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| Raphael's Transfiguration |
Sisters and Brothers in
Christ, it’s good for us to be here this morning at St. Patrick’s. This is a
place filled with the joy of God. The chairs are comfortable, light shines
through the windows (maybe even creating a rainbow), the warmth of heart
emanates throughout our gathered community, and the love of God exists in the
midst of this place. Not only is it good for us, but our kids are also nurtured
and loved in this place. Right now, they are preparing casseroles for So Others
Might Eat (SOME!). And soon their smiling faces and boundless energy will
rejoin us here in the nave for communion.
We have it pretty good.
Our friends in Haiti live in cardboard boxes in the medians of the highway or
in the ruins of single room homes on the hillsides near our mission partner St.
Etienne. When I visited Haiti during my first summer at St. Patrick’s, the
living conditions proved to be the most vivid example of the poverty that
exists there. So yes, it is good to be here.
There are those who live
in parts of the world that are experiencing famine. Where there isn’t enough
food for the number of people who need it. There are some of our nearby
neighbors who have gone to bed hungry, because of lack of resources. And yes we
see them, those who are homeless. So, it is good to be here.
There are some in this
world, humans like us, who have never attended a school nor learned to read.
And closer to home, there are children whose opportunities to learn are far
less advanced then what we have come to expect as a God given right. It is good
to be here.
But as nice as this
place is and the community that has gathered around it, it is not where Jesus
expects his disciples to be.
Take for instance the
Gospel story today: Peter, James, and John experienced an unbelievable thing. It
occurred at the top of a mountain. In that place, Jesus was transfigured. The
words used to describe it were nearly dreamlike. Mark tells us that Jesus’
clothes became dazzling white, whiter than what is possible with bleach or even
OxyClean (I am not a bleach user because I have ruined more clothes than I have
saved). No matter what cleaning product you use, the dazzling white seen by
Peter, James, and John is a site that is truly beyond what any words can
describe.
In addition to the
dazzling white clothing, Jesus is joined by Elijah and Moses (the two most
famous prophets of the Hebrew period) who seem to be catching up on old times. We
heard in the Old Testament lesson how Elijah was carried away by a whirlwind
leaving Elisha to carry on the prophetic work of his time. Moses’ story is even
more legendary. Moses looked out from the peak of Mount Nebo over the Promised
Land, the land he spent a lifetime getting to, before dropping dead just miles
from the destination. His epic story concludes with the mysterious, “And no one
knows where his tomb is located.”
For Peter, James, and
John this was an extraordinary happening. I don’t know how they recognized
Elijah and Moses (maybe they saw Charlton Heston’s portrayal), but they knew
it.
Peter said, “Rabbi, it
is good to be here.” It was so good that Peter said, “Lets make booths for the
three of you.” Now, I read into that statement that Peter wants to stay around
for a while. He wants to hold onto the amazing moment. Others might read that
he wants to mark the place with a monument. However you read it, Peter wanted
to hold onto that special memory. It would be a pinnacle moment of his life and
it was good to be there just as it is good to be here. OK, maybe it was better
to be there, but you get my point.
As soon as Peter asked
about building booths, the clouds burst open and a voice from above proclaimed
Jesus as God’s Son, a repeat of the baptismal proclamation from the first
chapter of this same Gospel story. The voice ended with the words, “Listen to
him.” And then the amazing moment was over, the scene returned to normal.
Peter, James, John and Jesus were alone on the top of the mountain. They didn’t
set up camp, but journeyed back to their work with others. Jesus told the those
three most favored disciples to keep what they had seen quiet until after the
Son of Man was raised from the dead. Of course, that Son of Man was the person
who was speaking at that moment.
This is an amazing
story, one that is almost dreamlike. But what does this say about us, and how
do we apply the lesson to our lives, today.
First off, we have to
remember that there will be times when we are lucky to be somewhere. It could
be like being here at St. Patrick’s. We are, in comparison with the majority of
people around the world, very blessed to have the opportunities, the education,
and the freedom that we enjoy everyday. But that does not mean that we build a
temple (or a booth) to celebrate that fact for ourselves. We can’t be satisfied
with our own satisfaction. We have a much more important call, a call to return
from the mountaintop and spread God’s love to all corners of the world. This is
a challenge, because we don’t want to risk losing all that we hold most sacred.
