Transfiguration of the Lord, Year B

Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. 3 The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent." 4 Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here; for the LORD has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. 5 The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be silent." 6 Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." 10 He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not." 11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. (2 Kings 2.1-12 NRSV)

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. (Mark 9.2-9 NRSV)

“GLOWING”

Glowing objects get our attention. That is because things don’t normally glow. It is unusual, a rare occurrence, and when it does happen we notice. There are things in nature that we expect to glow—the sun, the moon, fire. But there are all sorts of things we don’t expect to glow. Some of this glowing can be dangerous. My father did not like objects that glowed in the dark. The reason was that he knew about an incident involving a group of women who became known as the “Radium Girls”, the women who worked for the United States Radium Corporation at the factory in Orange, New Jersey, from 1917 to 1926. They painted a radioactive mixture on watch dials so they could be read at night. To get the fine points they needed on the paintbrushes, they licked the tips. In doing so, they ingested the radioactive material. Many became ill, some died. Dad knew that there could be danger behind a glowing light, even one glowing softly in a corner.
On the other hand, glowing things can be spectacular and powerful. A few years ago, I was near La Crosse when I noticed something in the sky. It was a bright white light in the winter night sky. At first I thought it was an airplane or helicopter, but it wasn’t moving. It wasn’t the moon; it was about 25 times bigger and it was in the north. Clouds around it hid it and yet couldn’t hide it. It was a glimpse of a spectacular world beyond daily life and routine. It was amazing to behold. Glowing things can also be comforting, just ask any two-year-old about his or her nightlight.
The Gospel reading is of the event called the Transfiguration. Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain. There, his appearance changed. His clothes became dazzling white. They could not help but notice this. Elijah and Moses also appeared and Peter said that they would make dwellings for them. But they were not needed. They were not going to stay on the mountain, but before they left, a cloud overshadowed them and a voice declared that Jesus was the beloved Son and they should listen to him. Then it was all over and they went down from the mountain.
The reading from the Old Testament is of the time that Elijah was taken up into heaven. Before that, Elijah and his disciple Elisha were traveling together. It was already known that the Lord was going to take Elijah away. The company of prophets reminded Elisha about it, but he didn’t want to hear that. There was a second leg of the journey and still Elisha did not leave Elijah. And a third leg and after a miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, the time drew near. Elijah asked Elisha what he could do for him. What he asked for was twice as much presence of the Holy Spirit to be on him as was on Elijah, the great prophet. A chariot of fire separated them and a whirlwind took him into heaven. This glorious scene has changed Elisha.
As we have heard these past few weeks from the Gospel readings, the picture of who Jesus is has been emerging gradually. He is the one sent with the message that the kingdom of heaven is coming near. He is the one who teaches as one with authority to cast out evil. He is the one who heals, restoring others to service. Now, we see part of his glory and hear that he is the Son. All this tells us he is no ordinary man. We should listen to him, we are told. Likewise, the prophet Elisha is someone the people of Israel should heed. He is not an ordinary man but has been given twice the presence of the Holy Spirit that was with his master.
Through the years artists have depicted the special men and women of God with light. Many of the saints, especially Jesus, have been portrayed with light coming from them, especially from their faces or heads. This is to show their special nature or holiness. It is right to honor them, to tell us something about them. But the emphasis in the texts is not on their appearance, as spectacular as that is. It is in the word that they give us from God. It is not in how they look, it is in what they do, what they say, and what we should do. The prophets have the Holy Spirit on them to do so. Jesus is not only the Son of God, he is the Son of God we should listen to. The appearance of these figures is not just to be displayed; it is to guide us in how we live. We should not merely look, we should hear. We should believe.

We have the word to help us. It shines like the lighthouse on the rocky shore to warn us of danger. The words of the prophets have done that throughout history. It is also like the light of the rescuer bringing us to safety. Sometimes, before we hear that word, we need to see who it is who is bringing it to us. Marilyn Morgan Helleberg writes about how seeing Jesus led to an inner change in the most difficult year of her life. In the midst of overwhelming pain she spent a few days at a spiritual retreat center. One of the advisers, suggested that she close her eyes and imagine how it would feel to have Jesus pick her up and hold you close. She tried but could not do it. But in the dining room were pictures of Jesus, in many different expressions. She saw a simple pencil drawing of Jesus with his face half-buried in the soft wool of a little lamb that he snuggled between his cheek and shoulder. It spoke to her of her need for someone to care for her and of Jesus as the one who could do that. She heard him whisper assurances of his love for her. That was the beginning of her healing.

We see the glory of God in Jesus. His appearance shows us that. It is a sign to us that Jesus is greater than anything we have known or can imagine. We have seen him as healer, but this is more. This tells us about who he is, the Son of God. This is more that what he does. The reaction to that vision is to cling to him in faith. Fay Angus tells this story of the time her daughter, age eight, was at the PTA’s annual school Christmas party. Fay had prepared the star-shaped piñata. Her daughter was too shy to participate, despite encouragement, and Fay thought that she would get some candy for her when it was knocked down. What her daughter got after it was all over was the star. She clutched it to her heart and left the candy and trinkets for the others. Faith looks beyond the gifts we receive to see the giver. When we see Jesus we see the glory of God.

On the mountain top, Jesus became bright, brighter than anything on earth could make him. This reminds us that he is unique, heavenly, special. And as if that was not enough, the voice came from the cloud telling us who Jesus is. Part of this we already know; he is a healer, teacher, guide. Glowing things get our attention. The light directs our eyes toward Jesus. We are directed to see him again. We are directed to listen. He is more than we thought he was. He is the Son, the Savior, the Risen One. His light among us is not to frighten; it is not a danger. It is a guide and comfort, so that we will find in him what both we need and will find the greatest good, the glory of God. It is so that we will look beyond the light. Then we will see who he is and believe.

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