Delivered at my home parish in the Chicago Diocese on the Sunday before Lent, 2008. It was great to be home and even more exciting to be given the opportunity to preach at both Sunday services.
“Who says you can’t go home!” Although those words from the Bon Jovi song played at my going away party still seem to be fresh in my mind, I am also aware that many months have passed since that day and I am very glad to be back home with you today. The thought that I am now more than half way through my seminary journey is surprising…and the journey, itself, has been full of surprises. The first year was a time of adjustments: new schools, new careers, new people, and obviously a new place to live. After a challenging first year of academic studies, I was looking forward to my summer of Clinical Pastoral Education in a continuing care retirement community. I was excited to finally get my head out of the books and to spend some time with people. As I started the summer program, I carefully considered key learning areas and developed my personal goals. As the weeks progressed, I realized that although my learning plan was well structured, I had not considered at least one critical element: My schedule did not provide the space to be surprised; the space to be amazed; the space to be transformed. As we hear Matthew’s Gospel account this morning, a small part of me can relate to Peter’s journey to the top of that high mountain. Peter and his friends unexpectedly encounter the glory of Christ, the Transfiguration, and struggle to make meaning of the significance of their experience. Peter, characteristically, does not hesitate to respond to this dramatic event, but what might we learn from Peter’s response? Our Gospel lesson today teaches Peter, and us, a valuable lesson (especially in these days leading up to Lent): stop, listen and be transformed by the glory of Christ. If only I had listened to this lesson before starting my summer program of CPE.
My experience during CPE was consistent with current data studies: women live longer than men. Throughout my summer program, I was assigned to regularly visit more than 20 residents, all of whom were women except for about 3 men. I had several wonderful conversations with the women, both individually and in various group settings, but the men were more difficult to get to know. There was one man in particular that I thought I would approach, but I was cautioned by my supervisor that he was very intelligent and I would first have to “earn my stripes” if I was to be accepted and trusted by him. After a few short “hallway” visits, I asked if I might visit him sometime and he agreed. When the day finally arrived, I left my basement office and climbed up to the “high mountain” of his third floor apartment. After exchanging some simple pleasantries and answering his questions about the rigors of student chaplaincy, he asked me, “Patrick, when did slavery end?” Although I was caught a bit off-guard, I thought: this is the question!...this is my “test.” Wasting no time, I launched in with my best explanation. “Well, I suppose the answer depends on one’s perspective,” I said, trying to cover all my bases. “President Lincoln ended slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation; however, I doubt many Southerners of that time period would agree. So, I guess I would say slavery ended some time during the Civil War.” Rather proud of my answer, I waited for his response. “Approximately, what year do you think slavery ended?” he continued. Without pausing for even a moment, I confidently replied, “Sometime during the mid 1860’s I suppose.” He thought for a moment and replied, “I thought that’s what you might say, and that’s not true.” NOT TRUE! I was stopped short. The Civil War is one of my favorite history subjects. How could my answer not be true? I had been taught that answer many years ago by some pretty reliable teachers…and now the answer had changed? What happens to us when the answers we have been taught no longer apply to the circumstances we face? How do we respond? In our Gospel lesson today, Peter finds himself in just such a dilemma – his response is found lacking.
The reading begins with an introductory note that the trip to the mountain top starts 6 days after Peter acknowledges Jesus as the Christ. Peter’s acknowledgment of Jesus as the Christ is told in Matthew Chapter 16 and Peter’s acknowledgment is followed by Jesus’ first prediction of his passion in Jerusalem. Jesus’ prediction of his suffering and death is met with strong protest by Peter because the prevailing Jewish understanding of the Messiah did not include suffering and death, only glory and might like King David. Jesus rebukes Peter and tells him that his mind is not set on divine things, but on earthly things. Six days before the Transfiguration, everything Peter has been taught doesn’t seem to make sense anymore.
With these thoughts still swirling in his head, Peter joins James and John on a trip led by Jesus up the side of a high mountain. The disciples may not have known why Jesus has brought them to the top of this mountain, but Matthew specifically tells us that this is a “high” mountain. And in the Bible, important events take place at high altitudes: representing that place between heaven and earth. Suddenly, Jesus is transfigured and is seen by the disciples, speaking with Moses and Elijah. As amazing as these events might seem to us, Peter is not yet overcome with fear and he is able to offer to build 3 dwelling places. As strange as Peter’s offer might appear, we again must remember that Peter’s response is grounded in prevailing Jewish thought. During the Exodus, people, priests, and religious articles were housed in tents or dwellings; and before the Temple was built, the Ark of the Covenant was housed in a tent. Peter seeks to provide a reverent memorial to the Transfiguration based on his Jewish formation, based on his previous understanding; but the bright cloud interrupts Peter and the voice stops him short.
The bright cloud envelopes the group and speaks the same words spoken at Jesus’ Baptism, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” The voice stops Peter and commands him to “listen.” Listen to my Son. Listen to the Logos, to the word of God. Only after hearing the voice are the disciples afraid. They are afraid, in the sense of awed reverence, because they have heard the word of God. The disciples are then comforted by Jesus with a touch and with his words. When they rise again, they see no one except for Jesus, but they are no longer the same as they once were. They are no longer the same because they have experienced the glory of Christ, they have been given the word of God and they have been blessed by Jesus. They have been transformed to a new understanding because they have allowed themselves to listen and learn the way of Christ.
If I had allowed myself to listen, I would have known that the question was, “when did slavery end?;” not “when did slavery end in the United States?” The answer is “slavery has never ended”…unfortunately; the practice of slavery is alive and taking its toll on millions of lives. According to some statistics, there are as many as 26 million people held in slavery around the world today.[i]
One of my original learning goals was to experience regular visitations with people who are in assisted living and develop a deeper understanding of how to reconcile them with the outside community and provide pastoral care. After allowing myself to stop and listen to these folks, I realized that many of them were already reaching out to the community and making a difference. The reason this man asked me about slavery is because he is working closely with his son and his son’s church in New York City to raise awareness of global slavery and find ways to eliminate slavery forever. After my conversation with him, I realized my learning goals were deeply rooted in my personal learning biases and, as he was surfing the internet and seeking to eradicate global slavery, I was offering to build 3 dwellings and seeking to achieve my learning objectives. As I descended the mountain of his 3rd floor apartment and returned to my basement office, I realized that I had received a gift from my 90 year old friend – I needed to stop, listen and be transformed by the glory of Christ. I needed to adjust my schedule to allow time to stop and listen; to allow time to be surprised; to allow time to be transformed.
As we enter Lent next week, we are all invited on a 40 day journey that leads to the top of a high place…a hill called Calvary, where Jesus died for us. We are invited to walk with Christ and be transformed by His glory; to be changed forever by his death and resurrection. We are encouraged to stop, listen and be transformed by the glory of Christ. And if, in the midst of our transformation journey, we find ourselves on the ground and overcome with fear, remember: Christ will be with us; Christ will bless us; and Christ will be here to say, “Get up and do not be afraid.” The Transfiguration of Christ reveals His glory and invites us to be transformed to a new life in His kingdom: “Who says you can’t go home!”
Amen
[i] “How many slaves are there?”, Anti-Slavery Society website, accessed 11/30/2007. http://www.anti-slaverysociety.org/slavery.htm
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment