Dwelling in the Mystery
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For February 14, 2021:
Dwelling in the Mystery
by Tom Willadsen
2 Kings 2:1-12, Mark 9:2-9, Psalm 50:1-6
"Insufficient evidence exists upon which a reasonable jurist could conclude that the 45th president's statements were accurate or not, and he therefore denies they were false." From former President Trump’s impeachment defense brief submitted to the Senate, February 2, 2021
Read that sentence as many times as you need to. Anyone who thought theologians write opaquely, relax, lawyers are the gold standard in ambiguity. By the time Transfiguration Sunday rolls around the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump will have begun, possibly even ended. The American people will be mired in mystery.
For the most part, 21st century Americans do not care for mystery. Fortunately, we have multiple sources of information that can provide us with all the facts we want to believe. While these sources often contradict each other, the contradictions rarely give us a deeper appreciation for mystery, more often they reinforce the walls in our silos. What would happen if Peter, James and John actually recognized the holy mystery of the transfigured Christ and the voice of the living God speaking to them as a mystery? What would they have been like if they could have calmed themselves enough to “be still and know” they were in the presence of something beyond knowing? What would it be like if we could be still and open our hearts enough to dwell in the mystery?
In the News
Last week Vice President Kamala Harris broke a tie in the Senate, casting the deciding vote for the Covid-19 relief bill. Both sides accuse the other of not being bipartisan. Perhaps that could be the foundation of at least bipartisan agreement if not, you know, actual legislating.
Last week the House of Representatives, in a vote that was largely along party lines, voted to strip newly-elected Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments. Democrats believed that calling for the murder of fellow members of congress was a transgression worthy of such action. Republicans argued that Representative Greene had repudiated many of the baseless conspiracy theories she has promoted over social media — among them QAnon and that Jewish space lasers started last year’s wildfires in California — privately to them. Furthermore, she was being punished for things she said prior to being elected. Ms. Taylor has yet to apologize and repudiate those views publicly. She called for the murders of some of her colleagues in the House after she was elected. Apparently her defenders are taking a principled stand for free speech.
Speaking of free speech, the impeachment trial was expected to include excerpts of former President Trump’s speech to his backers on January 6. He told them to “fight like hell.” Toward the end of his 70 minute speech at the Ellipse, the former President said “We will never give up. We will never concede. It will never happen. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore.”
We have all seen the images of the Capitol being overrun on January 6, as a mob sought to disrupt the official, ceremonial counting of the electoral votes. Legislators and their staffs ran for their lives and hid. Continuing a life-long pattern, the former President would not admit that he had lost, contending his losing the presidential election could only have happened due to widespread fraud, for which he and his associates have yet to provide evidence.
No one can be surprised that the former President is not telling the truth. Now the United States finds itself in a unique moment in history. The defeated President’s refusal to accept the result of what Fox News (!) has called “the most secure election in American history” has emboldened many people to oppose the current President, in the belief that they need to defend and protect their country. It is not their bizarre ideas, but their certainty, that makes them dangerous. As Americans consume news in this moment, very few of us seek sources that do not reinforce what we already believe to be true. Is there any voice calling for us to embrace uncertainty? Ambiguity? Complexity? Humility? Profundity?
Alas, we are profoundly shallow. The only mystery most of us can acknowledge is at how deeply mistaken those who do not share our perspective can be.
And yet while our attention is on the drama in Washington, DC this week, there are other, less dramatic developments that we may be ignoring. The rate of Covid-19 infection in my metro area is ¼ what it was in late November. There are currently two vaccines being injected into the arms of about 1,000,000 Americans each day. A new, one-shot vaccine is about to receive emergency authorization. And the percentage of people who die from Covid-19 is dramatically lower than it was in March of last year. Physical distancing and mask wearing have made an impact. We have also learned how to treat Covid-19 patients better (though bleach is still not an approved therapy). This is not uniformly good news — part of the decrease in the death rate is that younger, more robust people started getting the virus in the early summer. They were much more likely to survive than the elderly and those who are more vulnerable because of pre-existing conditions.
So in the news this week are dramatic, historic, riveting events in the Capitol, and slowly spreading bright spots in our response to the pandemic.
In the Scriptures
One thing that has never been explained to my satisfaction is how Peter, James and John knew that it was Elijah and Moses talking with Jesus. The text does not indicate whether anyone was wearing a name tag; the fishermen may have been illiterate anyway. The text indicates that Elijah and Moses were talking with Jesus; perhaps the conversation would have conveyed their identities to the three. There is no record of what the three were discussing, perhaps how obdurate their people tend to be. Elisha is alone among the prophets’ wingmen in being loyal and attentive.
Peter is his usual impulsive self, suggesting that they preserve this mountain top moment by building dwellings for the three. (Here’s proof that Peter was not Presbyterian: he did not even think of consulting the Property & Finance Committee before suggesting this building project.)
The Voice from the Cloud appears to be speaking to Peter, “This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!” This message echoes the words a voice from heaven spoke when Jesus was baptized, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Peter, like a lot of us, springs into action when he’s terrified and doesn’t know what to do. Perhaps better advice to him — and us — would have been, “Don’t just do something; stand there!”
The psalm reading uses three different names for God in the first few words of the reading. God is mighty, bright, powerful and the creator of the vast universe. Hey, Pete, are you listening yet?
Elisha is certainly getting his steps in on his last day is Elijah’s assistant. It’s more than ten miles from Gilgal, where the Israelites first camped after crossing into the Promised Land, to Bethel, where the Northern Kingdom established their shrine. From Bethel he and Elijah traveled more than 20 miles from Bethel to Jericho, where Joshua famously “fit the battle,” their first military victory west of the Jordan. Their final stop on this Farewell Tour is the spot along the Jordan where the Hebrews became Israelites, after crossing the river to the Promised Land. Elisha stays at Elijah’s side the whole time.
In the Sermon
Take your congregation up the mountain with Jesus, Peter, James and John. Don’t forget the cameo appearances by Elijah and Moses.
I suggest unpacking Peter’s response. He was scared. He didn’t know what to say, but that didn’t keep him from talking! He evaluated the situation and his first impulse was to suggest taking action, religious action.
How do you think he felt when a cloud descended on their board meeting and said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!”?
Perhaps a more faithful rendering of the Greek would be, “Peter, shut your damn mouth! You’re in the presence of the Eternal God and the Beloved Son! I say unto you: ‘Chill!’”
We’re not good at not being busy. We report that we are busy when people ask how we are and insist on keeping ourselves busy, just as Peter did. The hardest thing for our people to do is to be still long enough to recognize the presence of the living God. Right here, right now. It’s the middle of February, there are preliminary signs of spring; the cardinals are looking for love in my neighborhood. The days are getting longer. (The robins never left and were angry at last week’s 15" snowfall — that’s an illustration for another sermon.)
Your people need to slow down. They need to be talked out of compulsion to produce and perform. They need to recognize the Peter the Doer in themselves and how unhealthy that is, how that interferes with their walk with Christ. They need to disconnect from the urgency of the news cycle enough to reconnect with the Living God.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Proclaiming Me or Jesus?
by Dean Feldmeyer
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
A couple of miles from my house there’s a car repair place that announces in its name that it is a Christian business. Let’s call it “Christian Folks Automotive.” I don’t know why they have chosen to announce their religion on their advertising.
Several weeks ago, I needed the services of a plumber and, being new to the area, I went through an online process to find several close to where I live, went to their web sites, and checked them out. They all claimed to be competent with fair rates, but one also claimed that “Jesus is Lord.”
I haven’t seen it for a while but we used to have, in this part of the state, a volume called the Christian Blue Pages, a sort of Yellow Pages phone directory with all of the business advertisers claiming to be Christians.
I don’t know if they still do it but the JTM Food Group — makers of ready-to-cook hamburger patties, pork barbecue, and other foods — used to display, on their trucks, a large mural of their food with the words, “A Pro-Life Company.”
Why, I wonder, do Christians choose to state their religious affiliation or beliefs in their business literature and advertising? Is it because it’s good for business to do so? Are they really Christians or is this just a cheap and cynical marketing ploy?
Do they hope to draw other Christians to their business? Is this a way of saying that they are honest? Kind? Generous? I just don’t know.
So, I take my car to a place because of its reputation of being skilled and honest, not because of the owner’s religious affiliation. I have, after all, known my share of questionably scrupulous folks who call themselves Christians.
In today’s Epistle lesson Paul reminds us that we are, as Christians, charged with proclaiming not ourselves but Jesus Christ and, he has reminded me of four distinct kinds of people that we tend to come across in and outside of the church.
Those Who Proclaim Themselves
First, there are those who proclaim themselves. “Look at me! Look at me!” Often, these folks do so without realizing that is what they are doing. It’s just what comes naturally to them. They’re kind of clueless and, usually, they’re fairly harmless.
I can’t turn on my computer without being informed about what this or that Kardashian was wearing yesterday (usually very little). It sometimes seems like Charles Barkley is in every commercial on television and I can’t remember what he was advertising but I can remember it was Charles being Charles.
