Lent 1 – 14 February 2016 – Year C

Lent 1 – 14 February 2016 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 4^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verse 1 – 15

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness ² for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. ³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” ⁴ And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ” ⁵ And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, ⁶ and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. ⁷ If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸ And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God,

and him only shall you serve.’ ”

⁹ And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are ^jthe Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰ for it is written,

“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,

to guard you,’

¹¹ and

“ ‘On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”

¹² And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” ¹³ And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

¹⁴ And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. ¹⁵ And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

What image comes to your mind when you think of an epic battle?  Perhaps you think of the ancient battles with thousands of troops facing each other on a great field of battle … maybe something more modern … bombs, artillery, computer guided rockets.  If you are into fantasy or science fiction, you might visualise energy beams and force shields.  Imagine a great battle.  What image comes to your mind?

Today’s Gospel is an account of a great battle in the greatest of all wars.  What kind of cosmic spiritual powers do the Lord of Life and the lord of death bear against each other?  The answer might surprise you because all these two great warriors did was talk.  They had a conversation out in the wilderness.  The weapons used in this great battle were … words.  That’s it … just words.

You see the devil is the ultimate con artist.  When he uses words, he lies … he misleads.  Jesus said, ^{[John 8:44]} “[The devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”  The Apostle Paul told the Corinthians that ^{[2 Corinthians 11:14]} Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  He can disguise himself as polite … caring … nice … helpful … and so forth.  He has the ability to make us think that the loving thing is cruel … that the right thing is wrong … that the truth is a lie … and so forth.  The devil knows how to spin the facts.  He is always politically correct.  He knows how to present his case in a way that will boost our self-esteem.  He is the master of deception.

Jesus, on the other hand is the truth. ^{[John 14:6]} Jesus said … “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”  He also said, ^{[John 8:31–32]} “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  Jesus does not spin the facts.  Jesus knows that the truth is not always politically correct.  Jesus knows that the truth does not always make us feel good about ourselves.  Jesus knows that sometimes love means telling someone a truth that they do not want to hear.

We underestimate words.  We think of the massive military powers of the past as great powers, but they are nothing compared to words.  Words convinced the German voters to elect Adolph Hitler to lead their country.  Words convinced a group of young men to hijack some airliners and fly them into buildings.  Words convince men, women, and even children to strap on explosive vests and detonate them in crowded areas.

Words persuade people to elect governments.  Words convince extremist that their cause is just.  Words cut into people’s hearts, causing them to give up hope and the will to live. Words decimate loving families. Words mean things and have more power than we can imagine.

The devil bends the power of words to his will.  He lies.  He even bends Holy Scripture in order to mislead.  Today’s Gospel shows the devil lifting the words of the Psalm out of context.  He blasphemes against the very Word of God and omits a small word here and another small word there until the remaining words conform to his lie.  In this way, he hopes to mislead and corrupt.

The first temptation is very subtle.  Think back to the first time you thought about the details of this account.  Sooner or later most people will wonder what the big deal is about converting stones into bread.  The Gospels record two accounts of Jesus multiplying loaves in order to feed thousands of people.  What could possibly be so terrible about making a little bread out in the wilderness where no one else even needed to see what Jesus did?

The bread itself isn’t the problem.  The problem is doubt … lack of faith.  Jesus, in His state of humiliation, is living in our place.  Therefore, just as we should trust God to give us all things, so also Jesus must always place His trust in God.  The devil tried to plant doubt in Jesus’ mind.  God has forgotten you.  He is willing to let you die of hunger.  His promises mean nothing to you.  Your concern is for bread; forget about God’s Word.  Take matters into your own hands.  Don’t rely on God.  The devil hoped that these words would enter Jesus’ thoughts when he said, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

This temptation has been around for a long time.  When God led Israel out of Egypt, He baptised them in the Red Sea and then led them into the wilderness.  They listened to the words of the devil and complained against Moses and against God.  They didn’t trust God to care for them in the wilderness.

A similar thing happens in our time as well.  At the first sign of any trouble, we are ready to turn to the world for advice.  We trust the words of the world.  We trust the words of the devil.  We trust our own words.  We don’t trust the Word of God.

