"Remember, Restore, Renew" Sermon Delivered on September 10, 2017 at Ainsworth United Church of Christ

"Remember, Restore, Renew"  Exodus 12:1-14

Exodus 12:1-14 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

12 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: ² This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. ³ Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. ⁴ If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. ⁵ Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. ⁶ You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. ⁷ They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. ⁸ They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ⁹ Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. ¹⁰ You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. ¹¹ This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. ¹² For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. ¹³ The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

¹⁴ This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

###

Building a community

Up until this time the people of Israel were a disheartened, beaten down, collection of discouraged individuals and families.  They were a people united by their common suffering under Pharaoh, but without a distinct identity or calling.  The scriptures tell us that they now lived under a ruler who did not know Joseph, their ancestor who had saved the country in its time of famine.  It is not hard to imagine that while the people heard the stories of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel and Leah and the promises of God’s love and abiding presence, they meant little more than quaint tales to be shared around the fire at night. The stories, and the God they talked about, had little reality for their daily lives, and little relevance to the challenges they faced.  The tasks for Moses and the people, were to unite as a people not only with a common past, but with a hope to guide and nourish them as they struggle for a better future.  Hope does not disappoint us says the apostle Paul many generations later.

Up until this chapter, Exodus has focused on the story of Moses: his birth, his initial encounter with the LORD, his reluctant acceptance of his call to be the Leader, the struggle with Pharaoh to free the people from slavery, and the plagues. It all leads to this climactic moment when God gives Moses specific instructions on how the Passover is to be observed. All of Exodus points to and centers on the Institution of the Passover and the liberation of the people.  The remembrance of this liberation is to be celebrated each spring and when the children ask,” What do you mean by this observance?” the elders are to share the story with the children and the people remembers, restores, and renew the covenant with their Liberating God.  The people who were once no people, remember they are God’s people. They restore the covenantal promises and commitments, and renew their fidelity to God and God’s way of liberation and justice.

Remember. Restore, Renew.

This Sunday is known as Faith Formation Sunday.  In our congregation, we start a new year of Sunday School instruction, and our youth embark on their confirmation journey.  Each year we commit ourselves to sharing the stories about our faith and accompanying our children and youth on their spiritual journeys. We do this not because we are bound by dead traditions, but because the Liberating God compels us to recall and invite others to join us along the paths of forming a liberating community of people who are compelled by a vision of the beloved community where those who mourn are comforted, the naked are clothed, the hungry are fed, the stranger welcomed, the prisoner is visited, the poor empowered, the sick healed, the thirsty given something to drink, the weak strengthened, and the oppressed set free.

So, when we hear the reluctance of the young and not so young to be present, we offer them not threats, but compelling testimonies in word and deed of what God has done in the past and is doing now.

When we are discouraged by not enough people willing to serve as teachers, assistants, commission members, we recall the prophet Isaiah who proclaimed to a weary people:

²⁸ Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
God does not faint or grow weary;
God’s understanding is unsearchable.
²⁹ God gives power to the faint,
    and strengthens the powerless.
³⁰ Even youths will faint and be weary,
    and the young will fall exhausted;
³¹ but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
    they shall walk and not faint.

Remember

The annual recollection of their liberation from slavery reminds the Jews that they are called by God from slavery to liberation. The English rabbi Morris Joseph asserted that "Passover affirms the great truth that liberty is the inalienable right of every human being." Elie Wiesel (Vizel), the Holocaust survivor writer, who dedicated his life and writing to making sure the world would never forget the Holocaust and fighting oppression everywhere, once wrote, "I marvel at the resilience of the Jewish people. Their best characteristic is their desire to remember. No other people has such an obsession with memory."

That memory empowers the oppressed to tell the story of their pain as well as their resistance.  To keep in their collective memory their God, their covenant, and their purpose.

Multiple times in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures the people are called to remember.

“Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, because the Lord brought you out from there by strength of hand; “(Exodus 13.3)

“Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. (Exodus 20.8)

“So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and you shall be holy to your God. (Numbers 15.40)

“Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; (Deuteronomy 5:15)

“do not be afraid of them. Just remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt,” (Deuteronomy 7:18).

“Remember the days of old, consider the years long past; ask your father, and he will inform you; your elders, and they will tell you.” (Deuteronomy 32:7).

On the first night of Passover, the youngest person at the table asks, The best-known quote from the Pesach Haggadah is, "why is this night different from all other nights?" This line is usually recited by the youngest person at the table.  And thus begins A retelling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt and the first Passover ( Pesach).

Restore

Restoration is the act “bringing back to a former position or condition” (Merriam-Webster). We restore furniture, cars, and, homes, because it is something to do and because there is something wonderful about objects in pristine condition.  For the people of God, we remember when things better, when our way of life were better, when the presence of God and justice were not a faint hope but a living reality.

After the destruction of the temple and the exile of people from the land, God’s people recalled a better time.

By the rivers of Babylon—
    there we sat down and there we wept
    when we remembered Zion.  (Psalm 137.1)

Now much of our dreams of a time when things were better, were simply that, dreams, or nightmares depending on where one stood.  I think of the mantra we hear today about “Make America Great Again”, and think that this mystical time that people recall and want to return to  were and are times of horror for those who were and are  oppressed: For those who were brought to this continent in chains, and kept in slavery and de jure and de facto oppression in the century and a half after legal slavery ended: for native people who land was stolen, people slaughtered, and language and culture decimated; for newer immigrants whose labor is exploited, and live in shadows and fear because of the threat of detention and deportation.

Yet if what we mean by restoration is a restoration of the dream of the beloved community; of the end of cynicism and the restoration of hope; the end of exploitation, and the restoration of the movement for justice, then let us restore our community, hope, and movement for justice.

Renew

“but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

As the people of God, we are called to renew our strength for the work of creating and living into God’s realm of love and justice.  This is long demanding work. Weariness, disappointments, and setbacks is part of the endeavor.  As the children of Israel grew weary those forty years in the wilderness and looked fondly on the days they were in slavery.  They became tired of that which they once marveled at, and saw the manna that God provided them each day and not comparable to the food they ate while they were in slavery.  In the book of Numbers we read:

“The riffraff among the people had a craving and soon they had the People of Israel whining, “Why can’t we have meat? We ate fish in Egypt—and got it free!—to say nothing of the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic. But nothing tastes good out here; all we get is manna, manna, manna.” (Numbers 11: 4-6 in The Message)

What they and we forget is the whole story. We forget the hardships and are tempted by the lure of comfort and illusion of power that the Empire waves before us.  Yet we must remain determine.

In his book Stride Toward Freedom, Martin Luther King writes about the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the struggle for justice that the black community engaged in for more than a year. People experienced many hardships in their struggle for justice.  Dr. King wrote about first day of the boycott:

I jumped in my car and for almost an hour I cruised down every major street...I saw no more than eight Negro passengers riding the buses. By this time I was jubilant. Instead of the 60 percent cooperation we had hoped for, it was becoming apparent that we had reached almost 100 percent. A miracle had taken place. The once dormant and quiescent Negro community was now fully awake

…The organization of transportation was an ingenious example of grassroots action at work. A plan for pick-up and drop-off spots plugged in volunteers to drive their own cars or donated ones, getting Black residents around the city.

Of course, a lot of people did a lot of walking--but it was with a sense of pride. As one elderly Black woman said, "Since I been walking, my feet are tired, but my soul's rested."

A reason for that campaign success was the mass organization of the people, and the commitment to a vision of justice. The nightly mass meetings informed and inspired the people: The peoples heart, soul, and spirits were renewed: “My feet are tired, but my soul’s rested”

Conclusion

We are embarking on a journey.  One which begins with excitement and anticipation, but will inevitably be met by discouragement and despair. We must remember who we are and whose we are, restore our vision of the beloved community, and renew our commitment to one another and to God.