Politicians often seem to be all about proclaiming themselves to the world. Their loyalty to this or that cause, their enthusiasm for this or that value or policy may wax and wane, changing with the wind, but the point is getting their face in front of the camera. And this is where it can get dangerous.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R - Georgia), who was recently elected to the House of Representatives, has publically stated that Jews started California wildfires with laser beams from outer space, that Democrats are running a global pedophile ring to kidnap, buy, sell, torture and eat children and should be executed, that school shootings were staged by liberals in an attempt to take away guns from law abiding people, that the tragedy of 9/11 was a hoax, and that the 2020 election was rigged by a massive cabal of “liberal elites.”
Now, I don’t, for a minute, believe that she actually believes all, or even any of that. But it got her constituents focused on her and it won her the election. Once in office and threatened with a sanction by her fellow Republicans, she just shrugged it off in a secret meeting with the verbal equivalent of “my bad.” She cast herself as the victim of the mainstream media and offered no apology to her victims. “I have said things I shouldn't say at some time or another,” she told an interviewer, “but I don't think I have anything to apologize for.” She received a standing ovation from the Republican leaders at the meeting.
Those Who Proclaim a Cause
Have you seen the movie The Prom?
In it, four Broadway “theater people” — quasi-celebrities, are put out of work when the pandemic closes the theaters where their shows were playing. Feeling depressed and cheated they also discover that they are all so narcissistic that no one really cares about their plight.
So, to polish their image, they decide to adopt a cause that will show them to be worthwhile, caring human beings. The cause they select is a high school where the prom has been canceled because a lesbian teenager wants to bring her girlfriend to the dance as her date. Needless to say, hijinks ensue.
One of the recurring, humorous themes of the film is that no celebrity is really a celebrity without a cause. It’s good for their brand.
Of course, as the four Broadway “stars” eventually learn, that’s an unfair generalization. Many celebrities embrace causes out of a genuine concern. They support cancer research because they lost a family member to cancer, for instance. George Clooney supports more than 35 charities but most of his time and considerable resources have gone, with the help of his father, Nick, to stop the human rights atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan after visiting the country and seeing the appalling poverty, first hand.
It is fair to say, however, that when choosing a cause to support, celebrities tend to choose causes that are “safe.” Non-controversial, apolitical, and without obvious religious affiliations. Their appeals are generally based on humanistic values of justice and compassion. Their attachment to the cause, when not one of self-promotion, is based on the emotional pull of the cause. They proclaim the victims and the humanistic values.
Those Who Proclaim Jesus
Then there are those who proclaim Jesus. I’ll offer three examples: one from the left, one from the right and one that is, I believe, firmly in the middle.
In the middle we have Mother Teresa. Okay, her halo may have become a little tarnished of late, what with some revelations of a few unpopular opinions and self-confessed periods of depression and doubt. But there is, I believe, no denying that Mother Teresa proclaimed Jesus Christ loudly and clearly through her selfless work with the poorest of the poor in the streets of Calcutta.
On the left, I would offer Jim Wallis, American theologian, writer, teacher and political activist, best known as the founder and editor of Sojourners magazine and as the founder of the Washington, DC-based Christian community of the same name. The Wikipedia rightly says of Wallis that he “is well known for his advocacy on issues of peace and social justice. Although Wallis actively eschews political labels, he describes himself as an evangelical and is often associated with the evangelical left and the wider Christian left. He worked as a spiritual advisor to President Barack Obama. He is also a leader in the Red-Letter Christian movement.”
His books include: The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith and Politics in a Post-Religious Right America; America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America; God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It. Most recently, his book, Christ in Crisis: Reclaiming Jesus in a time of fear, hate, and violence urges progressive Christians to, once again, take up the mantel of their religious faith and proclaim Jesus Christ as they address the issues that are threatening our country.
It is Wallis who has said: “Some people believe the alternative to bad religion is secularism, but that's wrong… The answer to bad religion is better religion — prophetic rather than partisan, broad and deep instead of narrow, and based on values as opposed to ideology.”
On the right, I would put Billy Graham. An ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well-known internationally in the late 1940s and was called by one of his biographers, “among the most influential Christian leaders” of the 20th century.
So, he needs no introduction from me. His entire life was devoted to proclaiming Jesus Christ and that is true whether or not you happen to agree with his conservative theology, as I often did not.
Graham wrote 33 books, many of which became top sellers. His autobiography, Just As I Am, published in 1997, achieved a “triple crown,” appearing simultaneously on the three top best-seller lists in one week.
Concerned with the unseemly behavior of some popular American evangelists, he and his ministry team created four rules to guide the behavior of religious leaders. Written in Modesto, California in 1948, it became known as the Modesto Manifesto and encouraged:
Those Who Proclaim Themselves While Claiming to Proclaim Jesus
These, to my way of thinking, are the lowest of the low. Worse than those who openly and freely proclaim only themselves, these are those who use and exploit the name of Jesus to enrich themselves in money and power.
In 1974, faced with the possibility of congressional investigations of the financial practices of some of the so-called mega churches and tele-evangelistic ministries in America, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association created the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, an American financial standards association representing evangelical Christian organizations and churches. Members are required to annually submit a renewal document that includes the recent copy of the audited financial statement and answers to a number of questions related to the membership standards.
Membership in the ECFA does not necessarily guarantee that the member organization uses its money in moral, ethical, or even wise ways, how much they give to ministries to the poor and the oppressed, and how much they keep for themselves. It doesn’t make judgments about their lifestyles no matter how lavish or mean. It just shows that they are transparent and honest about how much the collect and keep. One might legitimately wonder about those ministries who, for whatever reasons, refuse to submit to the accountability structure offered by the ECFA.
Of the eight richest pastors in America in 2018, five refused to do so: Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, and Rick Warren. The poorest of those five has a net worth of over $25 million. The richest is worth about $760 million. Of the fifteen richest pastors in the world only one is a member of the ECFA.
Other businesses and organizations claim to proclaim Jesus but one might wonder if their behavior supports that claim. Chick-fil-A, for instance, wears its evangelical Christian identity on its sleeve even while they support unapologetically far right anti-gay policies.
Women’s clothier, Forever21 — prints “John 3:16” on their merchandise bags. Why? In-N-Out Burger famously cites Bible passages on its cups, containers, and wrappers. Asked why, the company responded, “It’s just something we do.”
The Hobby Lobby craft store chain sued the government on religious moral grounds over being required to provide emergency contraception through their employees’ health insurance. Then, the company was itself, fined $3 million and forced to return more than 5,500 stolen archeological artifacts to Iran. The artifacts were presumably purchased for the Museum of the Bible, in Washington, DC, which was founded and heavily financed by billionaire Steve Green, the evangelical Christian whose family owns the Hobby Lobby. The museum is currently under investigation for purchasing thousands of stolen artifacts. Green and museum officials allege that they didn’t know the pieces, which were shipped as “ceramic tile samples,” were stolen.
Of course, no reasonable person would suggest that everyone who splashes Jesus across their logo is using Jesus to make money, “pimping Christ” as the popular saying goes. But we would all do well, in this age of cynicism and casual ethical/moral attitudes, even within the religious community, to ask when we see it, “Are they proclaiming Christ through their business or are they using Christ to proclaim their business?”
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Mark 9:2-9
Listening
“This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him,” God says to the disciples on the mountaintop. It’s interesting that the instruction isn’t to obey, or to follow, or learn; it’s to listen. David Isay, the founder of StoryCorps says that listening is an act of love. He recalls, as a child, taping an interview with his grandmother and her sisters, and the power of listening to their stories. He says, “To me, the soul is contained in the voice. So there’s just something very powerful about having that record of someone.”
StoryCorps allows people to tells their stories, and the recordings go into the Library of Congress, assuring each person that their story is worth listening to. The interviews are structured, he says, “as if you had 40 minutes left to live, what would you want to say to someone else? What would you want to learn about them? And in some ways, I think it’s maybe the best way to sum up who someone is in 40 minutes, although that’s a very difficult thing to do. But we have everything going for us, because it’s the voice, and it’s intimate, and it’s honest. I think of it as the opposite of reality TV. No one comes to get rich, no one comes to get famous, it’s just about generosity and love.”
The story telling involves a facilitator, who listens attentively. Isay says, “Many times you’ll have someone and their parent in the booth, and there might be some stress in their relationship. And when they’re asking a story and the parent will say, I’ve told that story before. But then they turn to the facilitator. And the facilitator becomes the ears of the world. And that person in the booth realizes that, and just begins to open up and speak. So there’s something about those three people in the booth that’s just perfect.”
In listening, love is revealed.
* * *
Mark 9:2-9
The Power of Listening
“Listen to him,” God says from the cloud, bringing the disciples up short. They may think they’ve heard everything Jesus has to say by now. Writer Courtney Martin says she is a compulsive eavesdropper – she can’t stop herself from listening to strangers. “I’m hopeless. I eavesdrop like other people watch reality television, I guess — a little guiltily, but with so much pleasure that I can’t resist.” This kind of listening, she says, is witnessing to someone’s life – perhaps this is what God is asking the disciples to do for Jesus. “But there is another kind of listening, a listening that we neglect at our own peril, that is not about getting some particular place, but simply about witnessing another human being. This kind of listening is long and open-ended. It’s patient. It’s curious. It’s not calculating. This kind of listening operates on only one level — the words coming out, the way they hit the ear, the shaping of a story, a sadness, a yearning, a wish.” Listening, she says, is “an overlooked kind of love, a way we stay sane. It happens in the cracks, under the radar, just between two people. And it doesn’t happen enough.”
