Sunday 15th February – Vision New
The transfiguration of Jesus
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4 Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. ‘Get up,’ he said. ‘Don’t be afraid.’ 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, ‘Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 “Why have we fasted,” they say,
“and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?”
‘Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarrelling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 ‘Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter –
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: here am I.
Extra readings for Transfiguration Sunday
- Exodus 24:12-18 Moses on the mountain with God
- 2 Peter 1:16-21 Listen to us – we saw Christ’s glory
Looking back, I think it has been vision that has constantly led Leanne and I into the next steps of living this Christian life. Not so much our vision of ourselves and how we think life should be; and not vision only around personal success, but vision from the Holy Spirit through God’s Word among his people.
What’s the vision? Loving the Lord with all our soul, strength and heart and using the gifts he gives to serve others wherever he leads as we head toward total new life in the final resurrection. This vision has tested us. This vision has carried us.
That is what God’s clear and shared vision provides: affirmation as his loved person and then clarity on what your purpose. Together these give more ability to get through all the challenges that always come.
Any leader in anything, be it in business, farming, education, parenting, community or church will tell you vision gives people more courage and foresight to deal with whatever comes – especially when it is not only your vision, but what you sense the Lord’s vision is for the time.
So, in this local church we believe the Lord wants to see his love coming to life in more and more people in this region through all his people, including us. That is our vision.
The way we are called to go about it is to do all we can share the love and hope Jesus in as many ways as possible. That is our mission.
I think that this extraordinary event up on that hill is at least in part about the giving of vision – the Lord’s vision that will sustain a group of flawed and often fearful humans in all that will come.
I see grace. The Father knows these three fellows and all their current and future compatriots are going to need a vision moment to get through all the tough moments ahead. For them it is close. They will be heading down the mountain with Jesus to a very dark Jerusalem.
And maybe Jesus the Son himself needs this vision reaffirmed too. He is human.
What is your vision for your life? Why are you sacrificing what you are sacrificing? What do you want to see with all of your heart? How does the vision come?
God gives vision through his words. Here, it is those golden words of security and affirmation, even spoken for everyone to hear – even more golden …
‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.
This is like Dad looking you in the eye and giving you a firm handshake and an affirming nod or even giving you a hug with a pat on the back saying, “Love you, Son”. Or even better, saying those words across a full room for all to hear. Gold…
When he hears these words of his Father, surely Jesus’ heart flashes back to that baptism day down at the Jordan a couple of years before. Same words said.
Vision begins with words of affirmation of who you. It then moves to show you what you are here to do.
Moses knows this. Remember that one-on-one time in the glory cloud with the Lord on the mountain when he was gifted those 10 community shaping commandments by the Lord’s own hand?
12 The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.’ (Exodus 24:12)
Moses is reaffirmed as God’s man. And so, he can carry on his purpose with a gift of God in his arms.
Elijah knows all about this too. When he is exhausted and filled with doubt as he runs from a violent King Ahaz and Queen Jezebel, he ends up on that same mountain of Moses.
Vision for him comes via different words and means.
- For Moses it was a burning bush or water from the rock just in time, or the glory cloud filling the Tabernacle and the mountain with God’s words set in stone.
- For Elijah it is some hot cakes and water and three days of sleep while the Lord keeps watch over him before allowing the rested prophet to catch a glimpse of his power and purity in the cleft of rocks by a still quiet voice.
- For King Solomon it is that same glory cloud filling the newly built Jerusalem temple and audible words of blessing. For Balaam it is a talking donkey!
- Now it is Jesus’ turn to be re-affirmed, ministered to and prepared for his purpose… by words and shared fellowship with greats who get it.
If you lack vision at the moment one thing seems true. He will find a way to get it to you!
He has to find a way because of our faulty ears and wandering heart.
Vision seems to leak out of us! Instead of glowing the with the love and affirmation of our heavenly Father that makes us strong and courageous, resilient and loving, we so easily be like those three on the hill – scared to death and a little self-absorbed!
The Father tells us where to go ad who to turn to and find vision again.
Listen to him!’
Vision comes by hearing Jesus words. Sure identity and clear purpose follow.
Peter agrees. Peter was there. About a decade on he writes something down about this moment in his pastoral letter.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty. (2 Peter 1: 16)
In other words, “We are not making this stuff up!”. We saw and heard the vision of God’s magnificent light and life that is ours.
17 He [Jesus] received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’[a] 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
It is clear as a bell. Listening to his words is the source of vision and purpose and a life faithfully lived all the way to the end, no matter the struggle, suffering and sin.
This is because his words are not like my words. They are light. I can only reflect his light. He is the light for truly seeing.
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
Holy Spirit, rise in our hearts!
Down by your Jordan you rose out of the water like that morning star by the power of the Bright Morning Star.
You have been named and claimed in love by the Father. Your identity was gifted. You were adopted into the holy family of God and named Son, Daughter. Loved.
You were also given your purpose. To be a person who speaks God’s word of life into others and prays their words to God for them – a priest in the holy priesthood of all believers in Christ.
You were called to listen to this Jesus and speak this Jesus all your days in all aspects of life, until the end of your earthly life when the joy of the vision fulfilled will be ours – the joy of a fully revealed new creation.
That is the vision of our whole life
- A world being transformed one person at a time by the light of this crucified and resurrected Son of God now alive and ruling in grace:
- A church colonising this old world with seeds of the new one already begun until the new earth and city and garden are fully flourishing by the light of the face of God – Jesus!
I know, it is easy to doubt Jesus’ words and make up your own identity and purpose and create all sorts of vision for your life.
The Psalm writer knows this. He asks God:
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god. (Psalm 24:3-4)
Tim Keller gets it:
All money, talent, health, power and pleasure in the world are God’s. but the greatest treasure he gives is his presence; his ‘face’. To know his presence (seek his face) is to ascend a hill, and doing so is always a struggle. You must repent, seeking a clear conscience. You must know your idols and reject them, and you must wrestle in prayer to seek God’s face, as did Jacob, who said [in his river Jabbok experience], “I will not let you go unless you bless me (Genesis 32:26). (Tim Keller, My Rock: My Refuge, February 11)
I think he is right.
Acknowledging before the Lord that I chase my own visions of who I am and what I do and deliberately laying those down to seek God’s vision of who I and what my calling is a right response to his grace.
Enjoying that clear conscience before him and asking, seeking, praying for his direction on what I need to do next is how we live in his beautiful resurrection new creation vision for us all.
This can take a while. It takes some application and intent. It can feel like a wrestle in the dark.
But as it was for Jesus and the three others on this mountain and was for Jacob in the Jabbok, and Moses and Elijah, the light eventually dawns.
The words are spoken to you:
This is my son/daughter whom I love. Listen to him/her!”
We are renewed and we are stronger and more able to do our priestly work:
Listening to Jesus and taking him to the streets.
Listening to the streets and taking them to Jesus.
Baptised, loved follower of Jesus, do this work. Seek the vision. You can, without the fear of peter and the others.
Here is how he responded to the scared, unaware and unholy few that day …
[Jesus] touched them. ‘Get up,’ he said. ‘Don’t be afraid.’
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