Transfiguration Marks of the Christian Life Prayer
Transfiguration Sunday
This festival of the Church is in all of the Gospels except for John. Our Lord had been saying things to the disciples and then it says in Luke 9 , " And ...about eight days after these sayings He took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray..."
He had fed the crowd---the miracle of feeding the 5,000. Then he asked the disciples, " Who do you say that I am?" After Peter got it right, " The Christ of God" He told them , " The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day." vs. 22
vs. 23, " If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."
Then He took them up to the mountain. Have you ever been on top of a mountain? You can get a picture of the whole area. There is a place near my old home in Monterey, CA called Jack's peak, that you can drive up to. It allows you to see the whole Monterey Bay, the Naval Postgraduate School, and even Pebble Beach.
On this Church Festival of the Transfiguration let us go to the mountain to pray with our Lord. We live in a time of hurry and hurry up and wait. It is a time of ignorance of the spiritual truths that we must know if we are to live in this world . We cannot get them from a lot of people. We can get them from the Church, the Bible and of course of our own prayers and pray time as we focus on what God is asking of us.
We may want to add this as one of the Marks of a Christian, now we have 7. Loyalty, Freedom, Generosity, Patience, ( Courage and Humility to come). I would add reflection on God's ways....prayer, meditation and letting God talk to us. So often we tell God what we want, but forget to ask Him, what does He want?
The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.
C.S. Lewis in sermonillustrations.com
It is possible to live our lives without God but they are not lives that are either pleasing to Him or lives that will lead us to our home in heaven. How often do we pray? Do we pray at all? Prayer slows us down to be able to hear what God is saying to us. Jesus took His disciples up to the mountain to pray.
Know I. The Reality of His presence
He took them up to the mount. He doesn't leave us by ourselves. Romans 8 last week gave us the comfort that He does foreknow all things, and He calls us to know that if we love God all things work together for good in our lives, even the disappointments and the heartaches. " He called, and whom He called, them He also justified, them He also glorified."
The call of God comes to us, and He takes us for His own, justifying us by the blood of His Son. If we have truly responded in faith to that call, then we are assured of His presence.
This is two sides of a coin. If we are those whom the Lord has called, then we will respond in faith. It is God's call, but we respond. John 6:37- " the one who comes to Me, I will by no means cast out." Matthew 11:28-" Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
What is going on in our lives right now? Can we leave what we are doing to get a greater vision of what is really going on in God's will and Word for us? Someday it will all make sense to us. Along the road we need to know that He does not leave us.
II. Let us be reassured of the beauty of His person
vs. 29, " And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistering" Matthew 17:2 " He was transfigured (metamorpho- changed)before them, and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was as white as the light."
He is God's Son. " This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; Hear ye Him."
Peter said 2 Peter 1:16 " we were eyewitnesses of His majesty" and as we have Peter's confession Mt 16 :16, " Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" reaffirmed in our lives, we too have a rock that God builds into His Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Who do you say that I am? Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God!
The Collect for day encourages us to draw away to know this beauty in our torn world,"
O GOD, who on the mount didst reveal to chosen witnesses thine only-begotten Son wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistering; Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may be permitted to behold the King in His beauty..."
III. Lastly, let us be reassured of the nearness of His message
Matthew 17:6 " And when the disciples heard it ( the voice of God out of the cloud...), they fell on their face, and were sore afraid." What did Jesus then do? VS 7 says " And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid."
What are you struggling with right now? We as Christians have problems too. Can you imagine how would feel if Jesus touched you? We build up walls to not let people in ...sometimes for good reasons, yet Jesus touches us as our Protector and Lord, and says, " It will be o.k. I am here! Arise , and do not be afraid. And this is a new beginning for us.
Conclusion: Christians are human. They need God's direction and Holy Spirit every day. As we go on this spiritual journey together, we are not going alone. On this mountaintop today, we see Jesus only. He is here. He is the eternal Son of the living God. As Peter said, "we have the prophetic word made more sure, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."
One of the marks of a Christian is that He, or she listens to God in prayer.
As C S Lewis reminded us,
The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in."
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son , and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."
