SERMONS

The Reverend Angela Ying
Bethany United Church of Christ

What image comes to you when I say the word “Snow!” For some of us, it may be the dazzling cover of the ground when the snow first comes down or the thought of skiing or sledding or missing school. For some of us, it may be the fear of getting from one place to another —traveling with caution — wondering if we will meet icy conditions on the road. For some of us, it may be that we see we are in for a journey that may ask us to slow down while taking us through roads and crossroads we never imagined.

Whether the image of making a snow angel, snowman or snow ball comes to mind — we each have an image in our mind that provokes something dazzling, something we fear and something to keep us on the journey for the long view as we seek signs of spring.

You ever wonder if there was snow on the mountain that Jesus went up that day with three disciples, Peter, James and John? The text does not say. But what it does share with us is this …With Jesus, the disciples experienced — something dazzling, something they feared and something that made them realize they were on the journey for the long view. In other words, the disciples were about to discover the gift of human relationships.
Dazzling
Feared
A Journey for the Long view

Reflecting on this, it is LIFE we are talking about here — for in our relationships, do we not experience in the beginning a sense of something dazzling —
Whoa, is she amazing!
Man, do I want to be with him
Her eyes just sparkle
His face lights up when I walk in the room. Dazzling!
While the three disciples were chit chatting away, Jesus’ appearance changed from the inside out, right before their very eyes. Sunlight poured from Jesus’ face as his clothes were filled with light.

Peter comments, “It is good for us to be here!” Something they would have missed it they had not shown up. They see Moses and Elijah with Jesus.
Remember, Moses is the one with his multicultural Hebrew and Egyptian background, who brought his people out of bondage and into liberation and after meeting God up on the mountain, Mt. Sinai, came down from the mountain with the Law and the Ten Commandments. Elijah is the prophet whom God sent to bring people to faith and grace by confronting and changing people who would much rather worship their own man-made idols.

So, the fact that Moses and Elijah are present with Jesus here — gives us a clue that the Law and the Prophets are going to be fulfilled in Jesus. That everything is continuous with God’s promises. Perhaps, Peter says it right — it is good for us to be here!

For having officiated at Ruth Barrett’s memorial service yesterday, here at Bethany, I am reminded that life is short and we do not know how long we get to be with each other. It is good for us to be here. Yes, indeed, I do think it is good for us to be here.

As the sunlight shone on Jesus’ face, there came an overshadowing cloud and in the cloud, God’s voice. “This is my Son the Beloved with whom I am well pleased.”
Where have we heard those words before? At Jesus’ Baptism — in the River Jordan. And at our Baptism and our children’s baptism — reminding us that we are God’s Beloved.

Now the strange thing is that when the disciples heard these words of being Beloved, why, they fell flat on their face and were filled with fear.
In other words, they fainted and were afraid!
We can handle all the stimulation, simulation and excitement from bright lights, games, videos and flashy images projected on us, but when we hear we are Beloved — why, we fall flat on our face in fear. And here, my friends, is where pastors and churches universal have failed and where the genius of Jesus comes through loud and clear. Instead of teaching and preaching and lecturing that we have to get our act together and stop falling on our faces in fear. That we need to stop blowing this moment we have with Jesus and each other.

You know what Jesus does with the disciples falling flat on their faces in fear? Jesus came and touched them. He came and touched them. He did not offer words of exegetical analysis on the biblical interpretation of having more faith or a lecture on self-help, which does not help, and the psychology of fear in all of us. Not even a paternal comment or innuendo of “I told you so.” Rather, it is a touch — and the words “Get up, do not be afraid.”

As a child and even more so as a parent, we hate to see our children disappointed. For some of us, we will do anything to avoid our own fear of our children getting disappointed. And yet, I remember the wise words of a preschool teacher who shared with me, “If you and your children do not experience disappointment or worse, run from it, how will you ever discover that you can get up and overcome it in order to carry on.” “Get up, do not be afraid.”

I am certain by this time on the high mountain, Jesus’ disciples are thinking to themselves, “Let me out of here. I do not want to be on this particular journey.”
It is good for us to be here, but now what?

On President’s Day, my family went out to the beautiful Methow Valley to take my in-laws skiing. They all remained there for the rest of the week, but I was to return early the next day on my own. The sun was out and the roads seemed clear. Half way home, through the pass, snow started to fall. At first it was dazzling. Snowflakes falling from the sky. It was a sight not to be missed.
And yet, no sooner after being dazzled, fear set in.
For I do not like driving in snow and to make it worse, when after many hours of driving 20 miles an hour, I finally got onto I-90 — traffic was completely stopped on the highway due to earlier cars and semi-trucks sliding off the road with tow trucks needing to come in and move them. Looking at my gas tank, which was on low of course — I turned the engine off, took a short nap, but soon realized how cold it was getting. We sat in traffic for over two hours with the snow now coming down harder. Eventually, I-90 had to be closed completely. But what about those of us who were already on I-90 — on the road — had chosen to go the journey?
“Get up and do not be afraid.” As confused as those disciples must have been, I too wondered how I would get home — If I would get home.

What helped me get up and not be afraid, was to prayerfully see the snowflakes coming down on my windshield as also a part of the presence of God and all I needed to do was to keep my eyes on the lights in front of me, which was in no hurry to rush the journey we had been put on. Unbeknownst to me, my family had heard from an ice fisherman that I-90 had been closed and after being dazzled by the fresh snow falling, which makes for great skiing, were now afraid of where I was and how I would get home, as there was no answer at home having left eight hours earlier that morning. It wasn’t until I had come to see that this was a journey I would have to take amidst my being dazzled and afraid, that twenty minutes from home, snow no longer came down from the sky and there was very little on the ground as I approached Seattle. I could not believe it — after being in a snow storm for hours on end.

God’s presence was not only in the snow but in the rain and the clear skies.
And when I finally returned home, there were a slew of messages from my family and my in-laws asking me to call the minute I got home.

Grace, because usually, for most people, no news is good news. And I wondered, though I had dreaded parts of this journey, and feared most of it, how it brought people I know and people I do not know that well — together on a journey of life.
Jesus’ transfiguration stands between his baptism and his resurrection, where suffering and glory, darkness and light, death and life belong together.
And the good news is this, that on this journey of faith we are on together, we will have moments that dazzle us, moments that make us fall on our faces in fear and moments when we realize that to stay on the journey for the long view, God is present reminding us we are Beloved and Jesus is present offering a touch and the words “Get up and do not be afraid.”

Could it be that Jesus calls us to offer a touch and to give each other reassurance? For as we begin the season of Lent and dare to take this road to Jerusalem with Jesus as disoriented, fumbling, impatient followers of Jesus — the promise of resurrection does come.

Which is why, in the words of Jesus’ disciple, “It is good for us to be here!”