Last Sunday after the Epiphany-Year C

Last Sunday after the Epiphany-Year C March 3, 2019 Throughout this whole season after the Epiphany, Rev Aimee and I have been intentional about weaving a consistent theme through our sermons. For 8 weeks, we have shared personal stories in connection with the scripture readings for the day to illustrate the ways that each of us have been transformed by the manifestation of God in our lives and in our world. In doing this, it has been our hope that we would be modeling this for you, helping you to look at your own lives to be aware of the points in your faith and in your life when you, also, have been transformed by encounters with God, so that you can articulate those moments of transformation—for that is the true call of a disciple of Jesus. We are called to be open to encounters with God, to keep our eyes open; we are called to continue to be transformed by the grace of God more and more into the image and likeness of Christ. And we are called to share that story of good news, of our good news with the world (or at least with the people we come into contact with). Today, in our gospel reading, we have the culmination of the revelation of God’s glory through the person of Jesus Christ in Luke’s account of the transfiguration. Jesus has taken his three most trusted disciples up the mountain. Notice that in Luke’s gospel, the purpose of this special excursion is for them to pray. And Luke tells us that while Jesus is praying, he becomes transfigured. (Now, I haven’t had much time to research this this week, so don’t quote me on this. But I believe the Greek word that is translated as transfigured here can also be translated as transformed. So what’s the difference? We use “transfigure” in this instance to show that Jesus is transformed or changed in outward appearance but still recognizable. We see this at work in all of Jesus’s appearances after his resurrection. Those who see him initially don’t recognize him but then they do.) Luke then points out that although the disciples have been “weighed down with sleep” since they stayed awake, they are able to see Jesus’s glory and to witness this incredible event. As Peter offers to help build shelter for Jesus, Elijah, and Moses, a cloud overtakes them all and God’s voice says (presumably to the disciples): “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” Here’s what strikes me in this. This whole event only happens because Jesus and the disciples are engaged together in prayer. Prayer is the catalyst for transformation/transfiguration. Even though the disciples are “weighed down with sleep” they stay awake, and they persist in their prayer and because of that God not only allows them to be witnesses but God also speaks directly to them words of direction and affirmation for the coming days of hardship as Jesus will head down the mountain and set his face toward Jerusalem where he will be crucified. We cannot ever underestimate the importance of prayer in our faith lives—it is what creates space within us for God to transform us. And that might seem like a lot of pressure for us until we remember that the apostle Paul reminds us that we pray as a response to the prayer of the Holy Spirit already at work within us. In Romans 8:26-27 he writes: “ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” Think about what he is saying here! Prayer is already happening in us through the Holy Spirit’s power and initiative. We just have to make space to respond. When I was a Junior in college, I studied abroad, and I decided that I was going to come back from my semester with the answer to the question of whether or not God was calling me to be a priest. (I think I’ve shared this with y’all before.) So I prayed the same prayer-“Lord, if you are calling me to be a priest, please, let me know”-all throughout England and Europe until I’m not sure I was even expecting an answer any more. I kept praying out of sheer habit and doggedness because I needed an answer. And one day, out of the blue when I was least expecting it, God answered me, and in that moment, I was transformed not just in my own understanding of my vocation but in my whole understanding of my relationship with God. So now, we’re going to do something different. I want you to break up into pairs of two. You can get up and move around or you can stay with the person you are sitting closest to. In these pairs, you’re going to do two things. First you’re going to talk about a time when you have been transformed by prayer. It can be private prayer. It can be corporate prayer—like a church service, encountering God in the sacraments, like Eucharist. But I want you to share with one person a time when you have been transformed by prayer. And if you can’t share that, that’s ok too. Acknowledge that and speculate on why that is and what ways you might be more intentionally awake or open to how the Holy Spirit is already praying in and through you. And then the second thing (and don’t freak out about this) is for each of you in the pair to pray for the other out loud. Now really, don’t freak out—I can look at you and tell you’re freaking out, because I’m about to tell you how to do this, and I promise it won’t be hard. Go ahead and move to where you are going, and I’ll give you further instruction. So, first thing is to talk about how you have been transformed (or not) through prayer. I’m only going to give you 7 minutes to do this, so make sure that you allow enough time for both of you to share and pray.i. Then second, you’re going to pray for each other. You can do this however you want to do this, but if you are freaking out, here’s a really easy way to do this. First, ask one another what you want the person to have you pray for. Pay attention to the words they use and what they are asking for. Then as you pray, address God. It can be as simple as saying: “Dear God…” Then ask God for what the person has asked you to pray for. And say amen. If you have extra time, reflect with your conversation partner on how that felt to be the one praying for someone in their hearing and how that felt to be the one prayed for. When your time is up, I’ll invite us to proceed with the Nicene Creed. You’ve got this. i. The idea to break into pairs and pray for each other came from David Lose's post for this Sunday on Working Preacher in 2013. I have adapted it somewhat for my local context.