* * *
Mark 9:2-9
Trying to Remember
Peter says the wrong thing – the dramatically wrong thing – in response to the revelation of Jesus’ glory, but we can understand the impulse. He wants to preserve this astounding moment as a balance to all the dusty roads they travel, the bad meals in people’s homes and the days spent listening to Jesus give the same message again and again. Psychologists say that we remember the peak moment in a series of events, and the last moment. Called the “Peak-End Rule,” it explains why we remember the highlights and the conclusion. Peter is trying to hold onto this moment with Jesus, knowing that human memory is flawed.
* * *
Psalm 50:1-6
Beauty
“Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.” A mother and daughter duo found God shining forth in beauty, as they took an unexpected trip together. Colleen Radke found herself adrift after a divorce, and with the world shut down because of COVID. They spent a few days watching TV when school and work closed down, and then, Radke days, she asked her daughter Wynn what she wanted to do. “Wynn put a forefinger to her chin, thinking. “Let’s go see 67 waterfalls.” We’d taken Wynn to see waterfalls two years ago on a family vacation to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a region bordering three Great Lakes. Wynn, her father and I had camped, breathed the fresh air and cooked over an open fire. Her eyes widened whenever we hiked to waterfalls. “Okay,” I said. “We can see six or seven waterfalls.” “No.” Wynn said firmly. “Sixty-seven different waterfalls.” Sixty-seven waterfalls! Whoa. Wynn was too young to understand what 67 really meant. She’d just picked a number out of the air, but we had free time. Why not humor her?”
They started with one waterfall, and one led to another. “How could anyone deny Mother Nature’s glory? I’d been raised Catholic, but the great outdoors was my cathedral, where I felt closest to God, most connected to the wider world, though I’d lapsed in recent years.”
Radke recalls, “Every outing I’d grown a bit stronger, learning to go with the flow, confident I’d rise to the next challenge. I’d begun this quest for my daughter, but it turned out that I needed it as much as she did. Maybe even more. In the end, the jewelry store stayed closed for almost five months, which gave Wynn and me enough time to see 67 different waterfalls. With each step we took on our quest, I felt a little more whole. I was being led back to myself, to the person whose spirit overflowed in the cathedral of the great outdoors.” In beauty, God shines forth.
* * * * * *
From team member Chris Keating:
2 Kings 2:1-12
Elisha’s inheritance
As Elijah prepares to ascend into heaven, he asks his protégé, “What do you want me to do for your before I’m taken away from you?” (CEB). Elijah wonders what sort of inheritance Elisha would like to receive, emphasizing how Elisha will now assume the role of prophet over Israel. The windstorm and fiery chariots are about to arrive, but first comes the question, “What can I give you?”
Elisha yearns for Elijah’s mantle, a sort of outer garment symbolic of his God-given authority. This is the origin of the phrase “assuming the mantle” of leadership.
Elijah’s question, “What can I give you?” is part of an ongoing conversation about inheritance that takes place within families all the time – though some of the bequests may seem a bit strange. Here are few more light-hearted examples:
* * *
2 Kings 2:1-12
Succession plans
Last week, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced his plans to step away from leading the company he has led for 27 years. Bezos will turn over leadership responsibilities to long-time Amazon executive Andy Jassy by the Fall of 2021. The company’s earnings skyrocketed in 2020, and analysts suggest Amazon’s growth will continue. The company Jassy inherits looks far different from the innovative online only bookstore Bezos started in his Seattle-area garage. While prospects for its continued growth are assured, the company also faces a number of challenges. A report in The Seattle Times noted:
Antitrust scrutiny of the world’s largest online retailer is likely to sharpen in the coming years. Employee activism around climate change, racial equity and warehouse conditions intensified during the past year. Worker-rights advocates are closely watching an upcoming union vote at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama, which, if successful, would likely galvanize additional union organizing at Amazon.
“Andy is now in the hot seat,” said former AWS vice president and distinguished engineer Tim Bray, who resigned last year in protest over Amazon firing employees critical of the company’s treatment of warehouse workers. “But it’s the seat that Andy’s going to have to sit in.”
* * *
2 Kings 2:1-12
Grief hurts
In the last scene of the 2 Kings reading, Elisha watches as Elijah ascends into heaven. Filled with grief, Elisha cries out and tears his clothes. The response indicates that Elisha realizes that he is on his own, and is an indicator of the physical feelings of grief. Psychologist Marilyn Mendoza indicates such physical responses to grief are common. Mendoza notes that research shows grief exacerbates levels of inflammation in a body, while also lowering the body’s immune capabilities. In her words:
“We often say that our heart aches or breaks after the death of a loved one. Indeed, there is even a condition called Takotsubo Syndrome or broken- heart syndrome in which the symptoms are similar to a heart attack, such as shortness of breath and chest pains. Research suggests that during the first three to six months after a spouse's death, the surviving spouse is not only vulnerable to developing physical problems but are also at an increased risk of death from heart disease.”
* * *
Mark 9:2-9
More than a figure of speech
“Transfiguration” is often conflated with “transformation,” but the two words are different. To be transfigured means “to change the appearance of someone or something, especially in a way that makes them look beautiful,” while transformation means “a change into someone or something completely different,” or the process of this change.
The difference matters. Jesus’ transfiguration changes his appearance. It is an external change, while the internal nature of his life and being has not changed. His appearance in dazzling clothes confounds the disciples in Mark, for they do not know his real identity. Yet the transfiguration does lead to the transformation of the disciples as they heed God’s instructions to listen to Jesus.
* * *
Mark 9:2-9
The changes we’ve witnessed
Within a couple of weeks the United States will mark the anniversary of the pandemic’s most stringent impacts. Like the disciples standing on the mountain, we are the witnesses to change. Facemasks are common place, social distancing remains in effect, and virtual meetings, doctor’s visits and worship services are all normal. Researchers suggest the pandemic will have other, more lasting changes. The Harvard Gazette reports that researcher Karestan Koenan believes the pandemic will have generational-defining possibilities similar to the Great Depression. She notes that the change will impact those coming of age in the pandemic much the way World War II or the Depression impacted earlier generations.
“That ongoing uncertainty takes a big toll. That’s the basis of a traumatic stressor — unpredictability, uncontrollability — until it exceeds the ability of the organism to cope,” Koenen said. “It’s affecting every milestone: graduation, entering school, leaving school. For the older Gen-Zers: marriages, dating, jobs — in fact, there aren’t jobs. That’s a formative period in their lives when people are figuring out: What’s important to me? What do I want my life to look like compared to my parents’ life?”
* * *
Mark 9:2-9
We didn’t listen
During an episode of the adult-themed cartoon South Park, panic over the imminent threats of climate change pushes the community into chaotic upheaval. As the characters try to run for their lives, the entire town is heard screaming and wailing, “We didn’t listen.”
Listening is something President Biden is hoping the nation will begin to do, especially when it comes to global climate change. Last week, President Biden ordered his administration to begin researching the impact of climate change on migration. In addition, the president has taken steps to reverse the Trump administration’s positions on climate, including taking climate change into consideration in developing national security policy, affirming the Paris climate accord, and announcing plans to host a summit of world leaders on climate change on Earth Day 2021.
* * * * * *
From team member Katy Stenta:
Transformed from yourself to yourself.
Transfiguration is amazing because it’s about transforming Jesus Christ, into Jesus Christ. I personally do not know how it is that Jesus wasn’t fully Jesus. Or, at minimum was not revealed to be fully Jesus. The identity of Jesus shines through. Likewise, the disciples become fully aware of their own selves, no doubt awkwardly, at this moment. I think this is a preview of what we will be in heaven. We are constantly working to be more fully ourselves. It is an upgrade. Going from just Katy to Katy 2.0, Katy 3.0, Katy (baptized) 4.0, Katy 5.0 (baptized) elevated to heaven. How do you react when you full self is revealed, warts and all sure, but also gifts and talents and uniqueness.
* * *
Identity: It’s a gift and a curse
Adrian Monk, the Sherlock Holmes detective in the TV series Monk has OCD and a Eidetic/photographic memory. He can perfectly call details. Most people think it is wonderful, but he admits that it is also hard. Especially as he continually mourns the loss of his wife and best friend. When he does one of these amazing feats—like reorganizes pushpins to be in better order and then realizes that they need the pins because they were clues. He puts them all back to their original positions from memory. When they ask him how to do this, Monk says “it’s a gift, and a curse.” If you have something that is intrinsic to your personality, often it does not seem to be a gift, because it just comes naturally. For me these things would include my extroversion and ability to speak in public. But I also struggle with this, because there are times I need people and need to talk so badly I that I do the equivalent of “emotionally throw up” on someone by oversharing in an excited manner to the people around me. Because, it is a gift and also a curse. The same thing that got Jesus almost thrown off a cliff in his hometown also had people following him around for teachings. The same reason why the disciples followed him also frightened them when he did things like walk on water or become transfigured. Identity, it’s a gift, and a curse.
