Climb
Every Mountain
A
Sermon by Brent J. Eelman
February
11, 2018 (Transfiguration of the Lord)
Wyoming
Valley Presbyterian Church
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, 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.
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.
Mountain climbing is growing in
popularity. An estimated 4-6 million
Americans participate in this adventurous sport in some way or another. Some pursue it in a manner that involves
intensive training, including physical and technical training in ropes, safety,
and other techniques. Others just enjoy
ascending mountains using well-worn trails.
Some pursue it as a solitary activity, practiced alone or with one or
two other individuals. For others it is a social occasion. The goal is to get to the top, and if not to
the top, at least to a higher geographical plane. Why? Because one gets a broader view of the
world—an exhilarating vision of God’s creation.
The story of the Transfiguration of
Jesus is a mountain climbing adventure.
· It is the context for a pivotal event
in God’s relationship with God’s people.
· It is the story of the
Transfiguration is the dramatic turning point in the gospel.
· This event confirmed Jesus as the
son of God: “This is my son, my chosen, listen to him!”
· Last, it affirmed Christ’s calling
as a suffering servant: “The Son of Man must go to Jerusalem and suffer”.
This morning, I want to examine the
transfiguration in terms of the human desire to climb mountains. First: why do we climb mountains? Second: what do we discover when we get to
the top? Third: Christ invites us to
climb a mountain with him.
I
Why
do we climb mountains? Why do we spend time, money and
effort to get to the top of geographical structures?
· There are more civilized choices!
· You can’t live up there.
· You can’t drive up there.
· There is no cell phone reception
there.
· You won’t find a Starbucks there.
Maybe this is why we climb
mountains. Our soul desires
solitude. We need to be away from the
beeps, buzzes, voices and other noise that is part of daily life. We need interior time: time inside our
selves: time with our souls. We desire a
Sabbath: a rest or respite from the usual.
We need to be alone with God. We
need the nurture of silence. We need a
healing view of the world. We are so
caught up in the rocks, pebbles and bumps of everyday life, we need to see life
from the mountaintop.
This is the primary reason why we
climb mountains. The view is
awesome! Climbing a mountain gives us a
panoramic view. We are able to see the
larger picture. Things that loomed so
large when we were near them, now appear as minuscule specks, (if we can see
them at all). We climb mountains,
because we desire a better view. We
need these panoramic views of life and reality.
We need to see the bigger picture.
This is why the generals of past
generations would send scouts to the mountains.
They needed a larger view of the battlefield terrain. We, too, need a larger view because life has
a way of ensnarling us in gummy details and sticky webs. Perceiving and understanding the bigger
picture affords us a moment of transcendence from the tyranny of the superflous
and unimportant.
II
What
do we discover when we get to the top? If we knew what we were going to see when we
climbed mountains, it would not be a compelling pursuit. We have an idea of what we are going to
see. We have an idea of what we are
going to experience, but climbing to the top of a mountain always holds an
element of surprise, a moment of sudden insight, an experience we did not
expect. Did James, John, and Peter know?
I suspect they had an idea that something important awaited, but
what?
What do we discover when we get to
the top? It may be a moment of self-discovery.
“I did it!” The program Outward Bound, is an outdoors experience
intended for adolescents who are troubled or having a difficult time in
life. They are challenged by tasks
related to mountaineering that push them physically, but more importantly the
tasks challenge them to discover themselves, their gifts, and also their
shortcomings.
What do we discover when we get to
the top? It may be an experience that cannot be replicated, (the
transfiguration was such an experience).
Peter thought that he should build a monument to capture the experience
forever, but there are some experiences that can only reside in our memory.
I remember climbing a mountain with
Karen at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico. We
took an intermediate trail and there were times when I was a bit frightened,
wondering if we bit off more than we could chew. We eventually got to the top, exhausted. I remember sitting there, catching my breath
and looking around. I was moved by the
intensity of the silence. I could hear
myself breath, and then I heard this strange pumping sound in the air…. It was
an eagle flying overhead…. I could hear the air move as it flapped its
wings. An amazing moment! But it was not a “Kodak moment”. But no photograph could ever fully capture our
experience, and yet it is burned into my very being. We climb mountains because we are not exactly
sure what awaits us at the top, but we know it could be awesome and life
changing.
III
Jesus
invites us to climb a mountain with the other disciples, Peter, James, and
John. It is curious that Mark never tells us the
name of the mountain they ascended. I am
sure that there was a mountain, but I also believe that Mark had an additional
intent. This was also a figurative mountain, a mountain that exists in the
human spirit, a challenging mountain that holds a promise for each of us who
summon the moral courage to ascend it. Mark
was challenging his readers to climb with Christ.
On Wednesday, we enter the season of
Lent. Traditionally this is a time of
introspection: a time to look at ourselves, who we are and what we need to
change in our lives. It is a time for
recommitment to discipline, (which is the same word as disciple). It is a time for journeying with Christ.
One of the songs that we sing during
this season is “Jesus Walked that Lonesome Valley.” It is an African-American spiritual that
profoundly addresses the journey of the soul.
But before we walk that valley, Christ invites us to the
mountaintop. He invites to climb the
mountain with Peter, James and John and see what they saw; experience what they
experienced. He invites us into a more
intimate relationship with God. Moses
experienced this. Elijah experienced
this. Jesus invited his disciples to
experience this. Jesus invites us.
· He invites us to experience the
presence of God as we enter the cloud that brings clarity.
· He invites us to experience life in
its larger context, a panoramic mountain top view of reality.
· He invites us to experience the
exhilaration and the exhaustion of the mountain of spirit.
· He invites us to understand and to
share his suffering as he turns his head and journeys to Jerusalem and the
cross.
· He invites us to join his disciples
and climb the mountain.
· He invites us to discover that there
are other mountains to climb in our lives.
· He invites us to broaden our vision
and to cast our blinders to the wind.
Jesus walked the valleys of life…
but those valleys exist only because there are mountains. Christ also invites his disciples, (you and
me), to climb the mountain with him and experience with him, the awesome
presence of God. This is the Good
News. Amen.
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