St. Paul Lutheran Church, Minden, Nebraska
Sunday sermon – Sixth Sunday after The Epiphany – Feb. 14, 2010
(Transfiguration Sunday)
“What Glory! What Love!”
Text: Luke 9:28-30
Roses are red! Violets are blue! It’s Transfiguration Sunday and Valentines Day too!
It doesn’t happen very often, but on the calendar of the Christian church year this sixth & final Sunday after Epiphany which is Trans-figuration Sunday is also February 14, which is Valentines Day.
Transfiguration Sunday draws our attention to a brief, mountaintop revelation of God’s glory & holiness shining ever so bright in the face & even the clothes of Jesus - whom God declares is His Chosen One, Son of God, in human flesh.
The “special-ness” of Valentines Day draws our attention to red hearts & roses & chocolate & Valentines cards and other nice things people give & say to each other in the name of love. Even though we aren’t always as loving or as lovable as we ought to be, we do try a little harder on or around Valentines Day.
So, this is a Sunday to remember a mountain-top revelation of the glory of God in Jesus Christ, while it’s also a day to celebrate the romance of love among couples & families & friends. That’s the match-up before us that leads me to say: Roses are red! Violets are blue! Bright is the light of Christ’s glory and His love that’s so true!
First, what glory! What a bright display of the radiant, glorious holiness of God Himself was revealed as the appearance of Jesus face changed and his clothes became as blinding & bright as if one was looking directly into the sun.
After a string of long, busy days following Jesus, and barely able to keep their eyes open, these three tired, weary disciples, Peter, John and James were led by Jesus up a mountain to pray.
And as Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.
That’s not all. Into that moment when Jesus was so gloriously transfigured stepped two men talking with Jesus; Moses and Elijah, who also appeared in glory and spoke of Jesus’ departure, which Jesus was to accomplish at Jerusalem.
The word in the Greek text Luke uses for Jesus’ “departure” is the same word used back in the Old Testament for “exodus” meaning the
“departure” Jesus was soon to accomplish at Jerusalem was a “new exodus”, a much greater exodus; Jesus leading a captive humanity out of the bondage of sin and death - through the parting of his own body on the cross – in order that God’s people everywhere might enter into the promised land of eternal life with God, paradise.
It also happened on that “mount of transfiguration” when the dazzling glory of God was fully revealed in the face & clothes of Jesus, those three disciples, Peter, John & James, couldn’t believe their eyes. Luke writes the three of them were heavy with sleep but when they saw Jesus shining face & dazzling clothes they became fully awake, awestruck, overwhelmed, as sometimes happens to us when we’re suddenly face to face with something completely, totally unexpected; beyond us, beyond our understanding.
Luke tells us when Peter blurted out something about making three tents that they might preserve this awesome mountain-top moment that was because Peter felt he ought to say something and he did but he didn’t know what he was saying.
“Been there, done that,” some of us might say. Mountain top experiences we call them, experiences that leave us feeling awestruck, overwhelmed, speechless, breathless, in a state of euphoria, birth of a child, landing a large, large fish, a surprise birthday party, a Super Bowl victory for a team known as perennial losers.
Talk about overwhelmed, impossible, unbelievable. Did you see the comment by the winning Saints quarterback who the day after their Super Bowl victory was quoted as saying, “I had to wake up this morn-ing and turn to my wife and say, ‘Did yesterday really happen.’”
I can well imagine Peter, John and James waking up the next day and saying to each other, “Did yesterday really happen.”
Yes, it happened! But of even greater significance is why it happened; and that was not so much to impress & overwhelm Peter, John & James to see Jesus so gloriously transfigured before their eyes. The real significance of Jesus’ appearing briefly in all His heavenly glory was to show Jesus’ three closest disciples, to let them see Jesus triumphant & victorious in spite of the dark, difficult, down-hill road to Jerusalem and the cross that lay before Him. Mountain-top experience that this was for Peter, John & James, and Jesus too, what still lay before Jesus was a journey to a skull-shaped hill that would leave Him humiliated, scorned, crucified, even forsaken by God, dead & buried - and the disciples would be off somewhere behind locked doors hiding for fear of the Jews.
What glory, what a hidden glory is God’s redeeming, reconciling, life-renewing glory that shines visibly shines, first on the Mount of Transfiguration, and then, of all places, shines invisibly from Christ’s cross on Mount Calvary. Writes the author of the hymn, “In the Cross of Christ I glory,” 3rd verse, “When the sun of bliss is beaming, Light and love upon my way, From the cross the radiance streaming, the radiance streaming, Adds more luster to the day.” (Lutheran Service Book, 427)
What a blinding, visible glory on the mount of Transfiguration. What an hidden, invisible glory on the mount called Calvary. What a hidden glory yet a selfless, glorious love, so amazing, so divine, radiantly streaming from the cross that it lifts the spirits of believers, lighten our loads, lead us to deeper faith and trust in the saving merits of our Lord Jesus Christ who on the cross conquered sin & death and has brought life & immortality to light.
And then, on this Transfiguration Sunday which is also Valentines Day this year, what a welcome reminder to celebrate & to rejoice in the love we have for others around us, those close to us; parents, children, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, to love & to cherish, to care & to sacrifice, not only to say “I love you”, but to act it out as Jesus acted out the hidden glory of God’s unconditional unlimited love on the cross.
“Roses are red! Violets are blue! What glory fills Jesus and His love is so true! His love includes you.”
More than a few years ago, a popular singer named Bette Midler had a hit song titled, “The Glory of Love.” It was a song in which she sang about the give & take, ups & downs, joys & sorrows, wins & losses of love; love “not because of” - but love “in spite of. Not light-hearted, happy, easy-going love, but steadfast, enduring, abiding love.
You’ve got to give a little, take a little,
And let your poor heart break a little
That’s the story of, that’s the glory of love.
You’ve got to laugh a little, cry a little
Until the clouds roll by a little
That’s the story of, that’s the glory of love.
You’ve got to win a little, lose a little,
Yes, and always have the blues a little
That’s the story of, that’s the glory of love.
On this Valentines Day, that’s what we all hope is the story of, the glory of our love for those who are close to us, special to us.
But good as the glory of love like that is, good as it gets when spouses, parents, families, friends, children care for each other, are kind to each other, pass through all manner of life’s troubles & triumphs together, even saying & doing nice things for each other on Valentines Day, still, the greater love we as Christians have to celebrate, the true glory of love so often hidden & impossible for us to practice as sinful human beings is the 100% perfect, selfless, sacrificial glory of the love of Jesus, and because of that love we do not despair!!!
What love is this, says the Transfiguration of Jesus! God’s voice speaks from the cloud that descended on Peter, John & James. “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” (Luke 9:35)
What love is this says Jesus himself! Summing it up, Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:12-14)
What love is this writes the apostle Paul to the Christians at Rome, “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person on would dare even to die – but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7,8)
What love for us we sing and we pray . . .
Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heav’n to earth come down!
Fix in us Thy humble dwelling, All Thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, Thou art all compassion, Pure, unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation, Enter ev’ry trembling heart. (LSB,770,v.1)
How shall we remember this? How do we tie Transfiguration Sunday to Valentines Day? Roses are red! Violets are blue! Bright light of Christ’s glory and love His that’s so true; love overflowing & focused on you.
Happy Transfiguration Day! Happy Valentines Day! Amen