* * *
It’s a Mystery
One of my favorite things to do is to contemplate the mightiness of God. For me, one of the times when you cannot help but wonder at the mystery of life is to stargaze. Practically every character written by Madeline L’Engle has a (spiritual) practice of star gazing. In one of her interviews that I read many years ago, she said one of her first memories was of her parents waking her up in the middle of the night to look at the stars.
When I was in college, a huge meteor shower was to take place. To watch it we asked townie (who attended Oberlin) to take us to a good place to watch the event. He found us a farmers field where we watched meteors fall that looked close enough to catch. It was a miracle.
Abraham is promised the power of God, but first he is invited to consider the stars. I think when we look at the stars we can start to grasp, but only for a moment, the mystery of God. Because who God is and the power and might and love of God is too big for us to contemplate or catch hold of for more than a moment. It is ephemeral. But one of the ways to find it is to look at the stars. One of my all-time favorite comics is Calvin and Hobbes “Look at the Stars” posted July 03, 2012. I often post it or refer to it in the midst of great tragedies, as something we can practice.
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WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship:
One: The mighty one, God speaks and summons the earth.
All: Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.
One: Our God comes and does not keep silence.
All: Before God is a devouring fire and a mighty tempest.
One: God calls to the heavens above and to the earth.
All: The heavens declare God’s righteousness, for God is judge.
OR
One: God is the Light and calls us to its revelation.
All: We dwell in darkness and long for God’s light.
One: God’s light is always among us and within us.
All: We ask for God’s light to be shone to us.
One: You can see God’s light whenever you love others.
All: We will reveal and be God’s light to our neighbors.
Hymns and Songs:
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty
UMH: 64/65
H82: 362
PH: 138
AAHH: 329
NNBH: 1
NCH: 277
CH: 4
LBW: 165
ELW: 413
W&P: 136
AMEC: 25
STLT: 26
Renew: 204
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
UMH: 79
H82: 366
PH: 460
NNBH: 13
NCH: 276
LBW: 535
ELW: 414
W&P: 138
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
UMH: 89
H82: 376
PH: 464
AAHH: 120
NNBH: 40
NCH: 4
CH: 2
LBW: 551
ELW: 836
W&P: 59
AMEC: 75
STLT: 29
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
UMH: 154/155
H82: 450/451
PH: 142/143
AAHH: 292/293/294
NNBH: 3/5
NCH: 304
CH: 91/92
LBW: 328/329
ELW: 634
W&P: 100/106
AMEC: 4/5/6
Renew: 45
Jesus Shall Reign
UMH: 157
H82: 544
PH: 423
NNBH: 10
NCH: 300
CH: 95
LBW: 530
ELW: 434
W&P: 341
AMEC: 96
Renew: 296
Alleluia, Alleluia
UMH: 162
H82: 178
PH: 106
CH: 40
W&P: 291
Renew: 271
Christ, Whose Glory Fills theSkies
UMH: 173
H82: 6/7
PH: 462/463
LBW: 265
ELW: 553
W&P: 91
O Wondrous Sight! O Vision Fair
UMH: 258
H82: 136/137
PH: 75
NCH: 184
LBW: 80
ELW: 316
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
UMH: 430
H82: 659/660
PH: 357
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELW: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299
Take My Life, and Let It Be
UMH: 399
H82: 707
PH: 391
NNBH: 213
NCH: 448
CH: 609
LBW: 406
ELW: 583/685
W&P: 466
AMEC: 292
Renew: 150
Open Our Eyes, Lord
CCB: 77
Renew: 91
Father, I Adore You
CCB: 64
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is mystery and beyond human perception:
Grant us the grace when you reveal yourself to us
to be in awe and wonder at your matchless love;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship and adore you, O God, because you are mystery. You are beyond our ability to perceive you in your majesty of love. As you come and reveal yourself to us, help us to receive you with awe and wonder as your love embraces us. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our wanting to lock God into our thoughts and understandings.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. Our thoughts are not your thoughts and our ways are not your ways. Even when you reveal yourself to us we try to wrap you in our thoughts and words. We try to explain you to ourselves instead of experiencing you and your love. We think we have to say something or do something religious instead of enjoying you and giving our love to you. Forgive us and renew us in your Spirit that we may love you and cherish you forever. Amen.
One: God is light and God is wisdom. Receive both as part of God’s grace and share God’s love with all.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory are yours, O God, the light that shines and dispels all darkness. You are the truth that shines on and in all of creation.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. Our thoughts are not your thoughts and our ways are not your ways. Even when you reveal yourself to us we try to wrap you in our thoughts and words. We try to explain you to ourselves instead of experiencing you and your love. We think we have to say something or do something religious instead of enjoying you and giving our love to you. Forgive us and renew us in your Spirit that we may love you and cherish you forever.
We give you thanks for your light that shines within each of us. We thank you for those who have caught a glimpse of your glory and have shared that vision with us. We thank you for those who have experienced your love and then shared that love with us. Most of all we thank you for Jesus who allowed your light to shine so brightly in him that we can begin to see that light in all you created.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those in need this day. We pray for those who look for light but only see darkness. We pray for those who find themselves under the shadow of evil and do not know that your light still shines for them.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Sometimes it is fun to dress up and pretend to be something we are not. We do it at Halloween and sometimes we do it when we are in a play and act out a part that is not really who we are. But we wouldn’t want to do that all the time. We want people to know who we are and to be able to act like ourselves. Today we hear how Peter, James, and John saw Jesus as he really is; they saw him in his glory. They were learning who Jesus really is, God’s Son. We also need to learn that and to learn that we are all God’s children with our own glory. We need to treat each other and ourselves with great respect.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Listening When We Can’t Really See
by Bethany Peerbolte
Mark 9:2-9
The disciples have no idea what to do with the amazing transfiguration moment. They jump through emotions like shock and fear. The moment goes quickly but the message is clear, listening to Jesus is the right choice. Keeping our ears open to God especially when we are feeling afraid or confused is a great lesson to learn. Putting in our trust in Jesus even when it is hard to look at him is a great choice.
In the message say something like:
I wonder if any of you have ever seen something amazing. Maybe you saw a beautiful sunset that filled the sky with colors that melted together to create other colors. Or maybe you were watching your favorite sport on TV and someone made a play that was just so brilliant you could not believe it worked. When we get the chance to see something amazing it can catch us off guard. One-minute things are like they always are then suddenly we are experiencing a once in a lifetime moment. When we are caught in an amazing moment, we become shocked and have a hard time knowing what to say. We might just stand there with our mouth wide open trying not to blink so we do not miss anything. Show me your shocked faces (model eyes wide, mouth open in awe and give them time to imitate you)
I think this is how the disciples must have looked when Jesus was transfigured. Transfigured is an odd word, we don’t use it very often. If something or someone is transfigured it means they are transformed into something more beautiful or special than they were before. The sky becomes transfigured at sunset and sunrise. It goes from being a plain sky to being more beautiful and special. This happens to Jesus. The Bible says Jesus began to shine brighter and whiter than anything the disciples had ever seen before. This made them afraid. Can you make a face like you are afraid to look at something super bright? (squint your eyes or cover them with your hand and give the kids time to respond)
When this happened to Jesus Peter tried to make sense of what was happening. He thought the best thing to do was to build some shelter so they could all hang out for awhile, but in reality Peter had no idea what was going on. He was really confused, what do you look like when you are confused? (model confusion and let the kids respond with their faces).
God however wanted the disciples to know one thing. The reason Jesus was transfigured to be so bright was for them to see Jesus was special. God wanted the disciples to listen to Jesus and this amazing moment was to help them understand Jesus was worth listening too. That Jesus spoke for God. But OH BOY were there lots of mixed emotions happening in this moment. Let’s go through our faces again. They were shocked (make your amazed face) They were afraid (make your bright face) and everyone was a little confused (make your confused face). But this was just one moment, so let’s put those faces together (make some combination of all the faces *the funnier the better* encourage the kids to make a funny combination face too).
There was a lot going on for the disciples but the whole time they just needed to learn to listen to Jesus. Let us say a prayer together to help us listen more.
Amazing God, Help us listen when we are shocked, when we are afraid, and when we are confused. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, February 14, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
- Dwelling in the Mystery by Tom Willadsen — What would it be like if we could be still and open our hearts enough to dwell in the mystery?
- Second Thoughts: Proclaiming Me or Jesus? by Dean Feldmeyer — What are you proclaiming when you put the name of Jesus on your business stationary?
- Sermon illustrations by Katy Stenta, Chris Keating, Mary Austin.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children's sermon: Listening When We Can’t Really See by Bethany Peerbolte.
