Exodus 24:12-18, Psalm 99, 2 Peter 1:16-21, Matthew 17:1-9
Sermon by Michael R. Martin
First United Methodist Church of Saranac Lake, NY
Exodus 24:12-18 (NLT) And the Lord said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there while I give you the tablets of stone that I have inscribed with my instructions and commands. Then you will teach the people from them." So Moses and his assistant Joshua climbed up the mountain of God.Who are you? Do you ever ask yourself “Who am I?” Do you ever see someone and wonder what that person is like? Have you ever judged someone by their looks? Do you ever wonder how other people perceive you? This morning I was running in and out of church, carrying in all my stuff from the car, and I saw three older teens walking up the other side of the street. They were dressed like snow boarders: big baggy pants, long coats, funny knit hats. I called out “Good morning” to them, and then thought, “Maybe I shouldn’t have called to them. Here I am, dressed in my Boy Scout uniform, coming out of a church. I forget I am older than I feel. Not one of them at all” But they cheerfully called back “Good morning” and kept walking on their way.
Moses told the other leaders, "Stay here and wait for us until we come back. If there are any problems while I am gone, consult with Aaron and Hur, who are here with you."
Then Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. And the glorious presence of the Lord rested upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from the cloud. The Israelites at the foot of the mountain saw an awesome sight. The awesome glory of the Lord on the mountaintop looked like a devouring fire. Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Matthew 17:1-9 (NLT) Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. As the men watched, Jesus' appearance changed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became dazzling white. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter blurted out, "Lord, this is wonderful! If you want me to, I'll make three shrines, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
But even as he said it, a bright cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him. Listen to him." The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.
Jesus came over and touched them. "Get up," he said, "don't be afraid." And when they looked, they saw only Jesus with them. As they descended the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen until I, the Son of Man, have been raised from the dead."
It is human nature to judge by appearances. We don’t like it when someone does it to us but it’s a hard thing to resist doing ourselves. Some people look the same every time you see them. Me, I change my appearances frequently. Sometimes a crew cut, but often longish hair. Often a beard, but sometimes just a moustache, and today I am sporting this goatee. Sometimes I wear my contacts but often I do not. When I go out, I may wear a baseball cap, or sometimes this floppy expedition hat. Like most Americans, I typically wear jeans and a tee shirt, but often for meetings and conferences I will wear dress pants and a sports coat, or even a jacket with a shirt and tie. And today, look at me; I am wearing my Boy Scout uniform in honor of Scout Sunday.
If you were a stranger to me, and met me just once, on any given day, you might think I was a long-haired, bearded jeans and tee shirt sort of guy, or you might think I was a crew-cut dress up sort of guy. It all depends on what I looked like when you saw me. And that is who I would be to you. In fact, in my business I have clients who think I am the guy who studies lakes and helps them clean them up, while other clients think I am the guy that uses advanced computer mapping to analyze land use. I was talking to one client about their mapping project and happened to mention I was studying three lakes in the adjacent county and her reaction was surprise. “I didn’t know you did that,” she exclaimed, when actually “that” is mostly what I do for a living! The same could be said of my private endeavors – to some I am a photographer, to others a musician, and rarely the twain shall meet.
So who we are out in the world is not necessarily a function of who we think we are, or even what we do. Equally, who someone is and what someone is capable of accomplishing is not necessarily a function of how they appear to us. And if that is the case, isn’t it also true that someone’s personal connection to Christ might be something we may not even recognize on first glance or casual acquaintance?
When we learn something new about someone and see them in a different light, they are transfigured. Have they really changed? Probably not, but we see more of who they are. Peter and James and John went up the mountain with Jesus and witnessed something amazing. Jesus was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. I can only imagine how Peter and James and John were affected by this witness. In some ways they must have been deeply affected by it, changed by it, transfigured by it. But wasn’t Jesus the same Jesus with whom they walked up the mountain? And weren’t they still the same three? So what changed? To me, what really changed was knowledge – they learned something new about themselves and their Savior, something new about someone they thought they knew.
I find it difficult sometimes to live here in the real world and still remain focused on Christ. I don’t know about you, but my personal opportunities for transfiguration seem at times to be far and few between. But still, I am a lot of different things all rolled into one imperfect vessel for Christ, just as you are a lot of different things all rolled into one imperfect vessel for Christ. On this Transfiguration Sunday, I am reminded that all who we meet are also many things, just like you and me. I know that I have to do a better job of seeing all people for who they really are, the blessed children of God. How about you?
Michael R. Martin –February 6, 2005
First UMC of Saranac Lake, 8:30AM
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