But in order to bring God’s world to all people, we might have to be willing to
take those risks, to stretch ourselves, and to reach out a hand in
self-sacrificing love.
So why do we have places
like St. Patrick’s? Why do we have communities of faith, spiritual centers, church
buildings (mountaintops…) if our work is really somewhere else?
In Brian McLaren’s book Finding Our Way Again (yes, the one the
bishop recommends that we read during Lent), McLaren describes spiritual
practices, the ones we practice in a community like St. Patrick’s, as “actions
within our power that help us narrow the gap” between the character we have and
the character we are actually developing. (McLaren, 14)
It is more than
character, spiritual practices develop “aliveness, alertness, wakefulness, and
humanity.” (McLaren, 14) And, spiritual practices provide us the tools that
allow us to unwind the craziness of life, the mesh of relationships, the hurt
and the pain so that we can remember that at the core of it all: we are all
created by the one God.
Jesus didn’t teach his
disciples to forget the mountaintop (he actually kept leading them to
mountaintops). What Jesus taught his disciples (and us) is that pinnacle
experiences empower us to spread God’s love throughout the world. Jesus provided countless transformational
experiences that changed the lives of his disciples, and provided deep
spiritual nourishment and growth, but he then went to the valleys to find ways
to share those experiences with those in the most need.
It is unreasonable to
believe that we don’t need to be renewed and refreshed in a community of faith
so that we can continue to minister grounded in the love of God. The challenge
of seeking renewal and refreshment is that we can get stuck there. It is easy
to fall into the same trap as Peter did. He said, “Rabbi, it is good to be here. Let us make a
dwelling place…” But that is not where we can continue to live out God’s
mission.
There is a famous saying
that applies to Jesus and the many other prophets in our lives. Brian McLaren
quotes it, too. It is that a prophet comes not only to comfort the afflicted
but also to afflict the comfortable. If you look at us in comparison to the
majority of people in the world, we are the comfortable. So, practicing our
faith is about realizing that we are going to be afflicted with new ministries
that will open up the opportunity to see God in a new light.
This week is one of
those moments that requires us to return from what has become comfortable. After the customary blow out party known as
Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras (remember the pancake supper on Tuesday night), we
will practice a day of solemn fasting on Ash Wednesday as we begin the season
of Lent. Lent, like Ramadan and the Days of Awe in Judaism, is a time to
reflect about what has become normative for us so that we can seek to break
open the comfortable in ways that will bring new opportunities. This could be
marked with taking on something new or letting go of something that gets in the
way.
On Ash Wednesday, we
will also open up the labyrinth. A labyrinth is a spiritual exercise that
involves movement and centering prayer. It helps to pull oneself to find the
calm center in a busy existence. It takes practice. If you stop by this
Wednesday (between 11 and 8) or any Wednesday in Lent, you will have an
opportunity to begin a spiritual practice that may transform your life. It is
not a new age fad, but an ancient spiritual practice proven to bring peace and
solace.
Next Sunday, in addition
to Sunday morning services, St. Patrick’s will begin an evening worship service
that will teach why we do the things we do. Those who participate will be
invited to ask questions and to be participatory in reflecting on scripture. It
is also a perfect opportunity to invite someone new to join the path at this
mountaintop called St. Patrick’s.
It is good for us to be
here today. We gather to listen to Jesus’ teachings and to experience the
extraordinary. This is all so that we can be fed in the Spirit. We then take
what we have learned and experienced out into the world to fulfill God’s
mission. Never forget that we are God’s light that shines out of the darkness.
(2 Corinthians 4.5) Keeping that in mind will center us on our path.
Be a part of this
community so that you will be prepared to move between mountaintops through the
valleys sharing God’s mission to all corners of the world.
The Rev. Dr. Kurt
Gerhard (kurt@stpatrickschurchdc.org)
St. Patrick’s Episcopal
Church (www.stpatrickschurchdc.org)
February 19, 2012
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