Matthew 17:1-9
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Six days later begs the question… what happened six days earlier? Well, six days earlier Peter declared that Jesus was the Messiah! The Son of the Living God! Then… almost immediately… he turned around and told Jesus “God Forbid you go to Jerusalem! Jerusalem will kill you!” Peter gets slammed for that, but you know what? He was right. Jesus was the Messiah AND, (spoiler alert for Good Friday)… when Jesus went to Jerusalem he got killed! Peter was RIGHT… TWICE!
AND for being right… not once, but twice… Peter got put on administrative leave. Told a retreat might help him reel it in, bring down the volume, move him off the edge, stop him always causing a ruckus. The very fortunate thing here is that Peter had Jesus for his boss and Jesus knew that Peter had only caused a ruckus because he CARED SO VERY deeply and passionately about what they were doing. With every fiber of Peter's body, he believed he had been called to fish for people… by the Messiah. That call PROFOUNDLY MATTERED to Peter. So when it looked to Peter like everyone had lost the plot to the very story he had dedicated his life to living… yeah… he couldn’t just go along to get along. He caused a ruckus!
One thing the story of the Transfiguration shows us is how Jesus took care of Peter when Peter’s world suddenly stopped making sense to him. He didn’t sideline Peter or push him out. Instead, Jesus grabbed a couple of the guys, James and John, and took Peter up a mountain… together! When our world stops making sense, Jesus is showing us it gets more tolerable in the company of others. In that way, this story becomes a parable. Jesus showing us how to be in the world when someone is having a hard time. Jesus shows us, you grab a couple of friends, and surround them with compassion.
So off they went as a foursome! They could have played 18 holes together, had a poker night, put together a band, or, my personal favorite… sat down for wings and beer. They chose to walk up a mountain… you know… to each their own! But what mattered most was that they went together…. as friends… and as St. Bette of Midler reminds us… “You gotta have friends! Ya, gotta get you some of them!”
But wait! There’s more! Because what happens next? Jesus gets all shiny? Yes, but what else happens? Two more friends show up for Peter… Elijah and Moses. Yes, they had been dead for a very long time, and some might think that get in the way, but apparently it was not enough of a problem to keep them from showing up! Because there they were!
Now, the down-side to Moses and Elijah showing up was that golf was now off the table as a possible group activity, but I think that’s okay because what them showing up GIVES US is a reminder that there are always many, Many, MANY more friends out there ready and able to show up for us than we might ever be able to imagine. Including… the Saints.
Growing up Lutheran, my understanding of “praying to Saints” was that people did that who had been taught they were unworthy to pray directly to God or Jesus. They needed a go-between. Someone less dirty to pass on a message. For a Lutheran that’s nonsense! We are justified by grace through faith! Worthy, simply and only because God, in Baptism says, “you are worthy” and when God says something, it comes into being! Therefore like many a Lutheran, I threw ALL the Saints out with my Baptismal bathwater! They might be good historical roll models, but that was it.
But I’ve come to see, that WASN’T it, nor was it the genuine Lutheran position on Saints. While it’s true we don’t need anyone to carry a message for us, we can still ask a Saint to show up for us when we need a friend, in the same way we can ask one another to show up for us when we need a friend. We can also still ask a Saint to pray for us, in the same way we can ask each other to pray for us, because in the asking for presence… or prayer… or both… we are reminded that we are not alone. As St. Bette of Midler reminds us, “I had some friends, but they’re gone. Something came and took them away.” But I am here to tell you that those who have gone before us are still right here among us, granted, in some mysterious way I don’t fully understand. But they are there “from the dusk to the dawn”… a great cloud of witnesses… the communion of Saints.
This parable reminds us this life is not meant to be done alone. Peter had friends… both among the living and among the dead. You and I… we too have friends… both among the living and among the dead.… right here... all around us! Look around! See them! Those among the living and those who surround us now only in spirit. These are your friends. A great cloud of witnesses. The communion of saints... gathered here to give you the compassion you need when the world is dark and making no sense. Look! See them with your eyes... with your heart... with your spirit... with your soul. See them... they are here for you. Transfigured and shining like the sun. Amen.
