Stewardship of Life

Dazed, Confused, Blinded, and Transfigured

By Sharron R. Blezard, February 12, 2015

Lectionary Reflection for the Transfiguration of our Lord, Year B

February 14, 2015

For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 2 Corinthians 4:5

I don’t know about you, but a lot of the time I feel like I reside in the 51st state—the state of confusion. Just when I think I have things figured out, the sands shift, the rules change, time marches on, and I’m scratching my head and pondering my next move. It’s easy in a swiftly changing, increasingly complex world to feel the fog of confusion swirling about in one’s mind. Not to worry, however; dwelling with confusion is not exclusively a 21st century phenomenon. Take Peter for example. In this week’s gospel he is with Jesus, James, and John on the mountaintop when his entire world view is shaken. Suddenly, everything he’s known, assumed, or taken for granted is turned on its head when Jesus is transfigured and revealed for who he truly is. Add to this mind-blowing sight the appearance of Moses and Elijah standing on either side of Jesus. The disciples are afraid, so Peter fills the air with talk. He wants to build dwellings, to make a monument to the moment, to capture the essence of the event—to DO something, anything.

And God surrounds them in a cloud and says “This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!” In the blink of an eye, the glorious moment is gone, and the disciples are trudging back down to the valley with Jesus and ordered not to tell anyone about the experience. Talk about a state of confusion!

Our lives are marked by highs and lows, by peaks and valleys, by fogs of confusion punctuated by moments of clarity and purpose. The key for followers of Jesus is to realize that it’s about the long haul, about the step-by-step journey of discipleship. Mountaintop experiences are marvelous, and they give us a glimpse of the reign of God and the reality of our mission and purpose, but the work—the hard, daily, less-than-glamorous work—takes place on the flats and in the valleys of life. The work can be lonely, scary, and challenging. Just ask Elisha, who in this week’s Old Testament lesson watches his mentor Elijah taken away into the sky. He is left behind, and decidedly not loving it.

And Paul, in the letter to his beloved community at Corinth, talks about the gospel being veiled to those who are perishing. What? The gods of the world are blinding folks and preventing them from seeing and experiencing Christ’s light? That’s Paul’s perspective, and he reminds fellow believers that it’s not about lifting up the self but rather about being a slave for the sake of the gospel. We know that Paul suffered for the sake of the good news and had been transformed by the power of the good news. As a result he was compelled to shine the light of Christ into the world’s darkest corners so that all might come to know God through Jesus.

So on this Sunday that the church celebrates the Transfiguration of Jesus, we might ask not only about those moments of clarity and light where we see Jesus for who and what he is but also about those times when we dwell in that state of confusion. Are we sometimes blinded by the light and perhaps also blinding others to the light? Dazed, confused, and blinded, we are nonetheless being changed by the transfigured Christ. We, with our meager gifts and fragile faith, are stewards of this amazing good news even as we are being transformed and made new in Christ. Thanks be to God for the opportunity to bear this light to the world even in those wandering desert-dry days of confusion.

In Worship

Looking for a good new song for worship this Sunday? Here’s one that’s truly beautiful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbt2XTS9kGw. “Transfiguration” by At Average is well worth checking out and possibly incorporating into your liturgy.

With Youth

How does being a child of God “transfigure” us, make us different, make us stand out as people of a different way of living and being, while still walking in the culture? What does it mean to proclaim Christ as Lord and ourselves as slaves to the gospel? Youth may want to talk about recent events including instances of racially- and religiously-motivated violence. We don’t often think about living for Jesus as being “dangerous,” at least not in North America. How can we be lights shining out of darkness to bear witness to the good news of Jesus?

With Children

In today’s gospel lesson, Peter wants to talk and to do something–anything. But God says “Listen. Listen to Jesus.” Invite the children to think of how we listen to Jesus today. Affirm all ideas, but stress that we listen to Jesus in prayer, in scripture, through sermons, and through the lives and words of Sunday school teachers, parents, grandparents, pastors , friends and  others who have the light of Christ shining in their lives. End by inviting the congregation to sing “This Little Light of Mine” with the children. Make sure you have the entire congregation lift up their index finger “lights” and participate in the song. Finish with a simple prayer for the ability to listen to Jesus, to be Christ’s light, and to tell others what God has and is doing.

Photos: Edger Chambon 94, Elisaboba, and Courtney Carmody, Creative Commons.

Click here to read the Lectionary Reflection from 2012, “A Glimpse of God-Light.”