Dwelling in the Mysteryby Tom Willadsen
2 Kings 2:1-12, Mark 9:2-9, Psalm 50:1-6
"Insufficient evidence exists upon which a reasonable jurist could conclude that the 45th president's statements were accurate or not, and he therefore denies they were false." From former President Trump’s impeachment defense brief submitted to the Senate, February 2, 2021
Read that sentence as many times as you need to. Anyone who thought theologians write opaquely, relax, lawyers are the gold standard in ambiguity. By the time Transfiguration Sunday rolls around the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump will have begun, possibly even ended. The American people will be mired in mystery.
For the most part, 21st century Americans do not care for mystery. Fortunately, we have multiple sources of information that can provide us with all the facts we want to believe. While these sources often contradict each other, the contradictions rarely give us a deeper appreciation for mystery, more often they reinforce the walls in our silos. What would happen if Peter, James and John actually recognized the holy mystery of the transfigured Christ and the voice of the living God speaking to them as a mystery? What would they have been like if they could have calmed themselves enough to “be still and know” they were in the presence of something beyond knowing? What would it be like if we could be still and open our hearts enough to dwell in the mystery?
In the News
Last week Vice President Kamala Harris broke a tie in the Senate, casting the deciding vote for the Covid-19 relief bill. Both sides accuse the other of not being bipartisan. Perhaps that could be the foundation of at least bipartisan agreement if not, you know, actual legislating.
Last week the House of Representatives, in a vote that was largely along party lines, voted to strip newly-elected Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments. Democrats believed that calling for the murder of fellow members of congress was a transgression worthy of such action. Republicans argued that Representative Greene had repudiated many of the baseless conspiracy theories she has promoted over social media — among them QAnon and that Jewish space lasers started last year’s wildfires in California — privately to them. Furthermore, she was being punished for things she said prior to being elected. Ms. Taylor has yet to apologize and repudiate those views publicly. She called for the murders of some of her colleagues in the House after she was elected. Apparently her defenders are taking a principled stand for free speech.
Speaking of free speech, the impeachment trial was expected to include excerpts of former President Trump’s speech to his backers on January 6. He told them to “fight like hell.” Toward the end of his 70 minute speech at the Ellipse, the former President said “We will never give up. We will never concede. It will never happen. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore.”
We have all seen the images of the Capitol being overrun on January 6, as a mob sought to disrupt the official, ceremonial counting of the electoral votes. Legislators and their staffs ran for their lives and hid. Continuing a life-long pattern, the former President would not admit that he had lost, contending his losing the presidential election could only have happened due to widespread fraud, for which he and his associates have yet to provide evidence.
No one can be surprised that the former President is not telling the truth. Now the United States finds itself in a unique moment in history. The defeated President’s refusal to accept the result of what Fox News (!) has called “the most secure election in American history” has emboldened many people to oppose the current President, in the belief that they need to defend and protect their country. It is not their bizarre ideas, but their certainty, that makes them dangerous. As Americans consume news in this moment, very few of us seek sources that do not reinforce what we already believe to be true. Is there any voice calling for us to embrace uncertainty? Ambiguity? Complexity? Humility? Profundity?
Alas, we are profoundly shallow. The only mystery most of us can acknowledge is at how deeply mistaken those who do not share our perspective can be.
And yet while our attention is on the drama in Washington, DC this week, there are other, less dramatic developments that we may be ignoring. The rate of Covid-19 infection in my metro area is ¼ what it was in late November. There are currently two vaccines being injected into the arms of about 1,000,000 Americans each day. A new, one-shot vaccine is about to receive emergency authorization. And the percentage of people who die from Covid-19 is dramatically lower than it was in March of last year. Physical distancing and mask wearing have made an impact. We have also learned how to treat Covid-19 patients better (though bleach is still not an approved therapy). This is not uniformly good news — part of the decrease in the death rate is that younger, more robust people started getting the virus in the early summer. They were much more likely to survive than the elderly and those who are more vulnerable because of pre-existing conditions.
So in the news this week are dramatic, historic, riveting events in the Capitol, and slowly spreading bright spots in our response to the pandemic.
In the Scriptures
One thing that has never been explained to my satisfaction is how Peter, James and John knew that it was Elijah and Moses talking with Jesus. The text does not indicate whether anyone was wearing a name tag; the fishermen may have been illiterate anyway. The text indicates that Elijah and Moses were talking with Jesus; perhaps the conversation would have conveyed their identities to the three. There is no record of what the three were discussing, perhaps how obdurate their people tend to be. Elisha is alone among the prophets’ wingmen in being loyal and attentive.
Peter is his usual impulsive self, suggesting that they preserve this mountain top moment by building dwellings for the three. (Here’s proof that Peter was not Presbyterian: he did not even think of consulting the Property & Finance Committee before suggesting this building project.)
The Voice from the Cloud appears to be speaking to Peter, “This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!” This message echoes the words a voice from heaven spoke when Jesus was baptized, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Peter, like a lot of us, springs into action when he’s terrified and doesn’t know what to do. Perhaps better advice to him — and us — would have been, “Don’t just do something; stand there!”
The psalm reading uses three different names for God in the first few words of the reading. God is mighty, bright, powerful and the creator of the vast universe. Hey, Pete, are you listening yet?
Elisha is certainly getting his steps in on his last day is Elijah’s assistant. It’s more than ten miles from Gilgal, where the Israelites first camped after crossing into the Promised Land, to Bethel, where the Northern Kingdom established their shrine. From Bethel he and Elijah traveled more than 20 miles from Bethel to Jericho, where Joshua famously “fit the battle,” their first military victory west of the Jordan. Their final stop on this Farewell Tour is the spot along the Jordan where the Hebrews became Israelites, after crossing the river to the Promised Land. Elisha stays at Elijah’s side the whole time.
In the Sermon
Take your congregation up the mountain with Jesus, Peter, James and John. Don’t forget the cameo appearances by Elijah and Moses.
I suggest unpacking Peter’s response. He was scared. He didn’t know what to say, but that didn’t keep him from talking! He evaluated the situation and his first impulse was to suggest taking action, religious action.
How do you think he felt when a cloud descended on their board meeting and said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!”?
Perhaps a more faithful rendering of the Greek would be, “Peter, shut your damn mouth! You’re in the presence of the Eternal God and the Beloved Son! I say unto you: ‘Chill!’”
We’re not good at not being busy. We report that we are busy when people ask how we are and insist on keeping ourselves busy, just as Peter did. The hardest thing for our people to do is to be still long enough to recognize the presence of the living God. Right here, right now. It’s the middle of February, there are preliminary signs of spring; the cardinals are looking for love in my neighborhood. The days are getting longer. (The robins never left and were angry at last week’s 15" snowfall — that’s an illustration for another sermon.)
Your people need to slow down. They need to be talked out of compulsion to produce and perform. They need to recognize the Peter the Doer in themselves and how unhealthy that is, how that interferes with their walk with Christ. They need to disconnect from the urgency of the news cycle enough to reconnect with the Living God.
SECOND THOUGHTSProclaiming Me or Jesus?
by Dean Feldmeyer
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
A couple of miles from my house there’s a car repair place that announces in its name that it is a Christian business. Let’s call it “Christian Folks Automotive.” I don’t know why they have chosen to announce their religion on their advertising.
Several weeks ago, I needed the services of a plumber and, being new to the area, I went through an online process to find several close to where I live, went to their web sites, and checked them out. They all claimed to be competent with fair rates, but one also claimed that “Jesus is Lord.”
I haven’t seen it for a while but we used to have, in this part of the state, a volume called the Christian Blue Pages, a sort of Yellow Pages phone directory with all of the business advertisers claiming to be Christians.
I don’t know if they still do it but the JTM Food Group — makers of ready-to-cook hamburger patties, pork barbecue, and other foods — used to display, on their trucks, a large mural of their food with the words, “A Pro-Life Company.”
Why, I wonder, do Christians choose to state their religious affiliation or beliefs in their business literature and advertising? Is it because it’s good for business to do so? Are they really Christians or is this just a cheap and cynical marketing ploy?
Do they hope to draw other Christians to their business? Is this a way of saying that they are honest? Kind? Generous? I just don’t know.
So, I take my car to a place because of its reputation of being skilled and honest, not because of the owner’s religious affiliation. I have, after all, known my share of questionably scrupulous folks who call themselves Christians.
In today’s Epistle lesson Paul reminds us that we are, as Christians, charged with proclaiming not ourselves but Jesus Christ and, he has reminded me of four distinct kinds of people that we tend to come across in and outside of the church.
Those Who Proclaim Themselves
First, there are those who proclaim themselves. “Look at me! Look at me!” Often, these folks do so without realizing that is what they are doing. It’s just what comes naturally to them. They’re kind of clueless and, usually, they’re fairly harmless.
I can’t turn on my computer without being informed about what this or that Kardashian was wearing yesterday (usually very little). It sometimes seems like Charles Barkley is in every commercial on television and I can’t remember what he was advertising but I can remember it was Charles being Charles.
Politicians often seem to be all about proclaiming themselves to the world. Their loyalty to this or that cause, their enthusiasm for this or that value or policy may wax and wane, changing with the wind, but the point is getting their face in front of the camera. And this is where it can get dangerous.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R - Georgia), who was recently elected to the House of Representatives, has publically stated that Jews started California wildfires with laser beams from outer space, that Democrats are running a global pedophile ring to kidnap, buy, sell, torture and eat children and should be executed, that school shootings were staged by liberals in an attempt to take away guns from law abiding people, that the tragedy of 9/11 was a hoax, and that the 2020 election was rigged by a massive cabal of “liberal elites.”
