Sermon for the Transfiguration of Our Lord
What to Look for and Expect in Worship
Theme: God your heavenly Father does not fail to give you what you so deeply
need in worship—even if you personally feel like you might not have gotten it.
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus
Christ! In today’s Gospel, Peter was thrilled to be there with Jesus in the
warmth and light of the Transfiguration. Peter wanted to make the sensation
last for as long as possible: “Master, it is good that we are here!” Yet even
“as he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them.” Suddenly
the worship service was no longer warm and welcoming. It was a little chilly,
somewhat darker or drearier than it seemed like the worship of Christ should
have been, “and they were afraid.”
What did God the Father succeed in doing during the worship service in today’s
Gospel? He certainly did not manage to live up to the expectations Peter
brought to church that day. Peter liked the brightness and the light, and he
wanted more of it. God gave Him the cloud and the darkness and the
less-than-beautiful Jesus (Isaiah 53:2). Setting aside His congregation’s
feelings, expectations and desires, God our heavenly Father did the one and
only thing He wants to do in any worship service: He focused the congregation’s
attention on Jesus. Even more to the point, He focused the congregation’s
attention on Jesus’ WORDS. Where Jesus’ WORDS are, there Jesus also is. “‘This
is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him.’ And when the voice had spoken, Jesus
was found alone.”
Dear Christian friends,
Think about the various expectations and desires a person might have when he or
she comes to worship here with us:
· One person might come here looking for a sense of comfort and peace,
especially after a week or month of contention and strife;
· Another person might come here looking for relief from their burden of
guilt or their constant sorrow;
· Another person might want to be energized by worship, in order have
strength to face the serious challenges of the week ahead;
· Another person might want a sense of belonging or inclusion or
membership in a community;
· Another might be seeking a sense of purpose or fulfillment in life;
· Another, a shoulder to cry on;
· Yet another person might simply want to feel as though he or she has
had a chance to be with God for a while.
Please do not misunderstand me: I am not speaking negatively about any of the
expectations or desires that people might bring with them to worship. Each of
these things is truly a good reason to come to worship—nearly as good as God’s
command itself, that we remember the Sabbath day. I really do not mind what you
motivations are for coming, so long as your motivations succeed in bringing you
here. In all of world, there is nothing more essential for our life and well
being than what happens to us here in this room. There is only reason I have
offered you these examples of expectations and desires people might bring to
worship. I want to show you how easy it is to feel disappointed by what they
find here. Think of it from their point of view:
· One person comes here looking for comfort and peace, and what do they
get? Words. Words written out on bulletins and read back and forth between
pastor and people.
· Another person looks for relief from guilt or sorrow, and what do they
get? Words. A guy that does not even know them tells them he forgives them all
their sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
· Another person wants to be energized to face the challenges of the week
ahead. What do they get? Words—many of where are the same as the words they
heard last week.
· Another person might want a sense of belonging or inclusion or
membership in a community; another seeks a sense of purpose or fulfillment in
life; another, just a shoulder to cry on. All these different needs are met
with one and the same response: Words.
· Others might simply want to feel as though they have been with God for
a while. You guessed it. They get words, just like everyone else.
In today’s Gospel, God our heavenly Father gives two pictures of worship to His
dear child Peter. The first picture of worship is the worship service that
measures up to everything Peter could ever expect and desire it would be.
As he [Jesus] was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his
clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him,
Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he
was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. … And as the men were parting from him,
Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three
tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”— not knowing what he
said.
But then God shatters this picture for Peter. God replaces this first,
thrilling picture of worship with a second picture, a picture that does not
come anywhere close to what Peter might expect and desire. God did not waste
any time changing scenes, either:
As he [Peter] was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and
they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud,
saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” And when the voice had
spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those
days anything of what they had seen.
