First, in
the florists, candy, and greeting card calendar today is St. Valentine’s day. Valentine comes from the Latin word valens – worthy, strong, powerful.
Valentine was a popular name in late antiquity. Three St. Valentines are associated
with Rome and with February 14. St.
Valentine is connected with human love is in late medieval romance literature including
Geoffrey Chaucer in the late 1300’s. Another
connection with human love may come from the weather. Asheville and the Mediterranean are on the
same parallel. The worst of winter is over.
We have time for weddings before the prohibition of Lent.
Second, in the church calendar
this Last Sunday after Epiphany is one of the turning points in the church year.
The church year is an ellipse around the
fixed date of Christmas and the movable date of Easter. Next Wednesday Ash
Wednesday, then 40 days plus Sundays of Lent, Easter April 5, then 50 days
including Sundays of celebration until Pentecost, then 6 months until Advent
and Christmas. In the 1960’s a revision
of the Roman Catholic calendar assigned the Transfiguration gospel to the
Sunday before Lent, replacing three Sundays of Pre-Lent (Septuagesima,
Sexagesima, and Quinquegesima). Pre-Lent began about 550 with prayer that God
would spare Rome a spring raid by the Lombards. Once Charlemagne defeated the
Lombards in 775 people began to celebrate in Carnivals.
The
Transfiguration was a turning point in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus had been baptized
by John and tempted. He preached and healed, called the disciples and taught
them about God’s coming kingdom. The disciples, sent out with power and authority
to preach and heal, came back rejoicing. Jesus saw they were ready to enter
more fully into their calling. So one day when they were alone he asked them,
“Who do men say that I am?” They told them the many things they had heard people
say about him. Then Jesus asked them a question each one of us has to answer
for ourselves, “And who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the
Christ of God.” Jesus told them plainly, “The Son of Man must suffer many
things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and on the
3rd day be raised.” They didn’t understand. Even Peter rebuked
Jesus, “God forbid Lord; this shall never happen to you.” Jesus responded, “Get
behind me Satan.”
Then Jesus was called up the mountain,
and as he was praying his appearance changed and even his clothing became
dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appeared, Moses through whom God had given the
Law, the sign of the covenant, and Elijah the first of the prophets through
whom God had called Israel back to the glory of obedience, prophets through
whom God had worked many miracles. Moses
and Elijah spoke with Jesus about his death and resurrection God way to establish
his kingdom through his church forever.
From the cloud came the voice of God,
“This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him.” On Sinai God spoke in thunder and lightning to
the people of Israel. On the same mountain he spoke to Elijah in the still
small voice. We are not told what tone of voice God used at the
Transfiguration, but the disciples heard and obeyed. From the Transfiguration Jesus’ face was
resolutely set toward Jerusalem, toward death and resurrection. The
Transfiguration was a turning point in Jesus’ life and ministry.
Jesus’ death on the cross sets us free
from the power of sin. Jesus’ resurrection is our assurance of new life. In
baptism we are made members of the body of Christ and by the same Holy Spirit
who came on the disciples at Pentecost
we are given power to lead transfigured lives.
In Genesis we learn that we are made
in the image of God. But God’s image is marred by our willful separation from
God. We inherit from our first ancestors the desire to be like God. The story
of Adam, Eve, and the serpent is a parable of our wanting to be like God, and
of the bad consequences when we want to do it our way. Jesus’ death and resurrection make it
possible for us to be like God in his way.
Lent can be a time when we can focus
our spiritual attention on showing God’s image in us. The Transfiguration can be a turning point in
our lives as it was in the life of Jesus and his disciples, as it is remembered
in the church year. Let me end with some
questions.
What are your turning points? Have you come to the
place in your life where you are ready to make, or to make again, your own
covenant with Jesus, where you are ready to receive the love Jesus has for you
and commit your life to him in the fellowship of Jesus’ body the church? We all have to do that once, and then repeat
as needed.
Have you received his
love and committed your life to Jesus and now feel the call to move to new and
hard and active trust in his forgiveness and new life? Who do you need to
forgive? Who do you need to turn loose and trust to his love?
The penitential season of Lent offers
us opportunity for worship, fellowship, and study so we may grow in our new
life in Christ. Jesus and his disciples turned at the Transfiguration to death
and resurrection. May God grant us grace
to turn and turn again to him in worship, love, and service.
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