Blue Transformation, by Macha Chmakoff

Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them.

Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him. -Exodus 34:29-35

I

Introduction

Mahatma Gandhi once said: “Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.”

If power means the ability or capacity to influence the behavior of others, the suggestion by Gandhi of using power based on love ought to be so obviously transformative in our local and metropolitan community and in our global community. Because we are in the presence of God, enjoy being in each other’s company as members of Beloved, actively engaged in our community as a congregation, as members of the United Church of Christ, then something transformative ought to be happening to us and we ought to confirm what is happening in and through us.

In the Old Testament lesson, clearly we see something moving, transformative, happening to Moses. He goes on top of the mountain and is in the presence of God. He was invited by God to come and Moses responded by going. When he comes back down to be with his family, his friends, and the community of those who had left Egypt to begin their journey to the Land of Promise, those that he was providing leadership, it is obvious that something transformative had happened to Moses. The text bears witness that the countenance of Moses was dramatically different. Something had happened to him while on that mountain. He was in God’s presence. He was in communion with God. He was in fellowship with God. While there, something happened that forever changed Moses. The people witnessed it. They questioned it. They were in fear and awe.

It was obvious when Moses descended the mountain and everyone who gazed upon him testified that his countenance was different. Being in God’s presence can have that power, the ability and capacity to inspire change, to influence the behavior of others, inwardly and outwardly.

Leaders, institutions who have a healthy understanding of power and influence, remain dynamically engaged in their community and they value participating in that which validates them and is inspiring to them.

Moses’ transformation, the countenance of his face changing, the new attitude that he must have had after leaving the presence of God, left an indelible impression on the people of God. They knew that something had happened to Moses.

The New Testament lesson this evening also helps us to see value in being in the presence of God. If Jesus, our Savior, valued spending time, intimate time, transformative time with God, we can learn so much from our Lord.

II

The Text: Luke 9:28-36

About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.  They spoke about his departure,  which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were  very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is  good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

The Gospel of Luke records that today’s text took place during a busy time: the twelve had been sent out to preach, more than 5,000 who had gathered to hear Jesus teach, but were without food were fed, Peter made his great confessional statement about Jesus – you are “Christ of God,” and Jesus lifted a profound statement on discipleship – “If anyone desires to come after Me, let (them) deny self, and take up (the) cross daily, and follow Me (9.23).”

The text opens by saying that approximately eight days after these events Jesus took Peter, John and James to a mountain to pray. This was not new; Jesus had done this before. Often when Jesus retreated to the mountains to pray, occasionally, He would invite the inner circle of the disciples to join Him.

While Jesus was praying, verse 29 tells us that something unusual occurred, His face changed. In graphic descriptive language, Luke says that His clothes became as “bright as a flash of lightning.”   The unusualness of this situation became more acute with Moses and Elijah appearing. The text says that their appearance was in “glorious splendor.” They not only appeared, but talked with Jesus.

Luke shared the conversation between Moses, Elijah and Jesus. Luke claimed that they were talking about Jesus’ departure, specifically His death, His crucifixion.

Waking up from their slumber, something they did several times when they were supposed to be praying, the inner core of the disciples – Peter, James and John – saw the amazing site and proclaimed to Jesus in verse 33, “Master, it is good for us to be here.”

“It’s good to be here” is a good statement if we are inspired and motivated to be agents of change, to be transformative in our community, to be changed in ways that are productive, and inviting us to go into all the world solving tough problems, healing the sick, relieving the poor, demanding justice, and working as peacemakers.

However, Peter’s focus was some place else. Peter, probably speaking for the inner circle, wanted to build three tabernacles and stay in the moment. The subscript of the text makes it clear that his focus was in the wrong place. He did not know what he was saying or requesting.

And, it is in those moments when our thoughts are not aligned with God’s intent, that God steps in in a powerful way and remind us of what is essential, what is important, and what is transformative.

Verse 34 shared another unusual phenomenon that took place. A cloud appeared and covered them.   Peter, James and John became afraid. A voice from the cloud pronounced: “‘This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.’” After hearing the voice, they saw Jesus, alone. Moses and Elijah were not there.

The text ends with the disciples deciding to keep what they had witnessed to themselves and not sharing it with anyone. At least, not at that time, they decided to keep what they had experienced to themselves.

I think it is a safe assumption to make that even Peter, James, and John were transformed by what they had witnessed. They, too, were in the presence of God, with Christ, saw a phenomenon that included Moses and Elijah, and heard, we assume, the voice of God, affirming Jesus and instructing them to listen to Him.

I do not think one can experience something like this and not be affected, not be transformed by it. Being in God’s presence should be transformative, should be life-changing, should be energizing and causes us to focus more closely on that which is essential and important.

For Peter, James and John this experience, combined with all they shared with Jesus, was life changing. They had left everything to follow Jesus. And, after the resurrection, as the Church of Christ was birthed, they assumed greater leadership all because they had been in the presence of God.

Do they falter as they go along? Of course they did. All of us do. However, even in our inabilities to completely get it right every time, God still empowers us to serve, to be available, to allow God to continue transforming us, molding and shaping us into the very image and likeness of God and to use Christ as our example.

 

III

Practical Applications

This church, this ministry will continue to be influential in Avondale and our metropolitan community as long as you vow to be in God’s presence and in fellowship with each other. I submit that it is very easy to fall apart during this phase of transitional ministry. However, if you remain in God’s presence, if you continue to walk in the Spirit of Christ, you will continue being transformed and transform all that you touch.

Maybe that is what is genuinely needed in our metropolitan community where we continue to be bombarded with a host of challenges. We need people of faith, people of God to be more proactive in displaying, genuinely showing to others, that we are in the presence of God and in that presence we are powerful and can provoke consistent, positive transformation in our communities.

If others see that we genuinely love each other, if others see that we genuinely care about each other, if others see that we are deeply concerned about where we live, study, work and place, if they see us being in the presence of God, in the presence of Christ maybe, just maybe, we can spark a consistent revolution, a consistent movement that will be dynamically powerful and transformative.

Several years ago, after moving to Birmingham, I discovered a Langston Hughes poem that spoke then and continues to speak now of what needs to happen in Birmingham and in Alabama and largely, beyond our state.

                        “Daybreak in Alabama” – by Langston Hughes

When I get to be a composer
I’m gonna write me some music about
Daybreak in Alabama
And I’m gonna put the purtiest songs in it
Rising out of the ground like a swamp mist
And falling out of heaven like soft dew.
I’m gonna put some tall tall trees in it
And the scent of pine needles
And the smell of red clay after rain
And long red necks
And poppy colored faces
And big brown arms
And the field daisy eyes
Of black and white black white black people
And I’m gonna put white hands
And black hands and brown and yellow hands
And red clay earth hands in it
Touching everybody with kind fingers
And touching each other natural as dew
In that dawn of music when I
Get to be a composer
And write about daybreak
In Alabama.

 

There can be a greater daybreak in Beloved, in Birmingham, if each of us dares to move beyond our fears and clasp each other hands while working for a just community. That was the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. It remains a good dream for us to dream and embrace. It is a good dream for us to work and make happen. If we do this, we will move beyond our fears, celebrate the power of being in God’s presence, be moved and motivated by Christ to love everyone, yes everyone and we shall overcome, we shall overcome today; deep in my heart, I do believe; we shall overcome today. Amen.

©The Rev. Dr. Christopher M. Hamlin preached this sermon at Beloved Community Church, United Church of Christ, Birmingham, Alabama on Sunday, February 7, 2016.