Climbing mountains

Sermon for Transfiguration Sunday 
Exodus 24:12-18 and Matthew 17:1-9

Climb Every Mountain

Pastor Samuel Vélez was a special pastor. One of the things that I remember fondly about him was that he liked to sing songs from musicals as church hymns. I remember singing a song from "Man of La Mancha"... “To dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe…” 

The other song he used was “Climb Every Mountain” from the Sound of Music. “A toda cumbre” in Spanish. We sang with a crescendo at the end… “Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, ‘Till you find your dream. 

Of course, this song is about following your path and your dreams and not being afraid. Mountains are often symbols of challenges and difficulties to conquer. When looking at images in the Internet or at self-help posters you can always find pictures of mountains with quotes like “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves”.

But… the mountains in these passages are not necessarily things to conquer. In fact, these ones might beg the question: Why would God or Jesus have to use mountains to relay a message that could have been said in the valley, near a warm fire or in a tent?

Up the Mountain We Go

But, as we know, mountains are special in Scripture. God seems to love mountains. 

• Mount Ararat: Noah's ark landed on it.
• Mount Sinai: Moses received the Ten Commandments.
• Mount Carmel: Elijah had his contest with the priests of Baal there.
• Mount Moriah: Where Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed.
• Mount Zion: David’s palace was there. 
• And... Matthew has Jesus do a sermon on the mount. 

So… mountains are places of encounter, of revelation, of worship, of education. Mountains are the places that God chooses to reveal God’s self in a most intimate fashion, as we see with the Exodus passage and God's conversations with Moses. 

Mountains are places where important things happen… so that should be our first indication in Matthew, that when “Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves” something special was going to happen.

Metamorphosis

In Matthew 16, Jesus has an interesting conversation with his disciples. He asks them “Who do people say the Son of Man is? Some of them replied “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” And then he asks “And what about you? Who do your say that I am?” Obviously, Simon Peter is the first one that jumps up and says: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. To this, Jesus responds by commending Peter for the understanding God has provided him. 

The problem is that when Jesus starts talking in the same chapter about his death and resurrection, the same Peter states “God forbid, Lord! This won’t happen to you!”, and Jesus responds “Get behind me, Satan”. Peter goes from being the rock upon which the church will be built, to the stone that could make Jesus stumble.

It seems that Peter and the other disciples do not yet understand who Jesus is. He was not just another exceptional human being, another prophet or another teacher among many. This is the Son of God and he will be able to save and redeem humanity precisely because of this.

Seems to me that Jesus had an agenda when he took his disciples to the mountain. They needed to see and to understand. They needed to understand fully who Jesus was to continue their way with the wisdom and the strength they needed.

They come up, and see Jesus with Moses and Elijah. No coincidence that these two very important people also had meetings with God in the mountains. 

This transfiguration or metamorphosis that occurs in the mountain reveals Jesus’ divine sonship. Everything that is happening is supernatural. If there are any doubts, there is a voice that the disciples hear that states: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”

It is interesting… the disciples had not necessarily fully understood what was happening, until that voice shook them to the core. Before that, they saw Jesus talking to two dead people and their idea was to build three shrines, one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. But when they hear the voice from the cloud they fell on their faces, filled with awe, and Jesus has to calm them down and tell them, basically… you can share this, but after the resurrection.  

Guacio… Holy Mountain… You Must Go Down

When we look at this passage, we usually focus on how Jesus is transformed. But in reality… this metamorphosis had, at its core, the transformation or metamorphosis of the disciples. 

They are still growing… if you see the passages after these one, you will find out that they cannot heal a boy. But when Jesus talks about his death and resurrection, Peter listens and stays quiet. He keeps on learning, knowing that the one he follows is different. 

They come down the mountain with a knowledge that they did not have before. They serve the Son of God… and if you see Peter and the other disciples in Acts, preaching with the power of the Holy Spirit… you know that their belief in Jesus is what moves them forward. 

The experience in the mountain changes them. They now can see who they will follow down the mountain. Their eyes are no longer on the mountain, but looking out, to what God wants them to do. There is a quote about mountains that states: “Climb mountains, not so the world can see you, but so that you can see the world.” Climb mountains, so that you can be transformed by God, and you can then transform others. 

Maryetta Madeline Anschutz shares this quote from C.S. Lewis when she looks at Matthew 17. This are the final words from Aslan in The Silver Chair: “Here on the mountain I have spoken clearly: I will not often do so down in Narnia. Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind. And the signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look, when you meet them there. There is why it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters.”

This reminds me of another memory from Puerto Rico. We have a Presbyterian Camp there that functions as our “Montreat”. It is in the mountains. Every time an event ends, we go to the highest spot of the camp, where you can see a river and all the green mountains that surround the camp. We sing and worship God. We rejoice in all that God has revealed… and then the main speaker says… now it is time to go down… and to share all that you have learn.

Climb mountains, brothers and sisters, not as an obstacle to conquer, or as a challenge. Climb with hearts and minds open to receive God’s revelations and to be transformed. Climb mountains, not so that the world can see you, but so that you can see the world that God has given you to share what you have learn. And go down, remembering the signs… and sharing them giving thanks. 

