Return to the Homepage Home
 Worship Schedules, Education, Fellowship, Outreach Worship & Service
 Sermon Archive Sermons
 A copy of the Sunday Prayers of Intercession Prayers
 Pastor Lynne's monthly newsletter Pastor's Page
 Articles and tidbits from the monthly newsletter Newsletter
 This month's events as well as the monthly calendar Current Events
 Read the Sunday School News Letter! Sunday School News
 Events for grades 7 to 12 Youth
 Other websites of interest Links
  
 Login to Administer this site Admin Login

St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church
2903 McPhillips Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba
CANADA R2P 0H3
http://www.stlukeszion.ca

Phone: (204) 339-0412
Fax: (204) 339-0412
E-mail: stlukeszionchurch@gmail.com
site design by clayton rumley

 

Transfiguration of Our Lord
Sunday, February 19th, 2012

click here for past entries

Loving God, even though Jesus is your own dear Son, there were times when it seemed as if all was lost.  Teach us not to give in to fear and despair, but instead to show forth the light of Christ in all that we do; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    The story that we heard today from the gospel of Mark has a lot to tell us about who Jesus really is.  He shines with heavenly light that comes from within, revealing the glory of God.  He has a conversation with Moses and Elijah, two of the greatest figures from Israel’s history.  And, the voice from the cloud - presumably the voice of God - identifies Jesus as his own beloved Son.  On any other day, Jesus looks like any other man.  However, today, his divine nature is revealed.

    I have to wonder what it would look like for any of us if our true nature were to be revealed.  If something were to be projected on that screen that would show the true nature of our inner being, what would be up there?  What would it show for you?  I have a suspicion that most of us would not want our true nature revealed for all the world to see.  Keep this in mind as we think about today’s gospel a little bit more.

    In the gospel, two figures show up who are talking to Jesus, and it helps to know who these people are.  First of all, Elijah.  What can you tell me about Elijah?  (Great prophet; taken to heaven in a whirlwind; performed miracles; won a big contest with the prophets of Baal; met God on Mount Horeb) Elijah is considered to be one of the greatest prophets in Israel’s history, and was supposed to come again to herald the coming of the Messiah.

    However, there are a few other things about Elijah that you might not know.  Did you know that he was pursued by Queen Jezebel, who wanted to kill him (1 Ki. 19:1-2)?  Did you know that he was also hunted by King Ahab for several years, who also wanted to kill him (1 Ki. 18)?  Did you know that he was suicidal at one point?  He laid down under a broom tree in the wilderness and asked God to take away his life (1 Ki. 19:4).  And so, even though Elijah was one of the greatest prophets in the history of Israel, there were times when it did not seem like it -- when his fear and his despair took over.

    As for Moses, what can you tell me about him?  What do you know about Moses?  (Rescued as a baby; grew up in Pharaoh’s house; led Israel out of Egypt; received the Law & the 10 Commandments; was rumoured not to have died; parting of the Red Sea; saw the burning bush; performed miracles) Moses, too, is referred to as a great prophet and also as the one who gave the people God’s Law.  At the time of Jesus, many of the religious leaders identify themselves as followers of Moses (Jn. 9:28).

    However, did you also know that Moses was a murderer (Ex. 2:12)?  Did you know that he couldn’t speak very well and insisted that he could not be God’s spokesperson unless his brother Aaron did all the talking (Ex. 4)?  Did you know that he ran away from Egypt for a while and went to live in Midian (Ex. 2)?  Did you know that he was not allowed to enter the promised land because of his disobedience to God? Once again, even though Moses was one of the greatest figures in Israel’s history, there were times when it did not seem like it – when his fear and despair took over.

    As for Jesus, his identity as Son of God and Messiah and Saviour is revealed to his disciples on the mountain top.  However, there are going to be times when it’s not going to seem like it, and his disciples will sink into fear and despair.  They will see Jesus arrested, and falsely accused, and beaten, and tortured, and crucified.  They will see Jesus himself crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mk. 15:34).  It will seem as if all is lost, as Jesus breathes his last breath on the cross.  Even though Jesus is God’s beloved Son, he will experience the absolute worst that this world has to offer.  And this whole experience on the mountain top will not even seem real until after Jesus has risen from the dead.

    I asked you earlier to think about what would be projected on the screen if your true nature were to be displayed there.  If we are to believe the Scriptures, it would actually be somewhat the same for all of us.  For, according to the Scriptures, we are created in the image of God, and when God was finished, God saw that it was “very good” (Gen. 1:31).  However, we are also all infected with sin.  We are turned in on ourselves and separated from God and mindful only of ourselves and of our own needs.  And so, for most of us, our true nature (or what Luther would call the “old Adam”) would not be very pleasant to behold.

    However, as followers of Jesus Christ and children of God, we are also given a new nature – made into a new creation in Christ.  As this new nature starts to take hold in us by the power of the Holy Spirit, a much different picture begins to appear for each one of us.  In fact much of our attitude and actions start to look a lot like Jesus.

    And so, we start to see loving service rendered to God and to other people.  We see people working for justice and speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves.  We see people visiting the sick and the prisoners and giving food and drink and clothing to those who do not have enough.  We see people confronting evil and treating the weak and the poor with compassion.  We see people giving generously in the faith and the knowledge that God will continue to provide.  We see people treating even their enemies with love and forgiving those who do not know what they are doing.

    This may sound almost impossible to some of us, but nothing is impossible with God!  I keep thinking of Stephen, who was one of Jesus’ followers and also one of the first people put to death for his faith in Jesus.  As the people looked at Stephen, they saw that his face was like the face of an angel (Acts 6:15).  This sounds an awful lot like the way in which Jesus’ face was transfigured in today’s gospel.  Stephen also prays for those who are stoning him to death, saying, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60).  It is almost the same prayer as the one Jesus prayed for those who were crucifying him (Lk. 23:34).  The Spirit of Jesus was most certainly within Stephen, and his behaviour came to look more and more like Jesus.

    From this example and others, we know that it is, indeed, possible to grow up into Christ, for that is why God gives us the Holy Spirit.  The only question for us is which spirit we are going to allow to have free reign in our lives.  Will our old nature be what people see, or our new nature that is created in us through Christ?

    As we can see from Moses and Elijah and so many others in the Scriptures, God uses all kinds of people in order to accomplish God’s purposes.  May it be the light of Christ that is visible through us, as we continue to make our way through the darkness of this world.  Amen.

Transfiguration of our Lord (B)                        Mark 9:2-9
February 19, 2012
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2012 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved


Previous Sermons
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
January 2003
March 0201