Now, I don’t, for a minute, believe that she actually believes all, or even any of that. But it got her constituents focused on her and it won her the election. Once in office and threatened with a sanction by her fellow Republicans, she just shrugged it off in a secret meeting with the verbal equivalent of “my bad.” She cast herself as the victim of the mainstream media and offered no apology to her victims. “I have said things I shouldn't say at some time or another,” she told an interviewer, “but I don't think I have anything to apologize for.” She received a standing ovation from the Republican leaders at the meeting.
Those Who Proclaim a Cause
Have you seen the movie The Prom?
In it, four Broadway “theater people” — quasi-celebrities, are put out of work when the pandemic closes the theaters where their shows were playing. Feeling depressed and cheated they also discover that they are all so narcissistic that no one really cares about their plight.
So, to polish their image, they decide to adopt a cause that will show them to be worthwhile, caring human beings. The cause they select is a high school where the prom has been canceled because a lesbian teenager wants to bring her girlfriend to the dance as her date. Needless to say, hijinks ensue.
One of the recurring, humorous themes of the film is that no celebrity is really a celebrity without a cause. It’s good for their brand.
Of course, as the four Broadway “stars” eventually learn, that’s an unfair generalization. Many celebrities embrace causes out of a genuine concern. They support cancer research because they lost a family member to cancer, for instance. George Clooney supports more than 35 charities but most of his time and considerable resources have gone, with the help of his father, Nick, to stop the human rights atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan after visiting the country and seeing the appalling poverty, first hand.
It is fair to say, however, that when choosing a cause to support, celebrities tend to choose causes that are “safe.” Non-controversial, apolitical, and without obvious religious affiliations. Their appeals are generally based on humanistic values of justice and compassion. Their attachment to the cause, when not one of self-promotion, is based on the emotional pull of the cause. They proclaim the victims and the humanistic values.
Those Who Proclaim Jesus
Then there are those who proclaim Jesus. I’ll offer three examples: one from the left, one from the right and one that is, I believe, firmly in the middle.
In the middle we have Mother Teresa. Okay, her halo may have become a little tarnished of late, what with some revelations of a few unpopular opinions and self-confessed periods of depression and doubt. But there is, I believe, no denying that Mother Teresa proclaimed Jesus Christ loudly and clearly through her selfless work with the poorest of the poor in the streets of Calcutta.
On the left, I would offer Jim Wallis, American theologian, writer, teacher and political activist, best known as the founder and editor of Sojourners magazine and as the founder of the Washington, DC-based Christian community of the same name. The Wikipedia rightly says of Wallis that he “is well known for his advocacy on issues of peace and social justice. Although Wallis actively eschews political labels, he describes himself as an evangelical and is often associated with the evangelical left and the wider Christian left. He worked as a spiritual advisor to President Barack Obama. He is also a leader in the Red-Letter Christian movement.”
His books include: The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith and Politics in a Post-Religious Right America; America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America; God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It. Most recently, his book, Christ in Crisis: Reclaiming Jesus in a time of fear, hate, and violence urges progressive Christians to, once again, take up the mantel of their religious faith and proclaim Jesus Christ as they address the issues that are threatening our country.
It is Wallis who has said: “Some people believe the alternative to bad religion is secularism, but that's wrong… The answer to bad religion is better religion — prophetic rather than partisan, broad and deep instead of narrow, and based on values as opposed to ideology.”
On the right, I would put Billy Graham. An ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well-known internationally in the late 1940s and was called by one of his biographers, “among the most influential Christian leaders” of the 20th century.
So, he needs no introduction from me. His entire life was devoted to proclaiming Jesus Christ and that is true whether or not you happen to agree with his conservative theology, as I often did not.
Graham wrote 33 books, many of which became top sellers. His autobiography, Just As I Am, published in 1997, achieved a “triple crown,” appearing simultaneously on the three top best-seller lists in one week.
Concerned with the unseemly behavior of some popular American evangelists, he and his ministry team created four rules to guide the behavior of religious leaders. Written in Modesto, California in 1948, it became known as the Modesto Manifesto and encouraged:
- Financial accountability and transparency. Deemphasizing offerings, raise money through contributions before the meetings.
- Sexual Morality. Avoiding any situation that would have even the appearance of compromise or suspicion.
- Support for the local church. We determined to cooperate with all who would cooperate with us in the public proclamation of the Gospel, and to avoid an antichurch or anti-clergy attitudes.
- Honest publicity. Not to exaggerate successes or claim higher attendance numbers than they actually had.
Those Who Proclaim Themselves While Claiming to Proclaim Jesus
These, to my way of thinking, are the lowest of the low. Worse than those who openly and freely proclaim only themselves, these are those who use and exploit the name of Jesus to enrich themselves in money and power.
In 1974, faced with the possibility of congressional investigations of the financial practices of some of the so-called mega churches and tele-evangelistic ministries in America, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association created the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, an American financial standards association representing evangelical Christian organizations and churches. Members are required to annually submit a renewal document that includes the recent copy of the audited financial statement and answers to a number of questions related to the membership standards.
Membership in the ECFA does not necessarily guarantee that the member organization uses its money in moral, ethical, or even wise ways, how much they give to ministries to the poor and the oppressed, and how much they keep for themselves. It doesn’t make judgments about their lifestyles no matter how lavish or mean. It just shows that they are transparent and honest about how much the collect and keep. One might legitimately wonder about those ministries who, for whatever reasons, refuse to submit to the accountability structure offered by the ECFA.
Of the eight richest pastors in America in 2018, five refused to do so: Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, and Rick Warren. The poorest of those five has a net worth of over $25 million. The richest is worth about $760 million. Of the fifteen richest pastors in the world only one is a member of the ECFA.
Other businesses and organizations claim to proclaim Jesus but one might wonder if their behavior supports that claim. Chick-fil-A, for instance, wears its evangelical Christian identity on its sleeve even while they support unapologetically far right anti-gay policies.
Women’s clothier, Forever21 — prints “John 3:16” on their merchandise bags. Why? In-N-Out Burger famously cites Bible passages on its cups, containers, and wrappers. Asked why, the company responded, “It’s just something we do.”
The Hobby Lobby craft store chain sued the government on religious moral grounds over being required to provide emergency contraception through their employees’ health insurance. Then, the company was itself, fined $3 million and forced to return more than 5,500 stolen archeological artifacts to Iran. The artifacts were presumably purchased for the Museum of the Bible, in Washington, DC, which was founded and heavily financed by billionaire Steve Green, the evangelical Christian whose family owns the Hobby Lobby. The museum is currently under investigation for purchasing thousands of stolen artifacts. Green and museum officials allege that they didn’t know the pieces, which were shipped as “ceramic tile samples,” were stolen.
Of course, no reasonable person would suggest that everyone who splashes Jesus across their logo is using Jesus to make money, “pimping Christ” as the popular saying goes. But we would all do well, in this age of cynicism and casual ethical/moral attitudes, even within the religious community, to ask when we see it, “Are they proclaiming Christ through their business or are they using Christ to proclaim their business?”
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:Mark 9:2-9
Listening
“This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him,” God says to the disciples on the mountaintop. It’s interesting that the instruction isn’t to obey, or to follow, or learn; it’s to listen. David Isay, the founder of StoryCorps says that listening is an act of love. He recalls, as a child, taping an interview with his grandmother and her sisters, and the power of listening to their stories. He says, “To me, the soul is contained in the voice. So there’s just something very powerful about having that record of someone.”
StoryCorps allows people to tells their stories, and the recordings go into the Library of Congress, assuring each person that their story is worth listening to. The interviews are structured, he says, “as if you had 40 minutes left to live, what would you want to say to someone else? What would you want to learn about them? And in some ways, I think it’s maybe the best way to sum up who someone is in 40 minutes, although that’s a very difficult thing to do. But we have everything going for us, because it’s the voice, and it’s intimate, and it’s honest. I think of it as the opposite of reality TV. No one comes to get rich, no one comes to get famous, it’s just about generosity and love.”
The story telling involves a facilitator, who listens attentively. Isay says, “Many times you’ll have someone and their parent in the booth, and there might be some stress in their relationship. And when they’re asking a story and the parent will say, I’ve told that story before. But then they turn to the facilitator. And the facilitator becomes the ears of the world. And that person in the booth realizes that, and just begins to open up and speak. So there’s something about those three people in the booth that’s just perfect.”
In listening, love is revealed.
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Mark 9:2-9
The Power of Listening
“Listen to him,” God says from the cloud, bringing the disciples up short. They may think they’ve heard everything Jesus has to say by now. Writer Courtney Martin says she is a compulsive eavesdropper – she can’t stop herself from listening to strangers. “I’m hopeless. I eavesdrop like other people watch reality television, I guess — a little guiltily, but with so much pleasure that I can’t resist.” This kind of listening, she says, is witnessing to someone’s life – perhaps this is what God is asking the disciples to do for Jesus. “But there is another kind of listening, a listening that we neglect at our own peril, that is not about getting some particular place, but simply about witnessing another human being. This kind of listening is long and open-ended. It’s patient. It’s curious. It’s not calculating. This kind of listening operates on only one level — the words coming out, the way they hit the ear, the shaping of a story, a sadness, a yearning, a wish.” Listening, she says, is “an overlooked kind of love, a way we stay sane. It happens in the cracks, under the radar, just between two people. And it doesn’t happen enough.”
