Sermon for the 6th of August - Feast of the Transfiguration
You’ll see we are wearing Gold . That’s because today is one of the Church’s major feast days, the Feast of the Transfiguration.
For the writers of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke the Transfiguration is a key event in the life of Jesus. The three disciples hear the voice of God. Hold that, because I will return to it.
Before I do that, to get a sense of the importance of the Transfiguration, let’s rank it alongside other Feast Days.
Some churches refer to the Seven Principal Feast Days:
Let’s name them.
Easter Day,
Ascension Day,
the Day of Pentecost,
Trinity Sunday,
All Saints' Day (Nov. 1),
Christmas Day,
the Epiphany (Jan. 6).
Others:
• The Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Candlemas)
• The Annunciation of Our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Today is one of those top ten Feast Days. What happened and if it so important, what might it mean for our lives?
Why is it so important?
What happened on Mt. Tabor not far from Lake Galilee had a huge impact on those present.
In the days that followed the significance became clearer as Jesus’s earthly ministry reached its climax in Jerusalem,
so much so that in the Second Letter of Peter (our first lesson), which is believed to be the last will and testament of St. Peter but not necessarily written by him, the Transfiguration is referred to, almost as one of the foundations of faith.
To be transfigured is different from being transformed. To be transfigured is to be transformed into something even more elevated and beautiful and that was what happened to Jesus on the mountain.
Peter was not just saying look, it’s good that we are here. He was ecstatic. To get a sense of what Peter experienced, let us listen to Anastasius, Abbot of St. Catharine’s Monastery in Sinai, writing in around 700:
“Peter in ecstasy exclaimed: “Lord, it is good for us to be here.”
It is indeed good to be here, as you have said, Peter. It is good to be with Jesus and to remain here forever. What greater happiness or higher honour could we have than to be with God, to be made like him and to live in his light?
Therefore, since each of us who possesses God in our heart / is being transformed into the divine image, we also should cry out with joy: “It is good for us to be here”- here where all things shine with divine radiance, where there is joy and gladness and exultation; where there is nothing in our hearts but peace, serenity and stillness; where God is seen / for here, in our hearts, Christ takes up his abode together with the father, saying as he enters: today salvation has come to this house. With Christ, our hearts receive all the wealth of his eternal blessings, and there / where they are stored up for us in him, we receive reflected as in a mirror / both the firstfruits and the whole of the world to come.”
They came down from the mountain with the message: “This is my Son, my Chosen. Listen to him.”
What might it mean for our lives?
The Letter of Peter puts it succinctly:
“We have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”
Yes, yes you say – but what must we do. Don’t just quote verses from the Bible to us. Give us suggestions.
Well, for me, one of the questions posed by the Transfiguration is whether we hear God speaking to us?
When we read the Bible, it seems that God is always speaking.
Just to name a few incidents:
Adam and Eve hearing the voice of God in the garden, the call of Samuel, the Baptism of Christ, the conversion of St. Paul and today’s Gospel / the Transfiguration.
I wonder / when you look back on your life, are there times when God has spoken to you?
Some will answer yes and some maybe no.
Maybe we were so wrapped up with stuff, that we didn’t hear?
Do we free up space in our lives to listen to God?
I wonder / where you might go to encounter God?
I hope one such place might be SG/SJB.
But sometimes, to be still and “know that I am God” requires something other than a visit to church.
I find going on a retreat can be very restorative and bring us closer to God. I have found time spent in a Benedictine Monastic Community does this.
sharing in the rhythm of the monastic day, which is structured around a mix of the daily “Office” services, the celebration of the Eucharist, and communal meals.
Outside of these times we are given space, solitude and quiet. I suggest a minimum of two nights or more if you have time.
Do speak to me or one of the clergy team if you would like to know more.
During a retreat , you might find you have a sense, to repeat Anastasius, that “all things shine with divine radiance, there is joy and gladness and exultation; there is nothing in our hearts but peace, serenity and stillness; that God is seen.”