The second temptation seems very daring on the part of the devil.  He asks Jesus to worship him.  At first glance, this seems to be beyond belief.  Surely, anyone who still has a few working brain cells knows that worshipping the devil is really, really wrong, incredibly stupid, and very, very dangerous.  Here we forget two things.  The devil is the ultimate con artist, and any form of worship that does not worship the true God, worships the devil.  This means that we can worship the devil without knowing that we are worshipping the devil.  Jesus Himself said, ^{[Matthew 12:30]} “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

The devil offered the world to Jesus.  Today, I notice that many people are willing to do almost anything just to get along.  The devil uses this against us.  He will find a Biblical truth that makes people uncomfortable.  Then he will tell us that it’s not an important doctrine … just a few words in a part of the Bible that most people don’t even read.  “Worship me,” he says, “by ignoring those few, insignificant little words and I will guarantee you peace and unity in your congregation and in your lives.  All you have to do is give up a few words that most people don’t even know are there.  Is that really so bad?”  Suddenly, the devil has us judging what parts of the Word of God are important and what parts we can let slide for the sake of peace.  By suggesting that we can judge God’s Word, he is suggesting that we can judge God Himself.  When we are arrogant enough to judge God’s word, we are worshipping the devil.

In the final temptation, the devil put on the robes of the preacher.  He quoted from the Word of God, but He only quoted the words that suited his purpose.  He left out four words that change the very meaning of the passage.  In this way, the devil changed the psalm from God’s promise to protect us into God’s permission to do stupid things … like jump from the pinnacle of a very tall building.

False preachers still do this sort of thing.  They pick and choose which words they will use and which words they will discard.  Even though Jesus said, ‘This is my body;’ ‘This is my blood,’ there are many in theological authority who advocate that what Jesus really meant was, ‘This represents my body;’ ‘This represents my blood.’” – No – No!!  Even though Jesus told the church to teach all that He commanded, we draw the line at enough – enough for me to get by! … and then we decide what is enough.  We simply forget that telling God that we don’t need any more of His word is the same as telling Him that we don’t need any more of Him.

Sadly, we must all confess that we do not listen to the Words of God as we should.  We often let the devil, the world, or our own sinful nature pick and choose the words of God that we will hear.  The devil and the world seduce us with the words that we want to hear, and we have especially made ourselves into false gods by listening to the world’s misleading wisdom instead of God’s Words.  We all deserve punishment both here in time and forever in eternity for listening to the words we like instead of the words we need.

Never the less, there is comfort in today’s Gospel.  Friends, our champion, Jesus Christ, saw through the lies of the devil.  He never gave in to the temptations that the devil placed before Him.  In fact, Jesus endured temptations greater than any we must ever endure, but He never sinned.  He clung to His perfect righteousness; a feat we are incapable of ever doing.

At the same time that He lived a perfect, sinless life, He was filled with sin … not His own sin for He had none, but He was filled with our sin.  All the sins of all the people of all times and places were heaped on Him.  When the time came to punish our sin, the punishment fell on Him.  He took on Himself the punishment for all the time that we listened to our own words, Satan’s words, instead of His words.  While Jesus suffered and died on the cross, He paid for our every sin.

Yet Jesus did not remain dead. ^{[1 Peter 1:3]} According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  According to this great hope, we look forward to the day when Christ will raise all the dead and all who believe in His Word will join Him in eternal peace.

This world is a dangerous place.  The devil and the other evil angels constantly tempt us to turn away from the truth of God’s Word and listen to the devil’s lies, the world’s lies, and the lies of our own sinful hearts.  In this way, they hope to rob us of our salvation.  Never the less, Christ, our champion and saviour has endured the temptations of the evil one and remained without sin.  He has taken our sin on Himself and endured its punishment.  He has triumphed over sin, death, and the power of the devil.  In this way, He has defended us and made us His own forever.  We now wait in the safety of His protection and look forward to eternal life with Him.  Amen

The love and grace of our great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Ash Wednesday – 11 February 2016 – Year C

Ash Wednesday – 11 February 2016 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for our meditation is written in the 22^nd Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark: Verses 1 - 13

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. ² And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. ³ Then ^vSatan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. ⁴ He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. ⁵ And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. ⁶ So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

⁷ Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸ So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” ⁹ They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” ¹⁰ He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters ¹¹ and tell the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹² And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” ¹³ And they went and found it ^ejust as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

 If there was one rule in the Roman Empire, it was that you kept the peace.  You could do pretty much anything as long as it didn’t cause a ruckus.  The Roman Empire operated very much like many parents.  “Don’t make me come over there!  If I come over there, someone is going to get it!”  Of course, in the case of parents, that might mean a time out, grounding, or some other reasonable discipline.  In the case of the Roman Empire, people who caused a ruckus usually received the death penalty … beheading or poison if you were a citizen … crucifixion if you were not.

