The Transfiguration & Preparing for Lent
(Free Version)- Readings for the Last Sunday After Epiphany- Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-36
Icon by Ivanka Demchuk
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Transfiguration Sunday is situated between the seasons of Epiphany (revealing) and Lent (suffering) for a reason. Our readings lead us to see both at work in the life of a disciple. We experience the mountaintop and the valley.
Moses experienced God on the mountaintop (Exodus 34:29-35) and it changed him. He too began to shine. He shone in such a way that he needed to veil his face. Likewise, God’s presence and God’s word changes us. Yet, it is not the experience that we are to chase. Rather, the experience points us to the heart of the One who who loves and draws near to his people.
Paul draws on the Moses story (2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2) to say something radical about Jesus and about Christians. Moses had to veil his face because the hearts of the people were hardened. But, in Jesus, God has made a way for that veil to be removed. We only need to turn to Him. God is doing a work in us by the Spirit and we therefore shine with the radiance of God, not because of what we have done, but because God is transforming into Christ’s image. It is because of this that we, like Paul, can speak and embody lives of transparency.
Our gospel reading (Luke 9:28-36) tells the story of the Transfiguration. We see here Jesus shining in dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appear and point to Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel’s story, but their conversation is about the “exodus” meaning his death and the liberation he will enact for the whole world. Thus, this story is both about glory and about suffering. In Christ, the two come together. As they prepare for the journey to the cross, the Father affirms something the disciples will not forget saying of Jesus, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" We are not to control holy things, rather our calling is to listen.
Next Wednesday, we enter the season of Lent which consists of forty days minus Sundays. Lent is often thought of us a “desert” season, but it can also be considered a “planting” season. It is in this season that we remember that Jesus gave his life. He was “planted” in the ground in order that we might receive the harvest of resurrection.
In Lent, we reorient our lives to remember our dependence on God. It is often a somber season as we remember that, without God, we are nothing but dust. We also recognize that all that is beautiful, true, and good in the world comes from Him. We open ourselves up to that reality and, in doing so, we allow God to shine through us.
Some of us may choose to fast something during this season, but it is never a “have to.” Fasting captures our attention. When I fast something that I am used to having, I am reorienting my body and my mind. When I fast lunch and spend that time reading scripture or praying, my stomach is going to start growling. There is a longing. There is a need. It actually kicks in a version of our fight-or-flight response.
If I am used to grabbing a burger on my way home on stressful days, and I fast, it will cause my mind and my body to do a double-take. If I am used to thumbing through social media on my phone at every break in my day, and I delete that app for 40 days, I might be surprised when my mind freaks out a little.
Maybe you are one of those brave souls who thinks that you can fast coffee. Your body will not want you to do that!
A few things to remember during this season:
This is not dieting. Do not set a weight loss goal.
Do not just give up you want to stop doing. If you have been needing to stop drinking, just stop drinking. Do not do that just because of Lent. If Lent is the push you need, great. But this is not just “get rid of bad habits” month. One danger is for Lent to become for Christians what January is to the wider world, a time to set a list of goals and get rid of vices.
Replace the behaviors with other things. If you are fasting lunch, use that time to pray instead. What else can you do? Replace the Facebook app on your phone with a prayer app or the Kindle app and read some good books.
Feast on Sundays. It is traditional to break fast on Sundays. This is because each Sunday is a “mini-Easter,” celebrations of resurrection.
The Season of Easter follows Easter Sunday and is a season of celebration. Just as we fast during Lent, we are invited to “feast” during Easter.
Remember that this is not about your moral perfection. God is not impressed if you went forty days without doing something. The goal of Lent is not to impress other people or measure ourselves against others. So, if you are fasting social media, you probably do not need to tell people (on social media) that you are doing so.
In this season, we remember that we need God. We do not need food as much as we need God! We certainly do not need chocolate, coffee, Facebook, or video games as much as we need God.
We do not just remember our dependence, we are formed by our dependence. The entire Christian life is lived by grace. It is lived out of weakness, not out of strength. It is lived in light of God’s glory revealed both on the mountain of transfiguration and on the mountain of Calvary.
May our lives be formed by God’s self-sacrifice love and may we shine His light into the world.