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Today we celebrate the transfiguration of Christ. What does that mean?! It literally means that Christ changed from looking like his human self to glowing radiantly with the divinity of God of whom he was a part. There on the mountaintop, Peter, James and John saw with their very own eyes Jesus and Yahweh, simultaneously. Another way of thinking about it is to imagine Jesus as a transformer action figure.

We conclude the season of Epiphany today. An epiphany is an “ah-ha” experience. The light bulb goes on and we say, “Now I get it. Now I understand.”  The kings at last arriving to the home of toddler Jesus usher in this season. They had an epiphany. The little boy with dirty feet running around the yard was not your ordinary little boy. They could tell. They could tell or sense something was profoundly different about this dark eyed Jew named Jesus. “We have indeed met the king, the one day king of the Jews. Praise God. We shall return home a different way so to avoid Herod and his questions.”

Jesus is now a thirty something grown man. He has been walking the countryside proclaiming God’s love through word and deed. He tells the people that Yahweh has sent him to save the people of Israel. He is called the Messiah. Mark’s gospel is delightful in its depiction of the disciples. They are dufus’. They never seem to understand the point of a story or the message within an encounter. Many of us can relate to Mark’s disciples in our own spiritual walk. Slow to catch on, if we do catch on. “Tell us again, Jesus. Exactly who are you and why are we here?”

Peter, James and John are accompanying Jesus up to the summit of a local mountain. Right before their eyes his clothes became whiter than white, brighter than the work of any bleach or laundry detergent. I vaguely remember the Greek word describing Jesus’ transfiguring as not having any comparable English translation. “Lightening-like” maybe. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking to Jesus. Peter responds in Peter fashion. “Hey, this is pretty cool. I can like this. Let’s set up a tent for each of you and hang out here together.” Peter didn’t know what else to say. He was actually quite terrified.

Then a cloud, a symbol of God, hovered over them. A voice rang out, “This is my Son, the Beloved. I repeat. This announcement is for you. Behold, this Jesus is my Son, the Beloved.” … Can’t get much more direct than that!

When the disciples looked around, no one was with them except Jesus. Jesus in his drab ordinary tunic. Some epiphanies are more subtle than others.

They would descend from the mountain, honor Jesus’ request to tell no one, and definitely, life would not go on as usual.

Life journeys, faith journeys are like this if we pay attention. The sacred appears out of the blue or night, dream or chance encounter. Epiphanies alter how we think, how we feel, maybe how we live. Transfiguring moments take our breath away. We experience a high that lends clarity, if only for a moment, to our personal and communal chaos. We have supped with the Ground of our Being, God. There’s no going back. Either to the mountain or to life “BT,” before transfiguration.

The prophets Elijah and Elisha have always confused me. Like identical twins, I can’t seem to keep their stories separate. Today’s Hebrew reading and my subsequent re-visiting a few textbooks will hopefully create a more lasting memory of their distinctions.

Note that Elijah is one of the ancestors revealed at the Transfiguration. He represents the prophetic nature of Judaism. (Moses represents the Law.) The prophetic traditions of Elijah cast him as the prophet that will announce the coming of the Messiah. At the Passover Meal, the Elijah cup sits in waiting. There is a Christian Eucharist liturgy I have heard and since used that speaks of Jesus reaching for the Elijah cup as he begins his blessing. This cup is the cup of a new covenant. In this simple and profound action, Jesus is saying that the Messiah has come.

What I discovered in re-reading snippets from my Old Testament textbooks is a most likely not so coincidental juxtaposition of Jesus and Elijah’s transfiguration. Consider these reflections with an ear to Jesus and his community, Elijah and his community and yourself and our community.

Prophecy was closely associated with politics of the times. The role of the early professional prophet was to interpret the covenant between Yahweh and Israel, to speak for God. They often became agitators and justifiers of war, holy war. Their enthusiasm and fervor stirred feelings of what we might call patriotism. Enthusiasm literally means “inspired by God.”  Elijah and Elisha, both from a school or guild of professional prophets, were called “the chariots of Israel and its horsemen.” This is said to reflect their vigorous championing of Israel’s faith.

It wasn’t all about holy war however. Prophets were called to deliver Yahweh’s word for specific situations. There were three accepted channels or sources of discerning God’s will: dreams, particularly those experienced in a holy place; the sacred dice which were handled by priests (I don’t know anything about this. Use your imagination); and prophecy. These categories cause me to ponder. How is it we identify authority in our discerning God’s will? Dreams? Dice? Prophets?

Elijah stood outside the power structures and was viewed as an enemy of the king. He was a critic of society and advocated rapid, revolutionary social change. There were other prophets more accepting of the king and existing power structures. God works within and outside of government.

Elijah stories were not told with the factual focus that a modern historian would use. These stories are “tinted with the dye of imagination and faith.” A few stories may be based on actual circumstances but mostly they reflect the experienced history of Israel while in crisis.

Elijah had earlier been victorious in a power struggle between the theocentric believers and the fertility gods and goddess worshippers. His nemesis, Jezebel, was still on the throne and trying to track him down. Elijah escaped to the wilderness, tired and ready to call it quits. “Elijah traveled 40 days and 40 nights until he came to Horeb, the sacred mountain of the covenant. On Horeb, a divine visitation took place. While living in a cave, Yahweh passed by, showing the divine glory. It was accompanied by earthquake, wind and fire.”

The writer crafts an update of the Moses tradition placing a contemporary person in a contemporary situation. God is still speaking. The narrative continues. “Yahweh was not in the earthquake, wind or fire. Yahweh was in the still, small voice of silence. Or perhaps in the silence so intense you can hear it. Elijah heard the voice and he moved to the entrance of the cave. The question addressed to Elijah implies that he had no business out there in the safe mountain retreat, a fugitive from the places where history was being made. The prophet protests that he had been very zealous for Yahweh even though the Israelites under Jezebel’s influence had forsaken the covenant. Elijah’s brooding over his loneliness and threatened life was challenged by God. There were three divine orders, two of which were to instigate political revolutions. His successor, Elisha, ultimately completes these tasks.”

What is highlighted here is that Israel’s faith finds expression in action rather than mere mystic contemplation. As did Moses realize in the burning bush, Elijah realizes that Yahweh acts in the present. Elijah leaves the cave and returns to the land. Prophets and spiritual seekers get in touch with their roots, not to remain in the past, but to find wisdom for the onward trek into the future.

Elijah, as we heard this morning, is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, leaving his cloak and Elisha behind.  Elijah is transfigured and Elisha is changed. Oh, for each of us to have a sense of purpose and epiphanies which call to us. Transfigurations? If I could get some support around the terror part, I might say yes. Transformation? Sure, I think.

There shall always be a contemporary person placed in a contemporary situation to interpret or re-interpret the will of God. Moses, Elijah, Jesus, Mohammed, Gandhi, Martin, Oscar, Dorothy, Anne, Carol, … there are thousands among us. Perhaps you are one. Called by God on a mountain, in a cave, in your sleep or at the casino.

Within government, outside of government, an agitator or negotiator, a reluctant prophet or a fired up disciple, … our society and world need persons of faith speaking out. Contemplation is one part of the equation. Courageous, faithful action is another.

Amen

* Extended quotes from Understanding the Old Testament, Bernhard W. Anderson.
   4^th edition. 1986.

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