Rev. Rachel Lewis Cooley
“Hearts Broken Open, Melted, Transformed”
Vista La Mesa Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), La Mesa, CA
February 11, 2024
Psalm 50: 1-6
1 The mighty one, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.
3 Our God comes and does not keep silent;
before him is a devouring fire
and a mighty tempest all around him.
4 He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge. Selah
Mark 9: 2-9
2 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, 3 and his clothes became dazzling bright, such as no one on earth could brighten them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
9 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.
Prayer
And now will you pray with me and for me as I ask that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart will be faithful and pleasing to the Living God. Amen.
This week, I’m grateful for all the Sunday school teachers and pastors and family and friends – fellow Christians – who taught me the stories, and instilled in me a curiosity to read & study more, to wonder about the stories & their meaning for our world now, to imagine about the characters, and to begin to theologize together. Thanks be to God.
Transfiguration. What a word. That’s what this Sunday is, transfiguration Sunday. I’m not sure that was even on my radar till recently. And right before Lent. Hmm, I wonder. Perhaps it’s like we need to glimpse the transformation that is possible, glimpse the truth that God’s kindom breaks in, before we go into deeper, scarier, difficult places acknowledging grief, betrayal, struggle… which ultimately lead us to healing.
I’ve really wondered about this sermon, y’all. And I didn’t want to write another essay, of sorts. See, I got pretty good at writing essays in all my higher ed and it kind of just flows out of me. But I wanted to talk to you more today. Talk with you. I’m grateful to get to know you, and honored you’ve invited me in a bit. … so I also didn’t print out copies today, because I’m partially seeing where Spirit moves us in this moment.
So here’s what I wonder, and what I feel called to share about these scriptures. Mark 9, the transfiguration. Smack dab in the middle of Mark’s gospel, right after Jesus asks the disciples “who do you say that I am?” and Peter answers “You are the Messiah / Christ.” And then Jesus began to teach them, for the first time, that the Son of Man (and woman & nonbinary folks btw) will “be rejected by the elders, chief priests & legal experts, and be killed, and then, after three days, rise from the dead.” “he said this plainly” it says. And the commentary was sure to point out that calling these “passion predictions” misses that they’re also “resurrection predictions.” Each & every time. And Peter has scolded him! Took hold of him. Surely these men were good friends, and Peter’s like dude, you can’t just walk into your death! And I don’t want to do that either!
Metemorphothe.
Open & melting to the truth. What’s in front of us? How are we part of a larger community? What is most important to us about why we gather, and what might be important to others who would join in?
The truth is that God’s kindom is at hand. It breaks in here and now. It’s also true that sometimes that terrifies us.