Transformed

What happens to us when we live in the presence of God? Do we change; and if we do, how do we change? In this sermon that I preached on Transfiguration Sunday, I consider those questions. I hope that you find yourself somewhere in it.

Every bride is beautiful on her wedding day. My mother used to say that, and I’ve become convinced that it’s true. On every other day, a woman might be as ugly as a mud fence; but on her wedding day, she is beautiful. And it has nothing at all to do with her dress. A bride is just as beautiful in a plain pantsuit as she is wearing a $50,000 gown encrusted with lace and seed pearls. The beauty of a bride doesn’t come from her clothing, but from within her very being! On her wedding day, a bride is surrounded by love: the love of her family, the love of her friends, and the love of her new spouse; and her face shines brightly with the fullness of that love.

You don’t often see that shine elsewhere. You can sometimes catch a glimpse of it on the face of a person who is being ordained to the Christian ministry. That person, too, is surrounded by love on the day of her ordination: the love of companions who have walked with him on his journey of faith; the love of her friends who are taking part in the ordination service; and, certainly, the love of God that called him to ministry in the first place. Of course, those shining faces don’t last forever. Brides turn into wives and mothers; and they are usually too tired to shine much. Ordination leads into daily ministry; and local church pastors rarely have shining faces as they juggle church commitments and try to preach faithfully Sunday after Sunday. But sometimes – on those days that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are loved; on the days when we begin new, exciting chapters in our lives and we know that God is guiding us – then our faces shine as though we have come face-to-face with God in all God’s glory.

And maybe we have done just that, on those magnificent, once-in-a-lifetime days whose memories stay with us forever. That has happened before, you know. The book of Exodus tells us that it happened to Moses long ago (Exodus 34:29-35). Moses spent forty days on Mt. Sinai talking face-to-face with God while he was receiving the Law; and when he came back to the Israelites, his face shone like the sun. It shone so brightly that the people were afraid of him! He finally convinced them that he wouldn’t bite, but he finally had to cover his face when he was talking with them. He spent so much time in the glory of God’s presence that he was permanently changed.

The very same thing happened to Jesus (Matthew 17:1-8). The churchy word for it is the “Transfiguration.” In some ways, it’s very much like the story of Moses. Jesus took three of his disciples – Peter, James, and John – up to the top of a mountain; and while they were there, Jesus was changed – transfigured – right in front of their eyes. His face shone like the sun, radiating the glory of God while the disciples cowered in fear. This story of Jesus sounds like the story of Moses, doesn’t it? Just like Moses’ face shone by being with God, Jesus’ face shone, too; and it shone even more brightly because he had been with God for far longer than Moses. In fact, all of Jesus shone brightly! That’s what happens when we live in the presence of God day after day, week after week, year after year. We are transformed by that presence.

Now, I don’t mean to say that when we live in the presence of God, we all start to glow like we live inside a nuclear reactor! But I do mean that when we stay close to God, we are changed in important ways. Maybe the impatience that we’ve always struggled with starts to lose some of its power. Maybe the resentment that we insist on carrying in our pocket starts to drain away. And certainly the hate that lurks in the dark corners of our soul starts to be replaced by the love that God offers us so extravagantly. Oh, it doesn’t happen quickly. It takes years – sometimes years and years and years – but it does happen! When we look back on our lives, sometimes we can catch a glimpse of it. Paul claims that we are being transformed into no less than the image of Christ himself; and isn’t that our goal as Christians who follow the Master – to be like him in every way? We can’t do that ourselves; but God can help us to do it if we ask him – and allow him.

The season of Lent is a time to work for this kind of transformation. We talk a lot during Lent about “repenting.” That word brings up images of wearing dark colors, and giving up our favorite foods, and owning up to what we have done wrong through prayers of confession. There’s nothing wrong with those things; but if that’s all that we do, we’re not repenting. We’re only talking about it. The word “to repent” in Hebrew means “to turn around.” If we realize that we have done wrong, and if we are sorry for doing it, then we need to repent – to turn around – and to do things differently in the future. During Lent, the different thing that I hope you do is to intentionally draw closer to God. It’s no coincidence that every Lent, I recommend that you make time for prayer and meditation; because prayer and meditation can help to bring you closer to the God who will transform you if you will only let him do it.

So, what happens if we do repent and move closer to God? What does this transformation look like, anyway? No glowing faces – we understand that – but how will people know that we’ve been transformed? For that matter, how will we know that we’ve been transformed? Well, transformation is a very personal thing; but I do have a few clues that suggest that you’re going in the right direction.

Are you worrying more about other people’s feelings and not just your own? That’s a good start.

Are you realizing that you aren’t always right, and that other people might have something valuable to say? You’re definitely on the right track.

Are you able to feel gratitude to God for something every single day? Now you’re getting the hang of this!

Do you find joy in God’s creation – not only in nature, but also in other people – as well as in yourself? You’re on your way!

And do you, at least occasionally, feel God’s peace that passes all understanding, because you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God will bring something positive out of even the most difficult situation? You’re doing just fine!

During this Lenten season, my sermons and meditations will focus on the kinds of transformation that God offers us: from guilt to freedom, from selfishness to generosity, from legalism to compassion, from brokenness to health, from isolation to fellowship, and from fear to courage. I invite you to join me on this journey of transformation; and to give thanks to God who so freely offers us glimpses of his transforming glory – and then, uses it to transform us!