A Climbing Expedition
A Sermon by Brent J. Eelman
Sunday of the Transfiguration
Abington Presbyterian Church
February 3, 2008

Matthew 17: 1-9
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’* 

One of the most spiritually exhilarating moments in my life occurred while mountain climbing. Karen and I were staying at Ghost Ranch, the Presbyterian Conference Center in New Mexico. Every afternoon we would hike one of the trails there, each day taking on a more difficult trail. On the final day we hiked to the peak of a nearby mountain. It was a difficult climb but when we got to the top, I realized it was worth it. I cannot remember experiencing such stillness in my life. All I could hear was the sound of my own breathing. This silence was interrupted by a large raptor, either an eagle or osprey flying overhead. I could hear the sound of the air moving as it flapped its wings. But what touched me the most was the absolute stillness. Somehow the noise of life, all of those beeps and buzzes made by computers and phones were silenced. I felt as though I was in the presence of something greater. The words of the psalmist came to mind: “Be still and know that I am God.”

Mountains are central to a number of spiritual traditions. The Ogallala Sioux holy man, Black Elk, wrote about his powerful vision while standing atop the highest mountain. Today we speak about our “mountain top” experiences, as the sacred moments that are life changing. The biblical tradition also associates the mountains and hills with an experience of God. The psalmist wrote, “I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, from whence comes my help, my help comes the Lord.”

Today is the Sunday of the Transfiguration; an event that occurs on a mountain. It mirrors three other “mountain” experiences in the bible: Moses experienced the presence of God in the burning bush, when he led his sheep to Horeb, the mountain of God. Moses also ascended a mountain to receive the law. Elijah spent 40 days in the wilderness at Mt. Horeb, and there he experienced the presence of God, not in the wind, the earthquake or the fire… but in “the still small voice.” So the story of Jesus, ascending the un-named mountain with the three disciples indicated that something important and powerful was about to occur. They were about to experience “The Holy” in a wonderful yet frightening way. That is what the transfiguration is about. Until that day the disciples heard Jesus speak about God, but on that day, they had an experience of God. They heard the voice of God. They witnessed the continuity between Moses and Elijah There they beheld Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law, (represented by Moses) and the prophets, (Elijah).

I want to examine this event, because it can be helpful to us on our journey of discipleship. For the moment, let us identify with Peter, James and John, because we, too, are disciples of Christ. In the biblical account of the transfiguration, there are two primary movements that is a part of the Christian experience. The first was climbing, or the ascent to the mountaintop. The second was the descent, the return. Discipleship embodies both of these movements: ascending and descending.

I

Our journey of faith often includes powerful moments when God feels tremendously present. Each of us have moments when God feels so near. I mentioned my own experience of climbing the mountain at Ghost Ranch as being a powerful experience of the Holy. But there have been others. I remember, as though it was yesterday, singing in a church, a cappela. There were about 150 people and we were being led by Alice Parker. There were all types of voices, trained and untrained, different tones, and pitches, but we were singing together. While singing “Joyful Joyful, we adore thee…” something just seemed to happen. When we finished the last chorus, we were quiet for a moment. Alice said, “I love to hear a congregation discover its voice.” There have been other “mountaintop” experiences that have touched my life, usually occurring when I least expected them, usually an experience of Grace and forgiveness. The birth of my child, a woman who I visited with a broken neck and was supposed to be paralyzed for the rest of her life, getting up one day and showing me that she could walk again. These are mountaintop moments. These are the times when Jesus leads us up the mountain and God seems to touch us.. sometimes in a frightening way. Our response is often like Peter, James and John. We want to capture the moment for ever. We want to build something: a monument perhaps. (Build booths!). But we can’t. There is another movement of Christian discipleship.

II

We always need to descend from atop the mountain. Every climb ultimately requires us to come down. Life is not lived in the clouds, and the Christian life is not always these powerful mountain top moments. More often than not, we are in a descent, facing the banal realities of life. Jesus and the three come down from the mountain. Christ’s mission was not fulfilled up there. Jesus came down to live within the nitty-gritty realities of life. He came down to enter Jerusalem, and ultimately to experience the cross. Jesus, after that descent, experienced the passion of life that you and I know well. He experienced the adulation of the triumphal entry, and the loneliness of betrayal and denial. He confronted the political and social realities of his day, and he lived within the tangled webs of human relationships.

One of the lessons that we can take from the transfiguration, is that our spiritual lives do not merely consist of the mountain top experiences. They are lived out in the ordinary and often mundane moments of life… and these are moments equally sacred! One of my favorite devotional booklets Being Home was written by Gunilla Norris, and consists of a series of poetic prayerful reflections on the ordinary and mundane that are part of our lives. One of my favorites is entitled: “Doing the Dishes”

        My life will always have dirty dishes.
        If this sink can become
        A place of contemplation,
        Let me learn constancy here.

We Christians spend more time doing dishes, shoveling snow, mowing the lawn, and cooking dinner, than we do on top of spiritual mountains. But this is precisely where discipleship is often lived. This is where the sacred transfigures the seemingly ordinary moment. As we enter this season of Lent, we are called to reflect on Jesus’ descent from that mountain, and how faithfulness and discipleship are lived out in the valleys of life.

I remember vividly those moments on top of the mountain at Ghost Ranch. It was a powerful moment when God seemed exceptionally near. A few moments passed and then I said to Karen, “we better head down or we will miss supper.” Thank God for those transfiguring moments on mountaintops. Thank God for the ordinary and the mundane to which we must descend. For it is there that we live out our discipleship. Amen.

*The New Revised Standard Version Bible, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

Abington Presbyterian Church, Abington, Pennsylvania,  www.apcusa.org