Transfiguration Sunday

Summary

Pastor describes a trip to Estonia 21 years ago just after it gained its independence with a group of youth. He and the group were invited to visit to a farm run by a family who had suffered by publicly become christians during communist times. The experience of the visit to this family and hearing their story of how hardship increased their faith transformed the groups attitudes towards the Estonian people, the groups leaders, each other and themselves.   Coming into close contact with Godś love and power always has a dramatic effect on people.

In todayś gospel when the disciples come face to face with the radiant Christ who is transformed in the presence of God the Father. Peter, James and John experience the power and glory of God when Jesus is transformed before their very eyes. This same power, and Jesus´ love works a transformation in their lives that day, and in the years to come.   This is the wonder and beauty of Christianity. Godś power and Jesus´saving love, experienced through the movement of the Holy Spirit do not simply cause change, but even more, transformation.

In most other religions or beliefs, the person is called upon to work towards changing their behaviour and or self, so as to draw closer to the deity or god which they follow or worship. If the person does a good enough job, then they believe that their deity or god will be good to them, and maybe even love them, although many simply hope the deity or god at the least will not hurt them.

With Christ it is exactly the opposite. We understand that God makes the first move, and the second, and the third ..because in Jesus Christ, God reaches out first, to us. God knows there is no way that we can find our way to him, and so he comes to us. He comes to us with open arms, a forgiving heart and the power to transform our lives. The changes in our behaviour take place in response to Godś action of salvation and love.

In Jesus we are given salvation and forgiveness of or sins, simply because God loves us, and we believe. So, we attempt to live lives in which we read out to others to build and create loving relationships. We attempt to live lives in which we reach out to others to build and create loving relationships. We attempt to emulate, to copy the love Jesus shows us. We try to live our lives so that otherś lives may be better. We hope to not hurt others, but rather heal and help. We attempt to be the person God created us to be. And we do this by trying to love God, ourselves and other people with the forgiving love that God gives us.

Like with the disciples our transformation takes place, in powerful spiritual experiences, and in the ordinary life of a disciple over the course of our lives. Peter who was there  on that mountaintop, was transformed in that experience and yet, decades later he writes of that moment in such a way that we understand that it is still impacting him years later, transforming him anew, as he was day in day out while following Jesus as a disciple.

And so , we, no matter if we have only known Godś love for a short while, or been transformed by his power over the course of decades, each day we need to wonder in awe again at what Jesus is doing in our lives. And then we need to step out in faith , and try to live out this transformation in our daily lives. We need to ask how we can allow Godś love to impact others, through our relationships, the use of our talents and gifts, the giving our our money and resources, and most of all through our experience of knowing that God loves us no matter what. Pray for God´s leading each day, and allow yourself to experience the transformation that is Godś presence in your heart and in your life.

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