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Mark 9:2-9
Trying to Remember
Peter says the wrong thing – the dramatically wrong thing – in response to the revelation of Jesus’ glory, but we can understand the impulse. He wants to preserve this astounding moment as a balance to all the dusty roads they travel, the bad meals in people’s homes and the days spent listening to Jesus give the same message again and again. Psychologists say that we remember the peak moment in a series of events, and the last moment. Called the “Peak-End Rule,” it explains why we remember the highlights and the conclusion. Peter is trying to hold onto this moment with Jesus, knowing that human memory is flawed.
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Psalm 50:1-6
Beauty
“Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.” A mother and daughter duo found God shining forth in beauty, as they took an unexpected trip together. Colleen Radke found herself adrift after a divorce, and with the world shut down because of COVID. They spent a few days watching TV when school and work closed down, and then, Radke days, she asked her daughter Wynn what she wanted to do. “Wynn put a forefinger to her chin, thinking. “Let’s go see 67 waterfalls.” We’d taken Wynn to see waterfalls two years ago on a family vacation to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a region bordering three Great Lakes. Wynn, her father and I had camped, breathed the fresh air and cooked over an open fire. Her eyes widened whenever we hiked to waterfalls. “Okay,” I said. “We can see six or seven waterfalls.” “No.” Wynn said firmly. “Sixty-seven different waterfalls.” Sixty-seven waterfalls! Whoa. Wynn was too young to understand what 67 really meant. She’d just picked a number out of the air, but we had free time. Why not humor her?”
They started with one waterfall, and one led to another. “How could anyone deny Mother Nature’s glory? I’d been raised Catholic, but the great outdoors was my cathedral, where I felt closest to God, most connected to the wider world, though I’d lapsed in recent years.”
Radke recalls, “Every outing I’d grown a bit stronger, learning to go with the flow, confident I’d rise to the next challenge. I’d begun this quest for my daughter, but it turned out that I needed it as much as she did. Maybe even more. In the end, the jewelry store stayed closed for almost five months, which gave Wynn and me enough time to see 67 different waterfalls. With each step we took on our quest, I felt a little more whole. I was being led back to myself, to the person whose spirit overflowed in the cathedral of the great outdoors.” In beauty, God shines forth.
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From team member Chris Keating:2 Kings 2:1-12
Elisha’s inheritance
As Elijah prepares to ascend into heaven, he asks his protégé, “What do you want me to do for your before I’m taken away from you?” (CEB). Elijah wonders what sort of inheritance Elisha would like to receive, emphasizing how Elisha will now assume the role of prophet over Israel. The windstorm and fiery chariots are about to arrive, but first comes the question, “What can I give you?”
Elisha yearns for Elijah’s mantle, a sort of outer garment symbolic of his God-given authority. This is the origin of the phrase “assuming the mantle” of leadership.
Elijah’s question, “What can I give you?” is part of an ongoing conversation about inheritance that takes place within families all the time – though some of the bequests may seem a bit strange. Here are few more light-hearted examples:
- Comic Jack Benny left instructions that a local florist was to deliver a long-stemmed red rose to his wife, Mary Livingstone, every day of her life. (Hopefully this was paid in advance!).
- William Shakespeare snubbed his wife, Anne Hathaway in favor of his daughter Susanna. While the daughter received the bulk of his estate, the playwright’s will stipulated that his wife should only receive “the second best bed.”
- Billionaire hotel owner Leona Helmsley left $12 million to her favorite dog “Trouble,” while either cutting out her grandchildren or requiring them to visit their father’s grave once a year as a stipulation for their share. A judge later reduced the dog’s benefit to just $2 million, which gave Trouble a mere $100,000 annually for the remainder of her life.
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2 Kings 2:1-12
Succession plans
Last week, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced his plans to step away from leading the company he has led for 27 years. Bezos will turn over leadership responsibilities to long-time Amazon executive Andy Jassy by the Fall of 2021. The company’s earnings skyrocketed in 2020, and analysts suggest Amazon’s growth will continue. The company Jassy inherits looks far different from the innovative online only bookstore Bezos started in his Seattle-area garage. While prospects for its continued growth are assured, the company also faces a number of challenges. A report in The Seattle Times noted:
Antitrust scrutiny of the world’s largest online retailer is likely to sharpen in the coming years. Employee activism around climate change, racial equity and warehouse conditions intensified during the past year. Worker-rights advocates are closely watching an upcoming union vote at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama, which, if successful, would likely galvanize additional union organizing at Amazon.
“Andy is now in the hot seat,” said former AWS vice president and distinguished engineer Tim Bray, who resigned last year in protest over Amazon firing employees critical of the company’s treatment of warehouse workers. “But it’s the seat that Andy’s going to have to sit in.”
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2 Kings 2:1-12
Grief hurts
In the last scene of the 2 Kings reading, Elisha watches as Elijah ascends into heaven. Filled with grief, Elisha cries out and tears his clothes. The response indicates that Elisha realizes that he is on his own, and is an indicator of the physical feelings of grief. Psychologist Marilyn Mendoza indicates such physical responses to grief are common. Mendoza notes that research shows grief exacerbates levels of inflammation in a body, while also lowering the body’s immune capabilities. In her words:
“We often say that our heart aches or breaks after the death of a loved one. Indeed, there is even a condition called Takotsubo Syndrome or broken- heart syndrome in which the symptoms are similar to a heart attack, such as shortness of breath and chest pains. Research suggests that during the first three to six months after a spouse's death, the surviving spouse is not only vulnerable to developing physical problems but are also at an increased risk of death from heart disease.”
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Mark 9:2-9
More than a figure of speech
“Transfiguration” is often conflated with “transformation,” but the two words are different. To be transfigured means “to change the appearance of someone or something, especially in a way that makes them look beautiful,” while transformation means “a change into someone or something completely different,” or the process of this change.
The difference matters. Jesus’ transfiguration changes his appearance. It is an external change, while the internal nature of his life and being has not changed. His appearance in dazzling clothes confounds the disciples in Mark, for they do not know his real identity. Yet the transfiguration does lead to the transformation of the disciples as they heed God’s instructions to listen to Jesus.
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Mark 9:2-9
The changes we’ve witnessed
Within a couple of weeks the United States will mark the anniversary of the pandemic’s most stringent impacts. Like the disciples standing on the mountain, we are the witnesses to change. Facemasks are common place, social distancing remains in effect, and virtual meetings, doctor’s visits and worship services are all normal. Researchers suggest the pandemic will have other, more lasting changes. The Harvard Gazette reports that researcher Karestan Koenan believes the pandemic will have generational-defining possibilities similar to the Great Depression. She notes that the change will impact those coming of age in the pandemic much the way World War II or the Depression impacted earlier generations.
“That ongoing uncertainty takes a big toll. That’s the basis of a traumatic stressor — unpredictability, uncontrollability — until it exceeds the ability of the organism to cope,” Koenen said. “It’s affecting every milestone: graduation, entering school, leaving school. For the older Gen-Zers: marriages, dating, jobs — in fact, there aren’t jobs. That’s a formative period in their lives when people are figuring out: What’s important to me? What do I want my life to look like compared to my parents’ life?”
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Mark 9:2-9
We didn’t listen
During an episode of the adult-themed cartoon South Park, panic over the imminent threats of climate change pushes the community into chaotic upheaval. As the characters try to run for their lives, the entire town is heard screaming and wailing, “We didn’t listen.”
Listening is something President Biden is hoping the nation will begin to do, especially when it comes to global climate change. Last week, President Biden ordered his administration to begin researching the impact of climate change on migration. In addition, the president has taken steps to reverse the Trump administration’s positions on climate, including taking climate change into consideration in developing national security policy, affirming the Paris climate accord, and announcing plans to host a summit of world leaders on climate change on Earth Day 2021.
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From team member Katy Stenta:Transformed from yourself to yourself.
Transfiguration is amazing because it’s about transforming Jesus Christ, into Jesus Christ. I personally do not know how it is that Jesus wasn’t fully Jesus. Or, at minimum was not revealed to be fully Jesus. The identity of Jesus shines through. Likewise, the disciples become fully aware of their own selves, no doubt awkwardly, at this moment. I think this is a preview of what we will be in heaven. We are constantly working to be more fully ourselves. It is an upgrade. Going from just Katy to Katy 2.0, Katy 3.0, Katy (baptized) 4.0, Katy 5.0 (baptized) elevated to heaven. How do you react when you full self is revealed, warts and all sure, but also gifts and talents and uniqueness.
