Second Sunday of Lent

Second Sunday of Lent
March 12, 2006

"I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore... because you obeyed my command.” (Genesis 22). "... He was transfigured before them..." (Mark 9:2-10)

Abraham, in obedience to Yahweh, takes his son up to a mountain prepared to sacrifice him but at the last minute is given a reprieve. He is rewarded for this obedience with a promise that he is founding a great multitude of descendents in faith. This story represents the childhood of our religious development when we conceived of God as someone to be placated with sacrifice (human and otherwise). It is impossible now to imagine such a capricious and bloodthirsty God who would ask this of us, or we even considering such an act. The Scriptures often tell us that God wants the gift of our devotion, love and trust, not sacrifice. Our obedience takes the form of acceptance of those otherwise unavoidable people, situations and events which bring pain and suffering into our lives. Rather than unthinking obedience to a capricious "will of God", perhaps we are "tested" by how we receive in faith the challenges of the unpredictable and catastrophic. We, just as Abraham, sometimes are asked to sacrifice what is most precious to us. His willingness to do so created the same opportunity for us his people

Jesus and three of his disciples go up on a mountain where they receive a vision of him in dazzling white garments. The details of the story were not lost on the early Christians. They see the prophet Moses and Elijah talking with them. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets. They are enveloped by a cloud and hear God expressing delight and favor with Jesus. The cloud of divine presence on this mountain would have reminded them of how Yahweh appeared to Abraham and Moses. Jesus' words and deeds will have the same divine authority as did the patriarchs of old.

Peter, impulsively as usual, wants to camp out and make this wonderful moment permanent. But just as quickly the vision disappears and they are back down off the mountain into daily reality once more. Much like some of our own religious or mystical experiences, they may have wondered if it really even happened. Was it just a dream? Can we trust such fleeting and out of the ordinary experiences? Would people think we are crazy if we told them? The disciples were reluctant to talk about this experience because they were not sure what "rising from the dead" meant. What a strange and hopelessly hopeful idea. No wonder they did not know what to make of it. Neither do we even after all these centuries of faith. Nevertheless Easter and the Resurrection to a new kind of life will soon be upon us. Jesus' Transfiguration on the mountain and in the cloud reveals something about how we will all be changed.