Sermon 27th February 2022, The Transfiguration Text: Luke 9:28-36 – God’s ultimate sequel

 Sermon 27^th February 2022, The Transfiguration

Text: Luke 9:28-36 – God’s ultimate sequel

 

Prequels are a popular style of movie presentation these days. We are familiar with sequels to movies. Sequels happen when a movie has become popular so that they bring out the next episode in the story line – such as –

Rocky, then Rocky, 2, 3, 4 and 5. And then there are spin offs such as the Rocky franchise of Creed, Creed 2 and Creed 3.

But then movie producers realized that not only can we keep going forward with our sequels but we can also go backwards and show previous storylines of how we got to the first one. Such as Godfather 3 – which is the story before the original Godfather movie. But the most famous and successful would probably be Star Wars (although I’ve never seen an episode before. In 1977 they released the original Star Wars movie, then the sequels in 1980 The Empire Strikes Back and then 1983 The Return of the Jedi. But rather than doing another sequel they decided to go back and show how it began with a prequel in 1999 with The Phantom Menace. And it is now recommended that you watch this movie out of chronological order and watch the prequels first even though they were made later.

 

The reason I’m explaining this is because we have a similar situation happening in our Gospel reading with the Transfiguration. Jesus is taking Peter, James and John on a journey with him as he is about to begin the last stage of his journey to the cross. But before he moves into the final sequel of his life journey he gives them a prequel – he shows them his heavenly glory. The heavenly glory that St Paul says – he emptied himself of when he became a human being. Why did he do that for Peter, James and John? The same reason movie producers introduce prequels – so we can understand the full story. If we just look at the final part of Jesus’ life we will not understand what is going on. He will be humiliated, tortured and eventually killed. But so that his disciples understand  what is really happening, Jesus reveals his true self to them and not what they are about to see.

 

While Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, that is, his death on the cross. Jesus had earlier tried to explain to his disciples the entire process but they didn’t understand. He said that he must go to Jerusalem where he will be handed over, suffer and die – and on the third day rise again. But they focused only on the earlier segment that he must suffer and die. So Jesus brings forward the sequel – and on the third day rise again – and reveals it as a prequel so they can understand.

 

And what is interesting in this transfiguration is that God links it to his Baptism -  Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" The same words from Jesus Baptism. This is my Son whom I love.

And that was no coincidence but intentional because that now becomes for us our prequel in life. As we go through life and face the challenges of suffering and death in life we don’t focus on the here and now but on the reality of being children of God. We go back to our Baptism and the promise God made to us there.We hear those very same words spoken to Peter, James and John – this is my Son whom I love – and we read them into our own Baptism – you are my son – you are my daughter whom I love.

 

If we only focus on the day-to-day events in our lives then we will not understand what is going on; In fact we will come to the wrong conclusion as so many do – how can there be a loving God. How is God all powerful if he cannot control the evil in the world. How can God be all loving if he allows me to suffer. How is God all knowing – otherwise he would stop the evil in the world. God is all powerful in that he defeated death by Jesus rising from the dead. God is all loving in that just as Jesus rose from the dead so shall we. God is all knowing in that his Son experienced all that we experienced to give us hope. And this is the experience that Peter James and John are given so they don’t focus on what is about to happen but what happens next – that on the 3rd day Jesus will rise from the dead.

 

This is also hidden in our text when Moses and Elijah meet with Jesus. Luke says that they meet with him to talk about his “departure”. In the original Greek language it says they spoke to him about his “exodus”. If we link that back to the original exodus, Israel’s departure from Egypt we remember that they left Egypt in order to enter the Promised Land. And this is also the ultimate sequel to our lives as well. As we depart from this life we too enter into our Promised Land – Heaven.

As sad and as difficult as it is to understand death, we understand death in the new reality that Jesus revealed today. That death is our departure – our exodus from this world and entry into Heaven – into the glory that Jesus reveals today.

So the purpose of the Transfiguration for us is to keep focused on the sequel to our life – that God loves the world so much that he sent his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. What we go through in this life is not an indication of the reality of God’s love and power. What we go through in this life is a sad consequence of a broken world which cannot be avoided. Even though Peter wanted to stay in that glory – let me build 3 shelters – one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah, but it was only a glimpse of the true and full glory  that awaited them and us after his departure – his Exodus into the Promise Land.

 

And that is also our glory that awaits as Jesus will tell all the disciples soon before his death when he says – “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; I am going there to prepare a place for you. And I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. That’s the reality – that’s the glory that awaits us in heaven where this reality will go as John says in Revelation – Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

 

The reality we live now is not easy and for some it is extremely difficult – but our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the true glory that awaits. The glory which Peter, James and John saw a brief glimpse of but the glory that we will enter without end.