Kaj Munk, was a Danish playwright and Lutheran pastor who was an early opponent to the German occupation of Denmark. His plays directly challenged the Nazi regime.  He preached against Danes who collaborated with the Germany.  He was arrested and killed by the 1944.  His words haunt and challenges us today:  He wrote:

"What is therefore our task today? Shall I answer: "Faith, hope, and love"? That sounds beautiful. But I would say -courage. No, even that is not challenging enough to be the whole truth. Our task today is recklessness. For what we Christians lack is not psychology or literature...we lack a holy rage-the recklessness which comes from the knowledge of God and humanity. The ability to rage when justice lies prostrate on the streets, and when the lie rages across the face of the earth...a holy anger about the things that are wrong in the world. To rage against the ravaging of God's earth, and the destruction of God's world. To rage when little children must die of hunger, when the tables of the rich are sagging with food. To rage at the senseless killing of so many, and against the madness of militaries. To rage at the lie that calls the threat of death and the strategy of destruction peace. To rage against complacency. To restlessly seek that recklessness that will challenge and seek to change human history until it conforms to the norms of the Kingdom of God. And remember the signs of the Christian Church have been the Lion, the Lamb, the Dove, and the Fish...but never the chameleon."

Prayer

Holy God, you call us to righteousness and light. Teach us the undivided law of love, that we may love your children even as you do, love you with all our will and strength, and find our freedom in this blessed service, taught to us in word and deed by Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Rev. Kathryn Matthews)

                                            OR

Collect of the Day (from Book of Common Prayer, 1979)

Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as

you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength,

so you never forsake those who make their boast of your

mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

© Cecil Charles Prescod 2017

Let Us Begin Again: Epiphany Proclamation 2017

                                                       

                                                    Ethiopian-Magi-Patrick-Comerford.jpg

In the first lesson for the Feast of Epiphany the prophet proclaims, "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you" (Isaiah 60:1 NRSV).  For those in the Northern hemisphere who must rise out of their beds in the early hours of the morning it may be difficult to affirm this insight.  Yet, if we are observant, we notice that it is lighter earlier this week than last week, and that next week the sun will rise earlier.  

For many the fussiness of Christmas is over, except for packing and storing Christmas decorations, the thank you notes for soon to be forgotten gifts that parents ask their children to write to distant relatives, and paying the bills that will arrive in January.  Yet, before we return to the humdrum of our ordinary lives, we are called to stop and behold the child.

The light has come.

Like the wise rulers we behold the infant and return to our worlds by a different route, intrigued and perplexed by our experience of beholding the divine in human flesh. However we soon realize that today does not look any different than yesterday, or a thousand yesterdays.  Torture, hunger, climate change, domestic violence, human trafficking, continue. Yet, we can not help but affirm the prophet's proclamation:

The light has come.

Perhaps it is because the incarnation reminds us that we are not alone.  The  struggle for justice and peace is a difficult one.  But we are not alone.


Dorothy Sayers wrote:

"That for whatever reason God chose to make man as he is - limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death - he had the honesty and courage to take His own medicine. Whatever game he is playing with His creation, He has kept His own rules and played fair. He can exact nothing from man that He has not exacted from himself. He has Himself gone through the whole of human experience, from the trivial irritations of family life and the cramping restrictions of hard work and lack of money to the worst horrors of pain and humiliation, defeat, despair, and death. When He was a man, He played the man. he was born in poverty and died in disgrace and thought it well worth it" ("The Greatest Drama Ever Staged: Is the Official Creed of Christendom", in Christian Letters To A Post-Christian World, published by Eerdmans. 1969).

God is with us.  Emmanuel.  The light has come.

And so we enter Epiphany and Ordinary time (from the Latin, tempus per annum, time through the year)  and are invited to accompany Jesus on a journey. As we journey we will encounter wonders, disappointments, miracles, and hardships. Yet we believe. 

God is with us. Emmanuel. The light has come.

