SERMON NOTES FOR FEBRUARY 15, 2015

Glimpses of Glory

Mark 9:2-12 Pastor Robyn Hogue Skyline Presbyterian Church

I thought my heart would skip a beat I was so excited. I was sixteen at the time. It was a magic moment. We all held hands around the campfire. The wooden cross stood out against a moonlit sky. The waves of the lake seemed to beat against the shore in perfect time with the music. Our hearts were united as we sang chorus after chorus. Our pastor led us in prayer. We added our own prayers. No one wanted to leave the campfire. The moment was just too perfect. I felt as if I had, at that very moment, a glimpse of God’s glory. I wanted to stay beside that campfire forever!

Many of you have had a similar experience. I am certainly not the only person to have had a powerful religious experience at a church camp. And such experiences are not confined to camp. Sometimes we experience an overpowering moment in worship. The music is majestic. The sermon or song or testimony is inspiring. We feel the very presence of God in our midst. “It is good to be here,” we think to ourselves. “We have glimpsed God’s glory. If only we could stay here for a while!”

We have those experiences when we are alone as well. Those times with God seem charged with an aura of excitement. We can feel God’s presence within the room. There is holiness and mystery in the air. God seems so close we feel we could almost reach out and touch God. “It is good to be here.” If only we could stay here all day!

Mountain-top experiences is what we usually call such moments. Mountain-top experiences. We get this expression from Mark’s Gospel in which Jesus took the leadership trio of disciples, Peter and James and John, to a high mountain. These disciples were to have a mountain-top experience with Jesus. The event comes precisely at the center of Mark’s Gospel. And this is no accident. Mark crafted his Gospel to emphasize what comes before and what comes after this mountain-top experience.

On the mountain Jesus was transfigured before the disciples’ eyes. His garments glistened with intense whiteness. Then there appeared beside Jesus two of the main characters from the Old Testament. There was Moses, the lawgiver, and Elijah, the prophet. It is not difficult to read the symbolism of this powerful event. The law and the prophets form the major portion of God’s word to God’s people. Now here stood the lawgiver and the prophet in the company of Jesus. The disciples, if they had their wits about them at all, could only conclude that Jesus was the One who had come to fulfill both the law and the prophets. They could only conclude that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

However, Mark tells us their main reaction was fear. They didn’t know what to say. Peter (naturally it would be Peter) thought they should say something. “Master,” he said, “it is good to be here.” We’ve had our own experiences of glory. We get it. We know something of what Peter experienced. We too have wanted to remain in that glory. Peter continued. “... let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah” (Mark 9:5b). The previous words we’d heard from Peter were words of rebuke. He rebuked Jesus for His announcement that Jesus must suffer and die. Peter didn’t want anything to do with that! Peter didn’t want anything to do with the cross…But the glory... Ah, that was different. Peter loved the glory. Peter got a glimpse of God’s glory and he wanted it to last forever.

Jesus’ mission was confirmed in this transfiguration story. God’s voice was heard, “This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him.” As Jesus and His disciples descend from the mountaintop Jesus tells them that He must suffer. It is part of His mission.

But how shall we follow such a call to suffering discipleship? What can give us the courage to risk for the sake of others? What can motivate us to serve others above self? The answer is clear. We have had a glimpse of God’s glory. We have been to the mountaintop. At Bible camps in worship services and in other times as well, we have glimpsed God’s glory. Jesus Christ has beaten back all those forces that would snuff out our human life. Jesus Christ rose from the grave as victor over the forces of evil and death. His victory is our victory. His triumph is our triumph. His resurrection glory is our glory. We have, indeed, glimpsed God’s glory. “It is good to be here,” we say when God’s glory enfolds us. “It is good to be here,” we say when we catch a glimpse of the reality that Christ’s victory is our victory as well. Jesus lives. We, too, shall live. We could bask in the glory of this forever.

But Jesus will not let us remain forever in those moments. He would not let Peter and James and John build booths on the mountain of transfiguration. Neither will He let us live for mountain-top experiences. “Come with Me down from the mountain,” Jesus says to us. “Deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow Me. Let the moments of glory be your inspiration for years of service in this world. Life in your neighborhood is not lived on the mountaintop. Life in this world is lived mostly on the plains and in the valleys. This world can be a better place to live. You can make it so. Your neighbor’s life can be lifted. You can make it so. The light of My victory over the principalities and powers of evil and death can shine upon others. You can make it so.”

“But, Jesus, it is good that we are here.” That was the response of Peter and the disciples on the mountain of Christ’s transfiguration. We too would like to build a booth and stay there.

Jesus Christ has something more in store for us. He calls us down from the glory. He invites us to take up the cross. When we take up our cross, Jesus says to us: “It is good that you are here.” Jesus sees us giving of our lives for our neighbors. Jesus sees us bearing witness to His resurrection hope. Jesus sees the service we offer in the ordinary flow of daily life. “It is good that you are here,” Jesus says to us. “It is good that you are here…for through you others may glimpse My glory.”