Readings for The Feast of the Transfiguration:
Exodus 34:29-35; Luke 9:28-36
August 6, 2006
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino, CA
“Then from the cloud came a voice that said: This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” [Luke 9]
On August 6, 1945, the United States Army Air Forces dropped the nuclear bomb, “Little Boy”, on the city of Hiroshima, followed three days later by the bombing of Nagasaki. The nuclear explosion created a pillar of purple fire out of which came a giant mushroom cloud, 8.5 miles in height. The hot, radioactive cloud destroyed most of the city, along with its inhabitants. This first nuclear bombing (and its destruction of innocent civilians) has been the subject of much debate. In the United States, the prevailing view is that the nuclear bombings ended the war sooner than would have otherwise been the case. Proponents say that this bombing prevented an invasion that would have destroyed many more lives on both sides. In Japan and elsewhere, the general public tends to think that the bombings were unnecessary because preparation for a surrender was in progress in Tokyo at the time.
Both sides however, agree with this conclusion: It is a great tragedy that human beings cannot seem to find a way to live in peace with one another and have consistently relied on war and weapons of mass destruction to settle disputes. It is into this context of a fallen humanity that the Church celebrates the Feast of the Transfiguration on August 6th. Every seven years, August 6th falls on a Sunday. In the Episcopal Church, this means that this major feast day takes precedence over the normal Sunday lectionary readings. To be transfigured means to be transformed, changed, altered. A new being emerges. What I would like to talk about today is being changed into the likeness of Christ, a template of love and forgiveness, versus being destroyed by the darkness of fear and violence. I will use today’s readings from the books of Exodus and Luke as my texts.
Let’s start with the reading from Exodus: Moses has been on retreat, communicating with God about how the Israelites are to comport themselves as a holy people. We are told that he is by himself, on Mt. Sinai, “when the Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him.” [Ex. 34:5] When Moses finally comes down from the mountain, the skin of his face is shining and people are afraid to come near him. At first, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. But later he realizes that his own people are afraid of the bright light that emanates from his face.
In the gospels, Jesus experiences something similar. Jesus had taken a few of his closest disciples up to a mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face also changed. In that moment, Peter, James, and John saw Jesus in a very different light. Later, a cloud overshadows the disciples and they have another mystical experience where they hear a voice from the cloud: “This is my son, my Chosen; listen to him!”
So what is going on here and what are we to learn from this biblical witness? First of all, communicating with God causes a radical change in the appearance of both Jesus and Moses. Their relationship with God has such an impact on who they are as individuals, that they actually radiate light. This radiation of light is not unique to Jesus and Moses. There have been other reports, particularly from the East, of highly spiritually-evolved people emanating light from their countenance. More commonly however, we sometimes notice that people, who are in love or have a deep abiding relationship with God, radiate an energy that is perceptible and contagious. It seems that love changes them into a different person. If deep prayer and communication with God can transform a person’s appearance, imagine what it can do to transform our way of thinking and acting in a world that longs for peace. Imagine how different the situation in the Middle East might be today!
Some biblical writers use the image of a cloud to describe the active presence of God, although clearly, not all clouds contain God’s presence. Since God is spirit, it can often be difficult to describe the concept of God using words. Thus, the image of clouds, light, fire, earthquake, and silence are some of the ways biblical writers have communicated the great mystery of God, the Cloud of the Unknowing. God was in the cloud with the Israelites as they traveled through the Sinai desert. God was with the disciples in the cloud as it overshadowed them. The gospel of Mark describes the appearance of Christ as “coming with the clouds of heaven.” [Mk. 14:62]
Some clouds contain good news such as those carrying rain which water the earth, or protect us from the strong rays of the sun, or give us a quiet space where we can be alone with God. Other clouds can be dangerous such as the clouds of pollution that cover many large cities, clouds of dust that cause the desertification of northern Africa, or the mushroom clouds that result from detonating nuclear bombs. The kind of discernment that we need to engage in as Christians and as conscious human beings is, what kind of cloud do we want to enter into: That which transforms and gives life or that which destroys us?
Perhaps the nine most important words in the bible are found in today’s reading. These nine words are spoken from a cloud: “This is my son, my Chosen; listen to him!” Imagine how different this world would be if Christians were to take these nine words to heart. It would transform our decision making process, our diplomacy, and our efforts to reach out with resources before stress escalates into violence. Listening to Jesus would mean that we would work much harder in negotiating peace even if it meant risking our own lives and sacrificing our own standard of living. Whenever we value economic prosperity over innocent civilian lives, whenever we nurture feelings of revenge over forgiveness, we can be sure that we are not listening to the One whom we have promised to follow and obey.
From 1939-1945, the United States spent over 2 billion dollars on the Manhattan project. This project was dedicated to expediting research that would produce a viable atomic bomb. At that time, there was much difficulty in producing ample amounts of enriched uranium that would sustain a nuclear chain reaction. And so, the best, the brightest, the hardest working scientists were called upon to assist in solving this problem. Many left their families for years, sequestered in the desert, working night and day, seven days a week, trying to solve the problem. All that they had and all that they were, they offered to the Manhattan Project. They were successful.
Now just imagine for a moment what we could achieve today if our best and brightest were to offer “all that they have and all that they are” to find a solution to poverty, hunger, disease, injustice, and war! Is it possible? Yes! How? “This is my son, my Chosen; listen to him!”
| Updated 8/08/06 |
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