Soon the season of Lent will be upon us.  We will examine our lives, priorities, hopes, and fears. Maybe we will experience metanoia, a radical change. God only knows. Yet we know we are not alone in this journey.  

We are with our community.  God is with us.  Emmanuel.  The light has come.

But, we should not rush ahead too quickly as we are culturally programmed to do. Instead, let us recall and reflect on an ancient practice of the church. 

Before personal electronic devices, before the printing press, before most people could read, Christian communities gathered on Epiphany  to hear the dates of the liturgical year, and to be reminded how to live, that is, by following Jesus who guides us on our journey.  "The Proclamation proclaims not only dates but the reality that our lives are to be lived in rhythm with and according to Jesus’ life." (Michael Marsh). This is called the "Epiphany Proclamation".  Today many churches are embracing this ancient practice.

The Rule of St. Benedict reminds us, "always we begin again."

We are with our community.  God is with us.  Emmanuel. The light has come.

Epiphany Proclamation 2017

Dear brothers and sisters,

the glory of the Lord has shone upon us,

and shall ever be manifest among us,

until the day of his return.

Through the rhythms of times and seasons

let us celebrate the mysteries of salvation.

Let us recall the year's culmination,

the Easter Triduum of the Lord:

his last supper, his crucifixion, his burial,

and his rising celebrated

between the evening of the Thirteenth day of April

and the evening of the Fifteenth day of April,

Easter Sunday being on the Sixteenth day of April.

Each Easter -- as on each Sunday --

the Holy Church makes present the great and saving deed

by which Christ has for ever conquered sin and death.

From Easter are reckoned all the days we keep holy.

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent,

will occur on the First day of March.

The Ascension of the Lord will be commemorated on 

Thursday, the Twenty-fifth day of May.

Pentecost, joyful conclusion of the season of Easter,

will be celebrated on the Fourth day of June.

And, this year the First Sunday of Advent will be 

on the Third day of December.

Likewise the pilgrim Church proclaims the passover of Christ

in the feasts of the holy Mother of God,

in the feasts of the Apostles and Saints,

and in the commemoration of the faithful departed.

To Jesus Christ, who was, who is, and who is to come,

Lord of time and history,

be endless praise, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Remembering Granddaddy: Fifty Years After His Death

For many years I could not figure out why I felt a heaviness around Christmas time. Later I realized that the death of my Granddaddy on December 28 when I was 11 shaped me in many ways.

Granddaddy was a presence of steadiness and fortitude.  I remember Granddaddy  eating shredded wheats and soft boiled eggs each morning.  I remember Granddaddy taking our dog Terry for a walk in the morning and late afternoon.  I remember going to St. James the Less Episcopal Church where Granddaddy was an dedicated member and pillar.  I remember looking at the faded newspaper article and picture of him turning over the ground  when the faithful began building the church. I remember Granddaddy standing in the kitchen telling me to always take care of my sisters.  I remember Granddaddy saying "I am an American citizen" when he wanted people to listen to his opinion.  I remember Granddaddy telling us his immigrant story from Barbados.

Gradually this proud and strong Barbadian-American began to fade away. I remember Granddaddy coming into my bedroom late at night  thinking he was talking to my departed grandmother.  I remember getting out of my bed, taking his hand, and leading him back into his bedroom.  I remember going out to look for Granddaddy and Terry when he had wandered off and bringing them back home. I remember when Granddaddy left to live in a home with 24 hour care.

I remember my parents trying to explain that Granddaddy was gone, forever.
I remember insisting that I wanted to go to his funeral.  I remember the incense in the church at his funeral.  I remember walking to the casket and looking at the crucifix resting on it.  I remember walking down the aisle at the end of the mass with a tear running down my cheek.  I remember the first time I saw my father cry-at my Granddaddy funeral.

Things change that cold December day 50 years ago.  I vowed to myself that I would try to make my Granddaddy proud. My parents gave me his first name as my middle name.  I began using my full name to remember him. The crucifix that was on his casket, now sits on my mantle. I remember him and say a prayer when I look at the crucifix.

