2nd Sunday of Lent 2016
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Philippians 3:17-4:1
Luke 9:28-36
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| Donna Rougeux ARCWP |
Have you seen the movie “Princess Bride?” It is one of
those movies you have to see more than one time so that you can appreciate the
lines that use subtle humor to make profound points. In one part of this movie
the dread Pirate Roberts is following Vizzini and Indigo Montoya. Every time Vizzini thinks that he has
hindered the dread Pirate Roberts from staying on his trail Roberts not only
remains in sight but he gets closer. Roberts is like a super hero who seems to
defy the laws of gravity and exhibits great strength and power. We hear Vizzini
say “Inconceivable” many times as he turns to see the dread Pirate Roberts
getting closer. Finally Indigo Montoya confronts Vizzini on his use of the word
inconceivable and says, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what
you think it means.” Vizzini is having trouble understanding what he is seeing
but Mantoya points out that since these things keep happening maybe he has the
wrong word to describe this mysterious person. Or does he? Vizzini’s experience
of trying to understand the dread pirate Robert’s powers and abilities is similar
to what we find in the scripture passages today regarding the human experience
of trying to understand God’s power and abilities. Is God’s presence
conceivable or inconceivable?
In Luke’s transfiguration story the three disciples are
learning more about who Jesus is. This
prayer experience with Jesus on the mountain is a mystical experience. They are
in direct connection with the divine. They are experiencing God’s glory. Peter
is so amazed that he wants to erect booths so as to contain this glorious
experience. He thinks Jesus, the Messiah of God, has completed his mission. God
corrects Peter’s desire to contain the divine in booths by enveloping him and
his friends in the presence of the divine, which came in the form of a cloud.
God’s transformative presence is all around us but we
like Peter either may want to contain it so it can not contain us or we may be
afraid of its power and turn instead toward worldly and human power which takes
us away from God.
We get glimpses of God’s presence or glory in many
ways. Seeing the Grand Canyon or a mountain for the first time can be a
powerful experience of the sacred. When we hear a beautiful song or see a work of
art that opens us to the divine we can conceive of God’s power. Holding a new,
born baby or seeing the sunset at the ocean can leave us speechless. God’s
presence is conceivable but it is up to us whether we are open or closed to its
effects.
In the story
found in Genesis, the smoking fire pot and flaming torch symbolized God passing
between the animals that were split in half. This is the way covenants were ritualized
long ago and in essence says the one who goes between the split animals would
rather be spilt in half, themselves, than break the covenant. An interesting
detail in this story is that God is the only one who goes between the animals.
Abram does not. This powerful story of God wanting to be in a covenant relationship
with humans continues to echo as Peter, John and James encounter God ‘s glorified
presence in the transfiguration story. In both stories God wants to be in a
meaningful relationship with humans. Inconceivable!
But there is more mindboggling information for Peter
and his friends. Jesus, the Messiah of God must go to “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the
city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!” Jesus’
mission includes going to Jerusalem, being sentenced to death on a cross when
he did not commit a crime. He will then be resurrected. Jesus’ suffering and
death is transformed into new life and eternal glory. Inconceivable!
So why would this loving God who wants us to be
transformed allow his son to suffer and die? Why did Jesus’ mission include
suffering and dying on a cross? This is the part that Peter could not
understand. We like Peter have trouble understanding suffering. How can there be
children in the world who die each day of starvation? Why are so many elderly
people suffering due to severe loneliness? Why does racism and sexism still
exist? Why do we continue to be in wars? Where is God? Where are the people?
Could it be that the sinful human response to the
Messiah of God is what needs transforming? Jesus came to offer love and the
love was rejected. It is not God who wants or needs suffering. When people
reject God there is suffering. Love came
into our world in the form of Jesus and he was rejected, he suffered and he
died. Because God loves us, suffering and death do not have the final say.
As we heard in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, “For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have
often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is
destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their
minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is
from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will
transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of
his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to
himself.” We are born into a world of sin and find God’s glory inconceivable
until we allow the transformative power of God’s presence to create us into our
full selves.
Have you
seen glimpses of God’s glory lately?
God’s glory is conceivable. We experience the divine
in similar ways that are described in these scripture stories. Scripture scholar
Joel Green writes, “In the Old Testament and Jewish tradition one’s countenance
is a mirror of one’s heart and a manifestation of one’s relationship to
God.” The disciples witnessed Jesus praying
and saw his face and clothes become radiant. Jesus models a close
transformational relationship with God. A common expression used today is to
say that someone is glowing. It means the person has a joyful and loving
essence that comes from the inside out. Have you ever known someone like that? Are you someone who radiates with the love of Christ?
Hopefully we can all attest to the transformational
power of love in our own human relationships which can seem to makes us shine
brightly. So maybe we can conceive of a God who longs for a loving relationship
with us. If human relationships are transformational how much more will a
relationship with God transform us? We unfortunately have also seen the
destructive power of human relationships. Some people may be surrounded by
relationships that destroy their spirits. When someone is caught in unhealthy
life destroying relationships with people the answer to their suffering is to
listen to Jesus and turn to God. When human relationships threaten to destroy
us we must come to God. A relationship with God is the one relationship that we
can trust. New life and powerful transformative healing is always available to
us in a relationship with the Divine Holy One. Will you allow a loving
relationship with God to transform you?
May we use this season of Lent to become more aware of
God’s glorious presence that surrounds us, like a cloud. May we come to a
better understanding of who Jesus is, in a way that strengthens our
relationship with God. May we courageously bring the transformational power of
love into this world full of people who suffer.
And may the inconceivable presence and glory of God become conceivable.
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