You can probably agree with me that God our heavenly Father made no
mistakes in this Gospel. Knowing Peter even better than Peter knows Peter;
knowing even better than Peter what Peter needs, the Father set aside His
congregation’s expectations and desires in order to do the one and only thing
He wants to do in any worship service: the Father focused the congregation’s
eyes on Jesus, His Son. More to the point, our heavenly Father focused Peter’s
attention on Jesus WORDS: “Listen to Him!”
Think of this analogy: A person might go to his or her doctor and say, “Doctor,
I do not feel well. I need thus-and-such medication.” But the doctor, after a
careful examination, will respond, “No, you do not need thus-and-such
medication. You need this other medication instead.”
Or another analogy: A child might say to his mother, “I need a doughnut for
breakfast.” The mother, knowing her child better than the child can imagine,
responds, “No, you do not need a doughnut. You need an egg.”
You tell me: were the expectations and desires of the patient and the
child invalid or unreal, simply because their desires were not filled in the
manner expected? Of course not. Both the patient and the child each have
someone who knows them and who cares for them and who will lovingly provide
what is truly needed—even at the risk of making patient or child feel
disappointed. In either case, the gift given far exceeds the gift hoped for.
So it is with God your heavenly Father, who says personally to you, “I
have called you by name, you are Mine” (Isaiah 43:1). If you who are earthly
fathers “know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:9)
He knows your expectations and desires for worship just as well as He knew
Peter’s in today’s Gospel. God has packaged into Words everything you need to
bear your burden and to face your struggle. In the Words of Jesus—spoken to
you, poured out for you, or served into your mouth—in the Words of Jesus God
delivers to you health and strength and forgiveness and life. “This is my Son,
my Chosen One; listen to HIM!”
So come keep coming to worship, dear saints, and keep bringing your
expectations and desires. In all of world, there is nothing more essential for
our life than what happens to us here in this room.
· Do you seek peace? Jesus miraculously delivers His peace to you through
His Words. He does this in the Benediction every Sunday: “… the Lord look upon
you with favor and give you peace.” Trust that you have it, even if you do not
feel peaceful within yourself. “Listen to Him.”
· Do you seek relief from guilt? Jesus miraculously delivers His
forgiveness to you in the absolution every Sunday. All your sins are forgiven.
Trust that they are forgiven, even if you should continue to feel guilty.
“Listen to Him.”
· Do you seek strength for the coming week? Jesus miraculously delivers
His strength to you in His Words and in His Holy Communion every Sunday, “This
is My body… this is My blood,” and in the Holy Communion “we are taking about
the presence of the Living Christ, knowing that death no longer has dominion
over Him” (AP X). If Jesus can handle death and the grave, He can certainly
handle your boss, clients and coworkers. “Listen to Him.”
· Do you seek inclusion or membership in a community? Jesus reaffirms His
promise and commitment to you with the invocation every Sunday, where He
returns you to your Baptismal adoption “in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In this miracle, you receive a gracious Father, a
watchful older Brother, and a countless household of family members who rejoice
when you rejoice and grieve when you grieve. Stated another way, in your
Baptism Jesus has given you many shoulders upon which you may lean or weep.
“Listen to Him.”
What is it that you seek? What do you wish to receive from worship? Peter
wanted the brightness and the light. God gave Him the cloud and the
less-than-beautiful Jesus (Isaiah 53:2). Setting aside His congregation’s
perceived expectations and desires, our heavenly Father focused the
congregation’s eyes on Jesus, and specifically, on Jesus’ WORDS. Where Jesus’
WORDS are, there Jesus also is. “‘This is My Son, My Chosen One. Listen to Him;
Listen to Him.” God your heavenly Father wants you to know in today’s Gospel
that listening to Jesus is what worship is all about—no matter what your need.
Listening to Jesus is where you truly receive the benefits of God and the
fulfillment of your every need—including those needs that might not feel very
fulfilled even after you have listened to Jesus.
The peace of God which passes all understanding guard your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
___________________________________________________________________________
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