Eternal rest, grant unto Charles Christopher Prescod, O Lord
and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

I LOVE YOU GRANDDADDY. 


   

Now What? Sermon Delivered At Easter Vespers Service. April 05, 2015.

 

 

April 05, 2015

Easter Vespers

Mark 16:1-8.

"Now What?"

The Rev. Cecil Charles Prescod, OCC.

 

“16 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. ² And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ³ They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” ⁴ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. ⁶ But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” ⁸ So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” (Mark 16.1-8. NRSV)  

From our earliest years many of us are familiar with the story of Easter.  Whether from Sunday School, parents, or Hollywood movies, the outline of what happened early one Sunday morning in an out of way place in the vast Roman Empire 2000 years ago, is one we are able to recite.

One thing that is common about familiar stories is that often we are so familiar with them that we do not realise what we do not know about them.  When we recall a common experience in our lives, each of the participants may remember it slightly differently. When my sisters and I gather and share stories of family trips or holidays, each of us tell the story differently.  Sometimes we are amazed that we were at the same event.  I suppose our interpretations of an event depend on our station in lives, our ages, what were important in our individual lives at that times, and so many other things. It is not that the incident did not happen, but its significance and what we learn from the event may differ because we each bring and receive something from our lived experiences.

The Bible offers four different account of what happened when the women went to the tomb to anoint and mourn their friend and leader, Jesus of Nazareth.  Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The details differ, but each highlights common significant points: Jesus had died; his friends, except for a few women, had abandoned him and were hiding in fear of the authorities (no one wanted to be the next victim of Rome’s cruel and barbarous actions); Jesus was laid in a borrowed grave; on early on the  first day of the week, his brave women friends came to the  tomb to mourn; the stone was removed, the body was gone, and they met, or were told to go and meet, the risen Jesus.

Mark, the earliest and shortest gospel, can be characterized as the “Joe Friday” of the Gospel writers.  You know, the police sergeant from “Dragnet”, who when he investigated a crime, did not have time for elaborate tales, who always told the witnesses, “Just the facts, ma’am or sir”.

Mark’s gospel does not have any long narratives about Jesus birth, death, or resurrection. And he ends his story, abruptly. “ ⁶ But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” ⁸ So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

Now what? Throughout the gospel Mark emphasized following Jesus.  Jesus called, and people followed.  As he was headed to Jerusalem, and his death, Jesus called, and told his followers that he will suffer and they would too if they followed him. For those who follow Jesus are not exempt from hardships, pain, sorrows, and griefs.  Jesus reminds them that he will experience such difficulties and they will too. But if we follow him, we will experience more than suffering, but life.  If we follow him, we are assured that God is with us.  God has not and will not abandon us. Whatever challenges we face we will not face them alone, but that the one who breathed life into our lungs, who sustains the earth and all of creation, is not a God who is separate from us, but one who walks with us, and most importantly, is willing to lead us.

Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me, the Psalmist reminds us.  The life death, and resurrection of Jesus is the testimony that the Divine presence is with us. Always.

“He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you” Jesus confronted the horrors that humanity face, and the miracle of that first Easter morning, was that when confronted with them he met them all and overcame. The jaws of death were not able to hold him.  We are called to walk on, to face the future, knowing that Jesus will be with us, just as he told us.

Now who can explain the inexplicable?  Mark, unlike the other gospel writers, does not share stories of encounter with the resurrected Jesus.  What he does share is that we will meet that Jesus in our daily lives. Each encounter will be unique. Each miracle we encounter will be new.  The resurrected Jesus will meet us and guide us.  Those chapters are written in each of our lives.  We are able to share them with one another. The story does not end but continues. The chapters are continuing to be written in our lives today and into the future.

 Let us continue the journey. “There you will see him, just as he told you”.