The other thing that happened is that the people who were supposed to be in charge would be replaced.  So, if you were a Roman governor and it seemed as though there was a lot of unrest in your province, Rome would eventually replace you with someone more effective.

Rome understood that the religious leaders in Jerusalem had a lot of authority with the people.  Therefore, they made sure that the religious leaders understood that they served at Rome’s pleasure just like the governor.  They didn’t have to like Rome.  They just had to keep things reasonably peaceful.

The religious leaders were caught between a rock and a hard place.  This evening’s reading begins: Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. ²And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. (Luke 22:1–2) That’s a strange thing to say about these men.  After all, they were the ones who confidently took their places among people.  They loved the most important seats in the synagogue and the greetings in the marketplaces.  They were experts in the law, able to make a person break under its burden in a single word.  They wore the long tassels.  They gave a tenth of their possessions.  They fasted twice a week.  They could stand in the center of the synagogue and thank God that they were not like other people.  They had wisdom and power and the respect of the people … until Jesus came.    

Jesus caused problems.  His ministry attracted crowds.  His words touched hearts.  His hands opened eyes, and His words and hands were everywhere.  His very presence brought about a life that they had never known and a gratitude that they could only describe as divine.  Jesus looked like someone who could cause problems … draw the attention of Rome.  If Jesus kept going, He would start a rebellion and attract the attention of Rome.  On the other hand, if they tried to deal with Jesus and prevent the rebellion, the people would revolt and attract the attention of Rome.  Either way, the chief priests and scribes were afraid that they would lose their place.  So they gather on this day and prepare for His death. While everyone around them is preparing for Passover, they are afraid; and in that fear, they prepare for Jesus’ death.

Ironically, God had given people the Passover so that they would have a place of security … a place of comfort … a place to belong.  This is supposed to be a time of rejoicing in God’s gracious provision for His people.  Instead, the topic is fear and death.

Not much has changed down through the centuries.  Many of you may also wonder about your place.  Relationships change.  Children grow up.  The economy rises and falls.  In the middle of all of this many get that sinking feeling, that fear in the pit of our stomach, wondering how will we survive, how will we manage.  As we begin another season of Lent, we learn that there is one thing that does not change.  God works to free and forgive.  God always has a place for you.

This Lent, we will gather again for a season to reflect on the places of the Passion. Throughout Lent we will read through the entire Passion account as told by Luke, a small portion each week.

For most of us the places of the Passion are very familiar.  There is the Upper Room, the Garden of Gethsemane, the halls of Pontius Pilate, the hill of Golgotha … these are the places we remember when we meditate on our Lord’s Passion.  Yet when Jesus enters a place, He never leaves it as He finds it.  The most troubling places in our lives become the most amazing places of God’s grace when Jesus visits them.

Peter will still be Peter, denying Jesus in the courtyard.  Pilate will still be Pilate, struggling in his judgment hall.  And the crowds will still be the crowds calling for Jesus’ death outside the palace.  But don’t be put off by these places of the Passion, for in the midst of this story, there is a wonderful, powerful love.  In the middle of all of this Jesus is still following His path to the cross.  As He makes His way to the cross, He is making His way to the place where He will earn a place for us in His kingdom.  Ultimately, His death on the cross will guarantee an eternal place for us in His kingdom.

In our Gospel reading we once again heard that the religious leaders were seeking how to put [Jesus] to death. (Luke 22:2) They were seeking because they could not come up with a plan.  Everything that they proposed had a problem.  Luke’s account then informs us that there was another one who has lost his place … one of Jesus’ own disciples, Judas.  Luke’s account informs us that Satan entered Judas and worked through Judas to offer a plan that gave the religious leaders what they needed … a traitor who would lead them to Jesus when there were no crowds.

Luke tells us that when Judas came to visit the religious leaders, he found them with “the chief priests and officers” (v. 4).  If you can’t secure your place by your work among the people, you can at least protect your place by force.  Not only is there force, but Luke also points to finances.  Upon hearing of Judas’s offer of betrayal, “they were glad, and agreed to give him money” (v. 5). So we have fear, we have force, we have finances, and we have the foe - A deadly combination.  It brings about death in the life of faith.  It did then, and it does now.