Rev. David D. Mc Millan-Vicar
This festival of the Church is in all of the Gospels except for John. Our Lord had been saying things to the disciples and then it says in Luke 9 , " And ...about eight days after these sayings He took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray..."
He had fed the crowd---the miracle of feeding the 5,000. Then he asked the disciples, " Who do you say that I am?" After Peter got it right, " The Christ of God" He told them , " The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day." vs. 22
vs. 23, " If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."
Then He took them up to the mountain. Have you ever been on top of a mountain? You can get a picture of the whole area. There is a place near my old home in Monterey, CA called Jack's peak, that you can drive up to. It allows you to see the whole Monterey Bay, the Naval Postgraduate School, and even Pebble Beach.
On this Church Festival of the Transfiguration let us go to the mountain to pray with our Lord. We live in a time of hurry and hurry up and wait. It is a time of ignorance of the spiritual truths that we must know if we are to live in this world . We cannot get them from a lot of people. We can get them from the Church, the Bible and of course of our own prayers and pray time as we focus on what God is asking of us.
We may want to add this as one of the Marks of a Christian, now we have 7. Loyalty, Freedom, Generosity, Patience, ( Courage and Humility to come). I would add reflection on God's ways....prayer, meditation and letting God talk to us. So often we tell God what we want, but forget to ask Him, what does He want?
The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.
C.S. Lewis in sermonillustrations.com
It is possible to live our lives without God but they are not lives that are either pleasing to Him or lives that will lead us to our home in heaven. How often do we pray? Do we pray at all? Prayer slows us down to be able to hear what God is saying to us. Jesus took His disciples up to the mountain to pray.
Know I. The Reality of His presence
He took them up to the mount. He doesn't leave us by ourselves. Romans 8 last week gave us the comfort that He does foreknow all things, and He calls us to know that if we love God all things work together for good in our lives, even the disappointments and the heartaches. " He called, and whom He called, them He also justified, them He also glorified."
The call of God comes to us, and He takes us for His own, justifying us by the blood of His Son. If we have truly responded in faith to that call, then we are assured of His presence.
This is two sides of a coin. If we are those whom the Lord has called, then we will respond in faith. It is God's call, but we respond. John 6:37- " the one who comes to Me, I will by no means cast out." Matthew 11:28-" Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
What is going on in our lives right now? Can we leave what we are doing to get a greater vision of what is really going on in God's will and Word for us? Someday it will all make sense to us. Along the road we need to know that He does not leave us.
II. Let us be reassured of the beauty of His person
vs. 29, " And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistering" Matthew 17:2 " He was transfigured (metamorpho- changed)before them, and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was as white as the light."
He is God's Son. " This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; Hear ye Him."
Peter said 2 Peter 1:16 " we were eyewitnesses of His majesty" and as we have Peter's confession Mt 16 :16, " Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" reaffirmed in our lives, we too have a rock that God builds into His Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Who do you say that I am? Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God!
The Collect for day encourages us to draw away to know this beauty in our torn world,"
O GOD, who on the mount didst reveal to chosen witnesses thine only-begotten Son wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistering; Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may be permitted to behold the King in His beauty..."
III. Lastly, let us be reassured of the nearness of His message
Matthew 17:6 " And when the disciples heard it ( the voice of God out of the cloud...), they fell on their face, and were sore afraid." What did Jesus then do? VS 7 says " And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid."
What are you struggling with right now? We as Christians have problems too. Can you imagine how would feel if Jesus touched you? We build up walls to not let people in ...sometimes for good reasons, yet Jesus touches us as our Protector and Lord, and says, " It will be o.k. I am here! Arise , and do not be afraid. And this is a new beginning for us.
Conclusion: Christians are human. They need God's direction and Holy Spirit every day. As we go on this spiritual journey together, we are not going alone. On this mountaintop today, we see Jesus only. He is here. He is the eternal Son of the living God. As Peter said, "we have the prophetic word made more sure, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."
One of the marks of a Christian is that He, or she listens to God in prayer.
As C S Lewis reminded us,
The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in."
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son , and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."
Rev. David D. Mc Millan-Vicar
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