Transfiguration Sunday 2/18/07 Text: Luke 9:28-36 Title: Where is God?
Transfiguration Sunday
2/18/07
Text: Luke 9: 28-36
Title: Where is God?
I heard a story recently about a terrible fire in a chemical plant. Several area fire departments responded to the blaze, and quite a crowd from the entire area gathered at a distance to watch. The media was there in helicopters and satellite remote trucks. The president of the company was among the crowd, and he was frantic. He gathered together the chiefs of all the fire departments and explained to them that in the midst of the inferno was a safe that contained all the company’s super-sensitive documents including the top-secret formulas for all their best-selling products. He pledged to give a $500,000 donation to the fire department that brought the blaze under control and saved all the super-sensitive documents in the safe.
The chiefs rallied their firemen and women, pulled out all the stops attempting to bring the blaze under control, but it wasn’t happening. The fire continued to rage. After quite some time the crowd heard another siren in the distance that kept growing louder. Before long, this old, beat-up, dilapidated 1930’s-style fire engine filled with a bunch of men in their 60’s and 70’s came roaring through the crowd, right past all the other fire departments. The truck didn’t even slow down as it burst through the front door of the plant and right into the middle of the blazing inferno. Everyone, firefighters, media members and the crowd just gasped thinking about what these guys did. However, before long the fire was under control and this group of aged firefighters stumbled out the front of the plant coughing. Everyone cheered their heroic effort. They saved the safe.
A few hours later in front of the gutted plant, the president of the company handed the 82-year-old chief a check for half a million dollars. In the press conference that followed, one reporter asked the chief what they planned to do with that incredible reward. He did not even hesitate as he said, "A fire truck with working brakes!"
I told you that story for a reason, for many times in our lives what we see is not the reality of what is happening. Our Old Testament and Gospel readings for today are not what we think they are. They are much more. They give us a glimpse of the glory of God, the glory that is found in the cross.
We stand on the threshold of the Lenten season. The season of Lent is when our worship services are set in such a way that we spend a lot of time talking about the suffering of Jesus. It's a six-week span of time that we spend talking about Jesus' passion. Lutheran Churches have traditionally had midweek evening services during Lent to remember the sufferings of Jesus Christ. It's not fun to talk about suffering. It's not fun to suffer. It's not fun to watch someone else suffer. But suffering comes before glory. Just think about anyone who is now in heaven. Whether they suffered a long time or died almost instantly, they suffered while they were here in this life. Today, those same people are in glory, in paradise, in heaven. Why? Because Jesus put suffering ahead of glory. He went the way of the cross to pay for the penalty of our sins. He went to the cross to die for you and me! He did that out of His great love. He did it willingly! He did it so that when we die, we will live with Him forever.
In the six weeks of Lent that begin next Wednesday, we will recount a lot of events that caused the disciples to wonder, "Where is God?" When Jesus was being ridiculed, they would ask, "Where is God?" When Jesus was arrested and they were in terror, they would wonder, "Where is God?" When Jesus was being tried in Pilate's praetorium, they would cry in their hearts, "Where is God?" As Jesus was being nailed to the cross, their minds would scream, "Where is God?" When Jesus died and was buried, they wanted to know, "Where is God?" Even Jesus Himself, while He was on the cross, asked, "Where is God?" when He said, "My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?" The disciples needed this time of Transfiguration, so that they could see a glimpse of the end result, Jesus being glorified, to keep them sane while they were watching this same Jesus being crucified.
This transfiguration picture can keep sanity in your life for all those times you wonder, "Where is God?" That's because this Transfiguration picture, along with the reality that we already know and wonderfully celebrate, that reality we will celebrate again in a little over seven weeks, that Jesus is risen from the dead, that God in Christ has defeated sin, death and hell once and for all, is our hope for victory as well. St. Paul says, "I am convinced that the present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory to be revealed in us." When you suffer, when you grieve, when you hurt, you want to know, sometimes you demand to know, "Where is God?" The light of the glowing Transfiguration shines on you to assure you that no matter what happens, there is God! He is with us, no matter what! And once we reach heaven, we will not look back, because the sufferings in this life do not compare with the glory that we will realize there. We will be with God, we will forget all the pain, all the hurt, all the suffering, all the doubt, and never again will we have to ask, "Where is God?" Until that day, God continues to give us pictures as well as pointing us to His means, His Word and the sacraments, so that we know certainly and without any doubt, "There is God! And He's there for me!" Amen.