Anointed to See

This is the sermon for the 4th Sunday of Lent, based on 1 Samuel 16:1-13 and John 9:1-41

Vicks Vapor Rub

I grew up with the notion that there was a magical ointment that could cure everything. At school, we had a joke that the only thing that the school nurse needed to have in her first aid kit was some Vicks Vapor Rub. Apparently, it cured everything... from headaches to scraps and bruises. 

This was the substance of anointment of my youth, and it still an important part of dealing with colds and sinuses. To me, Vicks reminds me of health... but it also reminds me of my father, who seemed to be attached to Vicks as the father from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” was attached to Windex. He also used it for everything and apparently left this as another of his legacies for my life. 

So... this ointment will always remind me of my father, but also as a gift of health... even if my mother does not like it very much.

Anointments in two different stories

David's election as the next king of Israel, and Jesus healing a blind man seem like two different stories. The Lectionary presents them together, so we read them knowing that there are some connections. This time around, as I was reading them, they reminded me of anointment, even if one uses oil and the other uses mud and water. 

Anointment in Scripture has several meanings:

• Ordinary: Anointing with oil was a common practice. Could be used to smell good. Could also be used to protect from insects. It was also a mark of respect and welcome, like the woman that anointed Jesus with oil.
• Official: It was a rite of inauguration for prophets, priests and kings, like we see with King David. Sometimes inanimate objects, like altars dedicated to God, were anointed. 
• Ecclesiastical: This one could be more familiar to Christians, as I remember participating in worship services where people that were sick were anointed. This could be the case of Jesus using spit and mud to "anoint" the man who is blind and then sending him to Siloam to wash the mud out of his eyes.

In 1 Samuel,  God chooses a man to be King. This man has been invisible to all the others. He is the youngest. He is the weakest. He is only a shepherd. But the passage states that the one that receives the anointment may be invisible to others, but not invisible to God: “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Have no regard for his appearance or stature, because I haven’t selected him. God doesn’t look at things like humans do. Humans see only what is visible to the eyes, but the Lord sees into the heart.” 

In John's passage, we can also see an invisible man. A man who is blind. A man that was probably shunned as a sinner, as damaged goods. But Jesus sees the man, and looks at him so intently that the disciples start having a conversation about him. This man that is seen by Jesus is healed, is “anointed with mud and water”, and his sight is restored by the one who is the Light of the World. 

God sees and God makes us see

Even though it seems like these two instances of anointment are different in materials and in purpose, there are two things that connect them:

God sees: Anointment in both cases means that God sees. God sees the invisible ones. God sees the ones that are considered weak and powerless. God sees the ones that are considered sinners and unworthy. God sees and God anoints, announcing that God cares for those that the world has rejected because of their appearance or stature, because of the condition of their health or their disabilities: God doesn’t look at things like humans do. God sees into the heart. 

God gives sight: In the case of the blind man this is obvious. Jesus heals the blind man. He is able to see things that he has never seen. With David, is not as obvious. But imagine being called from looking after sheep and being told that you are going to be the King of Israel. Sometimes we don’t hear God’s voice calling. Sometimes we don’t see the path that God wants us to take. And then, there is a voice that calls you out because they see something that you don’t see. They see God's call into your life and invite you to discern that call. David could not see it... but God did... and God gave David a vision for an unexpected life, that turn him into the leader of God's people. And that still happens today.  

God sees us and gives us sight and signs. But what do we do with this anointment? What do we do with this sight and with the knowledge that God sees us and loves us and has chosen and restored us?

Let the works of God be revealed in you!

There are two interesting things in the story of Jesus and the man who is blind that might give us some answers to these question.

Jesus states that the man is blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. God’s work in this man's life reveals God’s providence and grace. This revelation is for the people around him and for the disciples. Granted that he does not understand it fully at first; the Pharisees do not understand, and the parents do not understand… but the man who is blind finally sees after Jesus explains he is the Son of Man. After hearing this great truth and light, the man who is no longer blind says “Lord I believe”, and then worshipped Jesus. God’s work of grace is revealed. The man believes, and the man worships. He becomes a sign of God’s grace and an invitation for others to ask the question about Jesus: "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" This event will be a story that will become an essential part of this man's life. Every time he opens his eyes, gratitude will fill his body like the light fills his eyes. That is amazing! God sees us and we receive sight so that we can reveal God’s work in our lives.  

The other thing in the story is that right after the man’s eyes are covered with mud, Jesus sends him to wash in the pool of Siloam (which means SENT). This man is restored. His life will never be the same because his life is God’s revelation. Therefore, he is marked and sent. Sent to share his witness. Sent to see others as he has been seen. Sent to see the invisible, the disabled, the rejected. He has been anointed and he has been sent to worship and give thanks for God’s grace all his life. God has seen him. His eyes can see. His heart can see. 

These two stories remind us of the grace that anoints our lives.  You are not alone. You are not invisible. You are not rejected. You are not unloved. God sees you. God chooses you. God is there for you. God gives you sight.  

With that sight, you are sent to see. You are sent to be a revelation of God’s works in you.  Go and worship. Go and see others that are invisible, rejected, unloved, alone, and share the witness of grace and love that you have been given. Don’t look like humans look. Look through God’s eyes, as one that has been anointed by God.

And as I said when doing the sending, and putting a drop of Vicks Vapor Rub on the hands of the people in the worship service: God sees you! Go and see!