Sermon for Transfiguration of Our Lord – Mark 9:2-9

The Transfiguration is a weird little story. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John for a hike up a high mountain. Then suddenly Jesus is transfigured before their eyes. His clothes became dazzling white. They see Moses and Elijah having some kind of secret conversation with Jesus. I’m not sure exactly how they recognize Moses and Elijah versus anyone else from the Old Testament, but they do. Now, Mark makes clear this is a terrifying sight. The disciples fear for their lives. These supernatural visions are always terrifying. Think about every time an angel appears. What’s the first thing they say? Be not afraid. Like we could even do that on command. And Peter who’s always ready to speak right up has no idea what to say, so he starts babbling. “Rabbi, this is good. Let’s make tents for the three of you.” Does that really make sense? Then a cloud overshadows them and they hear, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Then suddenly it all vanishes and they just see plain old Jesus again. They go down the mountain and Jesus orders them to keep everything secret.

What do we do with this reading? Some folks suggest this is like a mountaintop experience, where Peter sees Jesus in shimmering robes, and Elijah and Moses the patriarchs we all know and love, so he wants to stay there forever. I get that. Awesome spiritual highs are great and we all hate going back to the same old grind. But, the disciples were terrified, so I’m not sure that fits….

Sermon for 5th Sunday after Epiphany – Isaiah 40:21-31 & Mark 1:29-39

Are you a “big picture” kind of person, or do you obsess over details like me? At my job, I have to do a lot of strategic planning for the products we make. What’s important, what’s not important, how much can we get done this quarter without killing ourselves. But I also have this reputation for digging into a problem and trying to analyze every little thing in painful detail. My colleagues like to joke about it, but what I’ve probably done is train them to not read my e-mails. Except the problem is that then I don’t get much done, and I really lose track of what I’m doing. I get lost and discouraged. It’s a horrible feeling.