Preparing for Worship February 19.

This week:  Tending Our Own Light

Scripture Readings:

Mark 9:2-10

²Six 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, ³and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. ⁵Then 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.” ⁶He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” ⁸Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

⁹As 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. ¹⁰So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean.

Psalm 112

¹Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord, who greatly delight in his commandments.

²Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

³Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.

⁴They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.

⁵It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice.

⁶For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever.

⁷They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.

⁸Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

⁹They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor.

¹⁰The wicked see it and are angry; they gnash their teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.

We are at the end of a series of sermons preached in Epiphany in which Alan shared how he has opened himself up to other religious traditions and let them teach him: Islam, Buddhism, and that collection of spiritually we categorize “New Age.” Last week it was  on Social Media, which is not strictly a “religion” but which does offer community and support in ways the church should, and perhaps once did. We finish this week with Tending Your Own Light. Different people have a different “Lights.”
The reading for Sunday is the account of the transfiguration of Jesus as it found it the Gospel of Mark: 9:2-10.
Jesus is revealed in light, the disciples see and are overwhelmed, and then told to listen to him. One of my colleagues invites preachers, and I think the invitation is for all of us, to be honest about the dark places in our lives that need light. For me, that light has been the light of Christ – or the light that has come to me from others in whom I have seen Christ, or the Spirit of the Risen Christ, at work. (David Lose at workingpreacher.org)

Another writer goes the other direction, quoting William Blake “If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man [sic.] as it is, infinite. For man [sic.] has closed himself up, till he [sic.] sees all things through narrow chinks of his [sic.] cavern.” Marriage of Heaven and Hell. The Pew Center reports that 50% of mainstream Christians claim to have experienced moments of self-transcendence, characteristic of mystical experiences. (Bruce Epperley at Process and Faith Lectionary Commentary.)

So how is it with you? Do you respond to light and you have seen or power you have felt? Or do you need such light and power to help you?
Or does neither of those speak to you? Read the passage from Mark and spend some time with it. What do you hear or see or feel as you read it? What questions do you have? What connections do you make to your life? How do you keep the light alive in your life when it seems to flicker out?

Alan