In the middle of all this intrigue and betrayal, Luke recorded an event that reminds us that God is still in control.  His work is really so simple that if we don’t read closely, we may miss it altogether.  Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” ⁹They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” ¹⁰He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters ¹¹and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ ¹²And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” ¹³And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. (Luke 22:8–13) Jesus gave a strange depiction of circumstances—a man carrying a water jar, a journey through the city, a furnished Upper Room.  His disciples went and found that it is exactly as Jesus said.  In the middle of all of this, God is still at work.  What is God doing?  He is preparing a place for His people. The place where God declares that He and He alone is at work to set His people free.

Did the enemy intend evil against Jesus?  Were the religious leaders searching for a way to kill Jesus?  Did Satan enter the heart of Judas?  Did Judas offer to betray Jesus?  It seems as though the plans of all these evil beings were coming together according to their desires.  Never the less, God would use even their evil plans to accomplish His great salvation.  He would work all things together for our greatest good.

As we make our way through this season of Lent, we remember the path to the cross … the path to the place where Jesus earned our salvation.  Never the less, we who live at this time also know how this will turn out.  The cross will lead to the grave, but then the grave will be empty.  We will receive the promise of the resurrection.  We receive the promise of a place in God’s eternal home.

While we wait here, the Lord has given Himself to us in a special way that gives us forgiveness, life, and salvation.  So, this Ash Wednesday, in worship we begin our Lenten observance with a celebration of the Lord’s Supper.  In our worship service, God comes and brings with Him a feast that always has a place for us. His suffering, His death, His resurrection had a purpose.  There is no reason to fear, for our sins have been forgiven, our life is no longer our own, and when we gather in worship, there is a place set at God’s table especially for us.  A simple meal, a simple story, and a simple remembrance, but what a wonderful work God has done and is doing for us and for all of His people.  Amen

The grace and love of our great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Transfiguration of our Lord – 7 February 2016 – Year C

Transfiguration of our Lord – 7 February 2016 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in 9^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 28 - 36

²⁸ Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. ³⁰ And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, ³¹ who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³² Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³ And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. ³⁴ As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” ³⁶ And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

One of the most important guides for interpreting the Bible is very similar to an old Real Estate saying.  Just as the three most important things in Real Estate are location, location, and location, the most important thing in understanding any passage in the Bible is context, context, and context.

It is often unfortunate that the readings on any given Sunday are so short.  We often miss out on the very context that can give some extra insight into the passage we are reading.  For example: today’s Gospel is the account of the Transfiguration … the time when Jesus gave a glimmer of a glimpse into the glory of heaven.  What the Gospel text does not tell us is that the Transfiguration took place in a very interesting context.

A few days before Jesus took those three disciples onto the mountaintop, He had been giving them some seminary instruction.  As part of that instruction ^{[Luke 9:18-20]} He asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” ¹⁹ And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” ²⁰ Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”  Luke is gentle and doesn’t tell us that although Peter might have gotten the words right, he really didn’t understand what he had said. 

We know that Peter didn’t understand because Matthew was not so kind to Peter when he recorded this account.  After Peter got the words right ^{[Matthew 16:21–23]} Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. ²² And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” ²³ But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 

As I said before, Luke is not so hard on Peter, but Luke does tell us that Jesus said, ^{[Luke 9:22]} “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”  Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ and Jesus then explained what it meant to be the Christ.  As we look at the Gospel accounts, it is clear that the disciples are bewildered.  This is the context for today’s Gospel.  The disciples know that Jesus is the Christ but they are still labouring under the notion that the Christ is going to be some great political liberator who lead an army against Rome and drive them out of Israel.  He might even restore the glory of Israel from the days of David and Solomon.  This teaching of the Christ who suffers, dies, and rises from the dead is outside of their understanding.

So it is that as we start today’s reading from the account of Luke, we learn that Jesus led a very confused and bewildered Peter, John, and James up on the mountain to pray.  Peter, John, and James did what they usually do when they are alone with Jesus while He prayed.  They went to sleep.  What they saw when they woke up totally overwhelmed them.  Jesus was shining like the sun.  Not only was Jesus lighting up the mountaintop, but He was also having a conversation with Moses and Elijah.  This conversation was pretty amazing because Moses and Elijah had been dead for centuries.  We have an account of Moses’ death and burial in today’s Old Testament lesson.

Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  This was Luke’s gentle way of telling us that they were talking about Jesus upcoming death in Jerusalem.  The disciples were bewildered by Jesus’ upcoming death, but Moses and Elijah spoke of it openly.  It was the topic of their conversation with Jesus.  It was the topic of conversation in heaven.  Peter, John, and James heard Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah about His upcoming death in Jerusalem … a conversation about what it means to be the anointed one of God … the Christ … the Messiah.

Everyone reacts in different ways when confused or bewildered.  Peter’s usual response to such things was to open his mouth.  Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”  We don’t know exactly what Peter was thinking, but we do know that Peter still didn’t understand.  Luke tells us that Peter didn’t know what he was saying.

God the Father interrupted Peter as he uttered this foolishness.  A cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”  It is almost as if God the Father is saying, “Peter, I gave you two ears and one mouth.  You should listen twice as much as you talk.  You should especially listen to My Son.  When He says, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised,’ pay attention!”

Peter, the rest of the disciples, and all the people who listened to Jesus teach had a similar problem.  They were not looking for a saviour who would die for them.  The saviour who lit up the mountaintop fit right into their plans.  A saviour on His way to die in Jerusalem did not.

It is part of our fallen human nature to want a saviour who is spectacular.  We like this show of glory that lights up the mountaintop.  We like fireworks.  We like light shows.  We like fancy, showy displays that grab our attention.  They are fun.  They are entertaining.  They make us feel good.  This is the saviour that we think we want.

Here is the problem.  We would be in big trouble if the spectacular display that lit up the mountaintop was the only god we knew.  If the spectacular display that lit up the mountaintop was the only god we knew, then our relationship with God would be a relationship of punishment.  God is holy and just.  He must punish sin.  We are wretched sinners.  Therefore God must punish us.  That is, He must punish us if the spectacular display that lit up the mountaintop was the only god we knew.

The Transfiguration is God’s answer to Jesus’ question … who do you say that I am?”  He is indeed the Christ, the Son of the Living God and that means He is the Christ who will go to another mountain near Jerusalem and die to take away all our sins.  God must punish sin, but will not punish us.  Instead this very Christ will take our sin onto Himself and the punishment for sin will rain down on Him.  In this way, He will stand in our place and satisfy the justice of holy God.  This is the saviour that we see on the mountaintop as He talks with Moses and Elijah.  God the Father identifies this saviour and tells us to listen to Him.

Jesus taught that He would suffer and die.  He also taught that He would rise on the third day.  He kept these promises.  He battled sin, death, and the devil as He suffered on the cross.  He followed death into death and with His death He conquered death.  Jesus is our true saviour.

We know that Jesus conquered death because death could not hold Him.  Jesus returned to life.  He promised us that even though we die, He will raise us as well.  When that day comes, those who rejected Him will have to deal with the full glory of the justice of God and they will try to flee from Him.  The Jesus who lit up the mountaintop will terrify them.  Those who trust the saviour who went to the other mountain and died for them will rejoice in the presence of God’s love.  They will live forever with their saviour who loves them.

The Transfiguration is like a giant hinge in the middle of the Gospel account.  It is a hinge between the seasons of Epiphany and Lent.

Epiphany is all about shining a light on Jesus so that we can come to know Him.  Epiphany begins with the light of the star that led the magi to the Christ child and it ends with the light of that same person who is now an adult as He reveals just a touch of the majesty that is His from all eternity.  We even have a voice from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”  The Transfiguration fulfils all the elements of an epiphany that shows our saviour to us.

Lent is about the journey of Jesus to the cross.  As we consider Jesus and His journey to the cross, we also consider that Jesus is going to the cross to pay for our sin.  As we consider our sin, we more deeply consider our need to repent of our sin.  So Lent is a time of repentance as we consider Jesus on His way to the cross and trust in Him to grant us forgiveness. 

The Transfiguration prepares us for Lent.  As it fulfils its role as a true epiphany of Jesus, it also identifies Jesus as the one who must journey to the cross and sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world.  It also identifies Him as the saviour who will conquer sin, death, and the power of the devil and rise from the dead.  The Transfiguration informs us of the journey to the cross … the great theme of Lent.

In the Transfiguration we learn that Jesus is indeed the reign of heaven on earth.  He is the answer to the prayer, “Thy Kingdom come.”  We also learn that He is the one who journeyed to Jerusalem so that He could suffer, die, and rise so that we could enjoy the presence of the reign of heaven forever.  Amen

The love and grace of our great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen