The Transfiguration Of Our Lord (Last Sunday After Epiphany)
Devotional
Water From the Rock
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle C
Object:
And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed....
-- Luke 9:29
With the Transfiguration, the disciples are confronted with the difference between seeing Jesus as just a special person and suddenly experiencing him as the Christ of God. The theological challenge for the church is whether it is just a special organization or whether it is the body of Christ. Is there just a historic connection between the present church and the traditions and scriptures that precede it or is the church the living story of God's continuing revelation that began with the law and the prophets and found its fulfillment in Jesus? If one looks at this story of the Transfiguration as the story of the church and not just a historic incident in the life of Jesus, then we see our own journey being described. The Transfiguration happened at a time when Jesus was at prayer. It is in prayer that we grow closer to God.
When we experience the closeness of God, something changes. Consider Peter, James, and John as representatives of the active faithful in the church. They experienced the church, the body of Christ, at prayer. They resisted the physical needs of their body (sleep) and focused on the church at prayer. Because of their devotion, they saw not just a group of humans going through a set of rituals but rather the glory of God manifested in the body. The church was transfigured before their eyes, and they saw how the law and the prophets testified to God's presence among his people. They responded by wanting to build three booths symbolizing the law, the prophets, and the Christ.
Were they trying to enshrine the holy moment or were they demonstrating hospitality for the divine? It is uncertain, but, at that moment, they were overshadowed by God. Their epiphany, when they saw clearly that God confirmed Jesus and his body, was confirmed. Now they knew for certain that the church was the vehicle of their salvation, and they were told to listen to what Christ would tell them. It was not so much a message that they could tell others about as a message that must be experienced. So we should spend less time telling others about the church than we do being the church for others.
-- Luke 9:29
With the Transfiguration, the disciples are confronted with the difference between seeing Jesus as just a special person and suddenly experiencing him as the Christ of God. The theological challenge for the church is whether it is just a special organization or whether it is the body of Christ. Is there just a historic connection between the present church and the traditions and scriptures that precede it or is the church the living story of God's continuing revelation that began with the law and the prophets and found its fulfillment in Jesus? If one looks at this story of the Transfiguration as the story of the church and not just a historic incident in the life of Jesus, then we see our own journey being described. The Transfiguration happened at a time when Jesus was at prayer. It is in prayer that we grow closer to God.
When we experience the closeness of God, something changes. Consider Peter, James, and John as representatives of the active faithful in the church. They experienced the church, the body of Christ, at prayer. They resisted the physical needs of their body (sleep) and focused on the church at prayer. Because of their devotion, they saw not just a group of humans going through a set of rituals but rather the glory of God manifested in the body. The church was transfigured before their eyes, and they saw how the law and the prophets testified to God's presence among his people. They responded by wanting to build three booths symbolizing the law, the prophets, and the Christ.
Were they trying to enshrine the holy moment or were they demonstrating hospitality for the divine? It is uncertain, but, at that moment, they were overshadowed by God. Their epiphany, when they saw clearly that God confirmed Jesus and his body, was confirmed. Now they knew for certain that the church was the vehicle of their salvation, and they were told to listen to what Christ would tell them. It was not so much a message that they could tell others about as a message that must be experienced. So we should spend less time telling others about the church than we do being the church for others.
