vain to seek shelter.

And now we see Kristy helping Peter, James, and his brother John, up onto their feet and hiking back down the mountain.

We asked our local specialist on paranormal occurrences, Dr. Yule Ceboetter for his opinion of Kristy’s disciples’ reaction. “Well, it is possible that the intensity of the brightness was such that their retinal sensors were overloaded and ceased to function, but, I believe, that, if you look at your earlier shots, they indicate that they were climbing, using walking sticks and holding on to one another on the way up the incline. The film is not clear, but they certainly could be white canes suggesting that they were blind before this unusual meeting took place.

Ceboetter continued, “Clearly, blindness is the only explanation for their nonchalance at the beginning of this paranormal event. Any normal person would have been overcome by such extranormal events and would have exhibited physical reactions such as cringing or at least shading their eyes. Here you see none of this. In fact, at the end of the second clip, we see Peter tugging on Kristy’s sleeve without any show of noticing the circumstances around him. Yes, in my considered opinion, they all must be blind.”

Ceboetter further opined, “But not deaf. You will notice in the third clip that they all fell down as soon as there was thunder. This would indicate that the lightning did not impress them, but the thunder certainly did. This would confirm, I think, that they are all blind, but not deaf. I am just so delighted that we have this permanent record of what really went on there.”

Ceboetter’s opinion was further substantiated when I caught up with Kristy and his disciples. When asked about the appearances at the summit events, John replied, “What appearances?” Before I could follow up, he rushed off, saying, “I’m sorry, Josh is about to speak, and I want to listen to him.”

This reporter had not considered the importance of blind faith before this. I had always thought it was a figure of speech.