2/18/07
Text: Luke 9: 28-36
Title: Where is God?
I heard a story recently about a terrible fire in a chemical plant. Several area fire departments responded to the blaze, and quite a crowd from the entire area gathered at a distance to watch. The media was there in helicopters and satellite remote trucks. The president of the company was among the crowd, and he was frantic. He gathered together the chiefs of all the fire departments and explained to them that in the midst of the inferno was a safe that contained all the company’s super-sensitive documents including the top-secret formulas for all their best-selling products. He pledged to give a $500,000 donation to the fire department that brought the blaze under control and saved all the super-sensitive documents in the safe.
The chiefs rallied their firemen and women, pulled out all the stops attempting to bring the blaze under control, but it wasn’t happening. The fire continued to rage. After quite some time the crowd heard another siren in the distance that kept growing louder. Before long, this old, beat-up, dilapidated 1930’s-style fire engine filled with a bunch of men in their 60’s and 70’s came roaring through the crowd, right past all the other fire departments. The truck didn’t even slow down as it burst through the front door of the plant and right into the middle of the blazing inferno. Everyone, firefighters, media members and the crowd just gasped thinking about what these guys did. However, before long the fire was under control and this group of aged firefighters stumbled out the front of the plant coughing. Everyone cheered their heroic effort. They saved the safe.
A few hours later in front of the gutted plant, the president of the company handed the 82-year-old chief a check for half a million dollars. In the press conference that followed, one reporter asked the chief what they planned to do with that incredible reward. He did not even hesitate as he said, "A fire truck with working brakes!"
I told you that story for a reason, for many times in our lives what we see is not the reality of what is happening. Our Old Testament and Gospel readings for today are not what we think they are. They are much more. They give us a glimpse of the glory of God, the glory that is found in the cross.
We stand on the threshold of the Lenten season. The season of Lent is when our worship services are set in such a way that we spend a lot of time talking about the suffering of Jesus. It's a six-week span of time that we spend talking about Jesus' passion. Lutheran Churches have traditionally had midweek evening services during Lent to remember the sufferings of Jesus Christ. It's not fun to talk about suffering. It's not fun to suffer. It's not fun to watch someone else suffer. But suffering comes before glory. Just think about anyone who is now in heaven. Whether they suffered a long time or died almost instantly, they suffered while they were here in this life. Today, those same people are in glory, in paradise, in heaven. Why? Because Jesus put suffering ahead of glory. He went the way of the cross to pay for the penalty of our sins. He went to the cross to die for you and me! He did that out of His great love. He did it willingly! He did it so that when we die, we will live with Him forever.
In the six weeks of Lent that begin next Wednesday, we will recount a lot of events that caused the disciples to wonder, "Where is God?" When Jesus was being ridiculed, they would ask, "Where is God?" When Jesus was arrested and they were in terror, they would wonder, "Where is God?" When Jesus was being tried in Pilate's praetorium, they would cry in their hearts, "Where is God?" As Jesus was being nailed to the cross, their minds would scream, "Where is God?" When Jesus died and was buried, they wanted to know, "Where is God?" Even Jesus Himself, while He was on the cross, asked, "Where is God?" when He said, "My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?" The disciples needed this time of Transfiguration, so that they could see a glimpse of the end result, Jesus being glorified, to keep them sane while they were watching this same Jesus being crucified.
This transfiguration picture can keep sanity in your life for all those times you wonder, "Where is God?" That's because this Transfiguration picture, along with the reality that we already know and wonderfully celebrate, that reality we will celebrate again in a little over seven weeks, that Jesus is risen from the dead, that God in Christ has defeated sin, death and hell once and for all, is our hope for victory as well. St. Paul says, "I am convinced that the present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory to be revealed in us." When you suffer, when you grieve, when you hurt, you want to know, sometimes you demand to know, "Where is God?" The light of the glowing Transfiguration shines on you to assure you that no matter what happens, there is God! He is with us, no matter what! And once we reach heaven, we will not look back, because the sufferings in this life do not compare with the glory that we will realize there. We will be with God, we will forget all the pain, all the hurt, all the suffering, all the doubt, and never again will we have to ask, "Where is God?" Until that day, God continues to give us pictures as well as pointing us to His means, His Word and the sacraments, so that we know certainly and without any doubt, "There is God! And He's there for me!" Amen.
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 4:02 PM
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