Transformed by Your Moment(s) of Glory
Today, 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 tells you that Jesus shines through you by living in you every day. February 22, 2009.
Life could soon change in a big way for Danny Gokey. He's the musician from Milwaukee hoping to become the next American Idol. If that happens then maybe he'll cut a few platinum albums like Kelly Clarkson or be selected as one of People magazine's most beautiful people like Carrie Underwood. Moments of glory can change your life. The transfiguration of Jesus certainly qualifies as a moment of glory. Peter, one of the eyewitnesses, later wrote, "we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from … the Majestic Glory" (2 Peter 1:16,17). Today some verses from 2 Corinthians state that you have been brought to God's glory on the mountain where you were changed once and for all, and also that you bring God's glory from the mountain in everyday moments of faith that change you continuously.
Brought to God's glory on the mountain
About the transfiguration the Bible says, "Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain where they were all alone" (Mark 9:2). But there was another with them, a hidden observer stealthily watching from the shadows. Though he couldn't prevent the glory of God from appearing (as much as we can't prevent the sun from rising), he could cloud with the blindness of unbelief. That Satan would do. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ." If it surprises you that the Bible calls Satan "the god of this age" then remember that Jesus once labeled him "the prince of this world" (John 12:31). In this world, in this age, Satan has power, not to destroy God or his saving work in believers, but to dim it in the eyes of unbelievers.
One commentator explains, "To be shown God's grace, Christ's blood and righteousness, justification by faith, the new life and salvation in Christ, and to think of them as nothing is to have been blinded" (Lenski, p. 961). Satan has no power over God or the saving gospel message but he has power over people willing to believe his lies, so that "the gospel … is veiled to those who are perishing." Left to ourselves, we have no power over Satan either. Left to ourselves, we'd be perishing with unbelievers. Which is why Paul insists, "We do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord." Satan is not your master. Evil is not your master. Sin is not your master. Christ Jesus is their Lord. Salary cuts, tightened budgets, and hard economic decisions are not your master. Christ Jesus is their Lord. Worry, fear, and depression are not your master. Christ Jesus is their Lord. Failed relationships, corrupt business practices, or abusive people are not your master. Christ Jesus is their Lord.
We have been watching the past few weeks as Jesus has cast out demons, healed the sick, revealed mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and raised the dead. We have seen clues that he is more than a mere mortal, more than a kind, traveling rabbi, more than a crowd pleasing magician. Now on the mountain we need no clues. Right here in front of us the divine glory – everything it is to be God – shines a brilliant moment of affirmation in Jesus as God and Lord. How does that change you? When the one who calls you to believe is your God and Lord, that changes you. When the one who claims you as his own in baptism is your God and Lord, that changes you. When the one who gives his life as a sacrifice for your sins and then reclaims that life with all authority over death is your God and Lord, that changes you. When the one who gives you in his body and blood his very own goodness, his very own power, his very own determination to persevere is your God and Lord, that changes you. When the one who loves you without end is your God and Lord, that changes you.
Jesus was transfigured for you in a dazzling display of divine glory. You have been brought to God's glory on the mountain. And transformed there.
Bring God's glory from the mountain
Those who climb mountains or go hiking describe the exhilarating effort of making it to the top. Every ounce of energy sapped in the straining of muscles. Every molecule of oxygen extracted from heaving lungs. Every eager expectation pulsed through the body's adrenalin and other chemicals to reach the goal at the top. Which, according to climbers, makes coming down the mountain even more difficult. If a climber going down a mountain assumes that his or her muscles, lungs or adrenalin will provide the same kind of effect they did going up to the top, that climber will be in for some trouble. If we assume that the glory of Jesus Christ will look the same, shine as brightly, and generally produce the same effect right now as it did on the mountain, we will be in for some trouble. On the mountain we could see the glory. It was so brilliant we had to turn away. Now we desperately look everywhere and can't seem to find it. We cry out to God accusing him of playing by different and unfair rules. We complain that God isn't more obvious and active in our lives. All the while the god of this age is calling us closer to his darkness. Then we remember God's Word, "We live by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). We stop looking for the glory out there, and we believe once more that the glory we need is in us. "For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts."
God's glory is not normally noticeable by sight. The transfiguration of Jesus and the pillar of fire among the Israelites were exceptions. God's glory is meant to be believed more than seen. Bring God's glory from the mountain by keeping it in your heart. "We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). Stop looking for glamour and pizzazz, and, by faith, you'll find God in the strangest places. Like one young man named Kevin. Listen to this:
I envy my brother, Kevin. [He] thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night. He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, "Are you there, God?" he said. "Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed." Mentally disabled, he reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old. I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. On Saturdays my dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. "That one's goin' to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. He will never know the entanglements of wealth or power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears. And he trusts God. Kevin seems to know God in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp. God is his closest companion. I sometimes envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions. It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap. I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances – they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care. And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to us, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed. Kevin won't be surprised at all (adapted from a story circulating on the internet)!
Life isn't about waiting for that one dazzling moment of super glory, and when it happens then everything will be just great. No, life is about ongoing, little Kevin-like moments and decisions and behaviors defined by faith in Jesus Christ. The glory of God transformed us once in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, but as sure as Jesus Christ lives in us today the glory of God continues to transform us. "We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Last Saturday Disney World in Orlando unveiled its new American Idol Experience. It's a reality attraction set in a TV stage where park guests can audition and advance, just like American Idol. Singers perform before a live audience inside the main theater, with the audience members using keypads to vote. The last show of each day features the winners of the day's previous shows for a final performance and vote. American Idol is now making it easier and more accessible for anyone to shine in a moment of glory. Of course, Jesus has already done that for us at his transfiguration, and continues to do that by living in us every day. Amen.
Preached at Grace Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, WI (www.gracedowntown.org) on February 22, 2009
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