The Hope of Faith

• My first sermon, maybe 18 years ago, was on the Transfiguration… I imagined the incarnation as putting on a pair of cold wet jeans… and the Transfiguration as a sudden burst of warmth and light, a divine “attaboy”. Must’ve felt great.

Supreme affirmation that Jesus is Lord, the divine Son of God.

• The Transfiguration also reminds us of Moses (the mountain, the shining, the cloud, the voice, not to mention Moses appears!)

Moses delivered the people from bondage, slavery.
Jesus would deliver the people from bondage in sin, for all time.

Moses delivered the Law, outlining God’s system of forgiveness and reconciliation in sacrifice.
Jesus fulfilled the Law, sacrificing himself for the forgiveness and reconciliation of all.

• Talking with someone about what can we First UMC do about drugs and this person expressed his remorse that because he doesn’t have it all together he can’t help lead transformation. (Do you ever feel that way? You gotta achieve a certain level of with-it before you can serve?)

Yet Peter not all together as we’ve just seen and today Transfiguration.

Who does transformation depend on?
Not Peter. Not my faithfulness / with-it.
Depends on God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
My job: show up and cling to Christ.

• Mitch Albom Have A Little Faith, (2009) includes story of Henry Covington, a drug addict/dealer turned pastor in Detroit…
Transformation is possible. It is the hope of faith.

Similar story last week at District Conference, a drug addict / dealer who interacted with one of our pastors who shared gospel, that former addict is now serving a church in our Western District.

• The hope of faith is that in Jesus and like Jesus real and amazing transformation can take place. That real deliverance from bondage to sin can take place. That instead of “Yes, God, it’s me… again… with the same old same old…” newness.

Hope of faith that radical change is possible can happen in self, in church, in city.

• Hope of faith to be like Christ. We share in the baptism of Christ, receiving the death of our sinful selves. We receive new life in the Transfiguration and we look to hope of resurrection.

• Cling to Christ. Represent.

• Hymn 371 I Stand Amazed in the Presence

Matthew 17:1-13 Common English Bible (CEB)

17 Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them to the top of a very high mountain. ² He was transformed in front of them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.

 ³ Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. ⁴ Peter reacted to all of this by saying to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good that we’re here. If you want, I’ll make three shrines: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

 ⁵ While he was still speaking, look, a bright cloud overshadowed them. A voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son whom I dearly love. I am very pleased with him. Listen to him!” ⁶ Hearing this, the disciples fell on their faces, filled with awe.

⁷ But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” ⁸ When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anybody about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

¹⁰ The disciples asked, “Then why do the legal experts say that Elijah must first come?”

¹¹ Jesus responded, “Elijah does come first and will restore all things. ¹² In fact, I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they didn’t know him. But they did to him whatever they wanted. In the same way the Son of Man is also going to suffer at their hands.” ¹³ Then the disciples realized he was telling them about John the Baptist.