Last Sunday After Epiphany, February 15, 2015

Collect for the Day

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Reflections: Life can be brutal. The disciples were fortunate, though. They carried the Transfiguration—however unconsciously—into their experience of the Passion. It allowed them to put the horror into a larger context, to wrestle divine significance out of the meaningless events. We, too, are shepherded through dark valleys by the long history of the faith of the church, the Communion of Saints, and our own parish family. But most especially, we are nourished resting in God. That is contemplative prayer. This season, St. Luke’s offers us many opportunities to cultivate that stillness. 

First Lesson: 2 Kings 2:1-12 (13-14)

Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent."

Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here; for the LORD has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be silent."

Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not." As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven.  

Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. (He picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen off him, and went back and stood on the shore of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen off Elijah, hit the water with it, and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he hit the water, it divided and Elisha crossed over.)

In the icon to the right, you see Elijah in a chariot drawn by four winged horses in the red roundel; Elisha is to the right, his hands touching his master’s mantle. The Jordan river is just visible below. At the bottom left, an angel ministers to a prone Elijah. At the top left, Christ’s hand reaches out of the Divine Light in blessing. 

Reflections: Isn’t Elisha’s behavior interesting? He shushes the people who tell him Elijah is about to depart; he declines Elijah’s every invitation to stop along the way, to see to his own comfort. But Elisha knows this is a holy time, and is determined not to abandon the journey. Elisha subordinates everything to following Elijah, so that he may put on Elijah’s mantle—which means to become his master’s spiritual heir, to continue to carry out his master’s vocation.

          In a similar way, we become the spiritual heir of our master when, in the words of St. Paul, we “put on Christ” in baptism. We are called to live out his vocation, to take on his mission, to become his heart, hands, and feet in our daily lives.

Psalm 50:1-6 Deus deorum

The LORD, the God of gods, has spoken; * he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, * God reveals himself in glory.
Our God will come and will not keep silence; *
     before him there is a consuming flame, and round about him a raging storm.

He calls the heavens and the earth from above * to witness the judgment of his people.

"Gather before me my loyal followers, * those who have made a covenant with me and sealed it with sacrifice."
Let the heavens declare the rightness of his cause; * for God himself is judge. 

Epistle: 2 Corinthians 4: (2) 3-6

(We . . . not behaving with deceptiveness or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth, we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God.) Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

Reflections: St. Paul is defending the gospel against critics who have come into the community later, claiming to have the “real” story. Such was the challenge faced by many early Christians—whose teaching do you follow? Who is the legitimate inheritor of the teacher’s blessing? History shows us that this challenge is faced by adherents of all religions and all movements in all times. It is at the center of the crises in Islam right now.

          St. Paul defends his gospel as one of openness, with no hidden teachings. Yet, it is not easily understood by everyone—hence the charge that it is “veiled.” And we all know that not everyone understands or accepts the gospel. While some of us, in fact, grew up in the church, others of us did not, and the teaching—like it is for so many people today—was opaque to us.

          Perhaps now more than any other time, we are in need of the gospel. The world is full of distractions and dangers, and we are anxious, overstretched, out of time, and easily preoccupied. It takes time and quiet for the gospel to penetrate our hearts. Perhaps this Lent is a good time to ask ourselves what “gods of this world” blind our minds and hearts.  

Gospel: Mark 9:2-9

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

In this beautiful Russian icon, Elijah (on the left) and Moses (on the right, holding the book of the Law) flank Christ on the mountain peak. The light of God emanates from Christ’s person; this is the same light that appears in the top left corner of the Elijah icon, a light of such blinding brilliance that it is dark to our eyes. Rays of this divine light are illumine the disciples below: Peter, John, and James.

Reflections: Peter is overwhelmed. He suggests monumentalizing the experience by constructing a booth, like the booths built in the wilderness during the Feast of Succoth. (In fact, Mtr Karen said, it is quite possible that the Transfiguration event took place during the time of that festival—making Peter’s suggestion a religious response to the encounter).

          The Transfiguration, however, couldn’t be comprehended by an already existing piety. It was something new; it was revelation. And revelation makes our religious responses foolish; there is only one appropriate response: “Listen!”

Sometimes we, too, are so overwhelmed by experience, or excitement, or enthusiasm, or disillusionment that we become possessed by what we think what we feel. Perhaps those are the most important times to heed the still small voice that calls us to listen.