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Identity: It’s a gift and a curse
Adrian Monk, the Sherlock Holmes detective in the TV series Monk has OCD and a Eidetic/photographic memory. He can perfectly call details. Most people think it is wonderful, but he admits that it is also hard. Especially as he continually mourns the loss of his wife and best friend. When he does one of these amazing feats—like reorganizes pushpins to be in better order and then realizes that they need the pins because they were clues. He puts them all back to their original positions from memory. When they ask him how to do this, Monk says “it’s a gift, and a curse.” If you have something that is intrinsic to your personality, often it does not seem to be a gift, because it just comes naturally. For me these things would include my extroversion and ability to speak in public. But I also struggle with this, because there are times I need people and need to talk so badly I that I do the equivalent of “emotionally throw up” on someone by oversharing in an excited manner to the people around me. Because, it is a gift and also a curse. The same thing that got Jesus almost thrown off a cliff in his hometown also had people following him around for teachings. The same reason why the disciples followed him also frightened them when he did things like walk on water or become transfigured. Identity, it’s a gift, and a curse.
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It’s a Mystery
One of my favorite things to do is to contemplate the mightiness of God. For me, one of the times when you cannot help but wonder at the mystery of life is to stargaze. Practically every character written by Madeline L’Engle has a (spiritual) practice of star gazing. In one of her interviews that I read many years ago, she said one of her first memories was of her parents waking her up in the middle of the night to look at the stars.
When I was in college, a huge meteor shower was to take place. To watch it we asked townie (who attended Oberlin) to take us to a good place to watch the event. He found us a farmers field where we watched meteors fall that looked close enough to catch. It was a miracle.
Abraham is promised the power of God, but first he is invited to consider the stars. I think when we look at the stars we can start to grasp, but only for a moment, the mystery of God. Because who God is and the power and might and love of God is too big for us to contemplate or catch hold of for more than a moment. It is ephemeral. But one of the ways to find it is to look at the stars. One of my all-time favorite comics is Calvin and Hobbes “Look at the Stars” posted July 03, 2012. I often post it or refer to it in the midst of great tragedies, as something we can practice.
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WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship:
One: The mighty one, God speaks and summons the earth.
All: Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.
One: Our God comes and does not keep silence.
All: Before God is a devouring fire and a mighty tempest.
One: God calls to the heavens above and to the earth.
All: The heavens declare God’s righteousness, for God is judge.
OR
One: God is the Light and calls us to its revelation.
All: We dwell in darkness and long for God’s light.
One: God’s light is always among us and within us.
All: We ask for God’s light to be shone to us.
One: You can see God’s light whenever you love others.
All: We will reveal and be God’s light to our neighbors.
Hymns and Songs:
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty
UMH: 64/65
H82: 362
PH: 138
AAHH: 329
NNBH: 1
NCH: 277
CH: 4
LBW: 165
ELW: 413
W&P: 136
AMEC: 25
STLT: 26
Renew: 204
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
UMH: 79
H82: 366
PH: 460
NNBH: 13
NCH: 276
LBW: 535
ELW: 414
W&P: 138
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
UMH: 89
H82: 376
PH: 464
AAHH: 120
NNBH: 40
NCH: 4
CH: 2
LBW: 551
ELW: 836
W&P: 59
AMEC: 75
STLT: 29
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
UMH: 154/155
H82: 450/451
PH: 142/143
AAHH: 292/293/294
NNBH: 3/5
NCH: 304
CH: 91/92
LBW: 328/329
ELW: 634
W&P: 100/106
AMEC: 4/5/6
Renew: 45
Jesus Shall Reign
UMH: 157
H82: 544
PH: 423
NNBH: 10
NCH: 300
CH: 95
LBW: 530
ELW: 434
W&P: 341
AMEC: 96
Renew: 296
Alleluia, Alleluia
UMH: 162
H82: 178
PH: 106
CH: 40
W&P: 291
Renew: 271
Christ, Whose Glory Fills theSkies
UMH: 173
H82: 6/7
PH: 462/463
LBW: 265
ELW: 553
W&P: 91
O Wondrous Sight! O Vision Fair
UMH: 258
H82: 136/137
PH: 75
NCH: 184
LBW: 80
ELW: 316
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
UMH: 430
H82: 659/660
PH: 357
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELW: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299
Take My Life, and Let It Be
UMH: 399
H82: 707
PH: 391
NNBH: 213
NCH: 448
CH: 609
LBW: 406
ELW: 583/685
W&P: 466
AMEC: 292
Renew: 150
Open Our Eyes, Lord
CCB: 77
Renew: 91
Father, I Adore You
CCB: 64
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is mystery and beyond human perception:
Grant us the grace when you reveal yourself to us
to be in awe and wonder at your matchless love;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship and adore you, O God, because you are mystery. You are beyond our ability to perceive you in your majesty of love. As you come and reveal yourself to us, help us to receive you with awe and wonder as your love embraces us. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our wanting to lock God into our thoughts and understandings.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. Our thoughts are not your thoughts and our ways are not your ways. Even when you reveal yourself to us we try to wrap you in our thoughts and words. We try to explain you to ourselves instead of experiencing you and your love. We think we have to say something or do something religious instead of enjoying you and giving our love to you. Forgive us and renew us in your Spirit that we may love you and cherish you forever. Amen.
One: God is light and God is wisdom. Receive both as part of God’s grace and share God’s love with all.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory are yours, O God, the light that shines and dispels all darkness. You are the truth that shines on and in all of creation.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. Our thoughts are not your thoughts and our ways are not your ways. Even when you reveal yourself to us we try to wrap you in our thoughts and words. We try to explain you to ourselves instead of experiencing you and your love. We think we have to say something or do something religious instead of enjoying you and giving our love to you. Forgive us and renew us in your Spirit that we may love you and cherish you forever.
We give you thanks for your light that shines within each of us. We thank you for those who have caught a glimpse of your glory and have shared that vision with us. We thank you for those who have experienced your love and then shared that love with us. Most of all we thank you for Jesus who allowed your light to shine so brightly in him that we can begin to see that light in all you created.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those in need this day. We pray for those who look for light but only see darkness. We pray for those who find themselves under the shadow of evil and do not know that your light still shines for them.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Sometimes it is fun to dress up and pretend to be something we are not. We do it at Halloween and sometimes we do it when we are in a play and act out a part that is not really who we are. But we wouldn’t want to do that all the time. We want people to know who we are and to be able to act like ourselves. Today we hear how Peter, James, and John saw Jesus as he really is; they saw him in his glory. They were learning who Jesus really is, God’s Son. We also need to learn that and to learn that we are all God’s children with our own glory. We need to treat each other and ourselves with great respect.
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CHILDREN'S SERMONListening When We Can’t Really See
by Bethany Peerbolte
Mark 9:2-9
The disciples have no idea what to do with the amazing transfiguration moment. They jump through emotions like shock and fear. The moment goes quickly but the message is clear, listening to Jesus is the right choice. Keeping our ears open to God especially when we are feeling afraid or confused is a great lesson to learn. Putting in our trust in Jesus even when it is hard to look at him is a great choice.
In the message say something like:
I wonder if any of you have ever seen something amazing. Maybe you saw a beautiful sunset that filled the sky with colors that melted together to create other colors. Or maybe you were watching your favorite sport on TV and someone made a play that was just so brilliant you could not believe it worked. When we get the chance to see something amazing it can catch us off guard. One-minute things are like they always are then suddenly we are experiencing a once in a lifetime moment. When we are caught in an amazing moment, we become shocked and have a hard time knowing what to say. We might just stand there with our mouth wide open trying not to blink so we do not miss anything. Show me your shocked faces (model eyes wide, mouth open in awe and give them time to imitate you)
I think this is how the disciples must have looked when Jesus was transfigured. Transfigured is an odd word, we don’t use it very often. If something or someone is transfigured it means they are transformed into something more beautiful or special than they were before. The sky becomes transfigured at sunset and sunrise. It goes from being a plain sky to being more beautiful and special. This happens to Jesus. The Bible says Jesus began to shine brighter and whiter than anything the disciples had ever seen before. This made them afraid. Can you make a face like you are afraid to look at something super bright? (squint your eyes or cover them with your hand and give the kids time to respond)
When this happened to Jesus Peter tried to make sense of what was happening. He thought the best thing to do was to build some shelter so they could all hang out for awhile, but in reality Peter had no idea what was going on. He was really confused, what do you look like when you are confused? (model confusion and let the kids respond with their faces).
God however wanted the disciples to know one thing. The reason Jesus was transfigured to be so bright was for them to see Jesus was special. God wanted the disciples to listen to Jesus and this amazing moment was to help them understand Jesus was worth listening too. That Jesus spoke for God. But OH BOY were there lots of mixed emotions happening in this moment. Let’s go through our faces again. They were shocked (make your amazed face) They were afraid (make your bright face) and everyone was a little confused (make your confused face). But this was just one moment, so let’s put those faces together (make some combination of all the faces *the funnier the better* encourage the kids to make a funny combination face too).
There was a lot going on for the disciples but the whole time they just needed to learn to listen to Jesus. Let us say a prayer together to help us listen more.
Amazing God, Help us listen when we are shocked, when we are afraid, and when we are confused. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
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The Immediate Word, February 14, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