A Change Is Gonna Come: Sermon Preached on Transfiguration Sunday at Ainsworth UCC on February 15, 2015

February 15, 2015                                                                                               

Transfiguration                                                                               

Mark 9:2-9

                                                                 “A Change Is Gonna Come”

  The Rev. CECIL CHARLES PRESCOD, OCC

 In the name of the Triune God.  Amen.

 

Mark’s Gospel is the earliest and shortest gospel about Jesus in the New Testament.  Short, even abrupt, sentences characteriz Mark’s narrative. It is as if Mark is in a hurry, with no time for frills or fillers.  We are introduced to Jesus not with any beautiful birth narratives: The archangel Gabriel does not appear to Mary to announce that she would become the mother of the long awaited messiah;, no angels come to Joseph to comfort and assure him that Mary’s child will be the Saviour of the world; there is no angelic choir in the heavens; no shepherds are led to the holy family, there are no magis with presents for the baby Jesus;   There is….well…nothing but the ordinary.  Or so it appears.

Instead we are introduced to Jesus as he rises from the cold waters of the river Jordan and the skies appears to be ripping apart.  The Spirit appears as a dove to descend upon him, and he, and he alone, hears a thunderous voice proclaiming that he is God’s beloved.  Then “at once” he disappears into the desert.  47 times Mark will use the phrase “at once” (that can be translated “without delay”, “immediately”, “quickly”).

He emerges out of the desert following the arrest of his cousin John and picks up and expands John’s critique of the oppressive political and economic system.   In an almost frenetic pace, he travels throughout the land, calling followers, healing the sick, releasing the demonic, and proclaiming God’s new realm.

Perhaps because they were first mesmerized by the signs that Jesus performed, crowds began to follow him.  The authorities kept an eye on him. Jesus was just one of many street preachers in the land.  Throughout the villages people were talking about this young man, the miracles he performed, the words he preached, and speculated who he was and what he intended to do in the future. In small groups people gossiped about his origins and his intentions.

Speculations abound- and indeed a growing consensus begins to emerge that perhaps indeed, this man from a small country town was more than a simple country preacher; perhaps the aged old hope of a liberator would be revealed in the person of this man Jesus. Peter declares Jesus as the Messiah. For Mark’s listeners this term was not a casual addendum at the end of vain prayers, or what Jesus’ followers would assert to affirm that they had a special personal relationship with the divine, but a bold political statement which directly challenged the ruling powers’ authority and legitimacy.  It was a revolutionary and incendiary term that if uttered was viewed as terrorist speech by the ruling powers. Ched Myers reminds us that “The Messiah was understood by many Jews in first-century Palestine to be a royal figure who would someday restore the political fortunes of Israel” (“Say to This Mountain”: Mark’s Story of Discipleship).

Peter’s revolutionary declaration appeared to be affirmed by what he and two of his friends experienced when they were invited by Jesus to ascend the mountain.  There, as they reach the top of the mountain, the place where the heavens touch the earth, they experienced what was perhaps inexplicable.

The writer declares that Jesus’ clothes “became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.” (v.3). It is a faint hearted attempt to capture something which cannot be captured. It is described in rabbinic writings, but not in the Old Testament, as the Shekinah of Yahweh. Shekinah expressed divine imminence or universal presence. The word literally means “that which dwells” and clearly designated Yahweh’s dwelling on earth as in heaven.

The writer continues that in the midst of this luminosity Jesus appears with the greatest of all leaders, Moses, who represents God’s covenant or testimony, to be with the people as their guide and protector;  and Elijah, the prophet who represents denunciation of idolatry and corruption of God’s ideal.

Well, Peter is often ridiculed or disparaged as being too quick to speak to try to explain. And as he has done before and will do again, Peter speaks when he should have been quiet. But who can fault Peter?  Have you ever experienced something that surprised, or overwhelmed you?  And instead of standing in silent awe you felt the need to speak, to try to explain, to try to control?  Perhaps not.  But I have.

After Peter’s poor attempt to take control of the situation, the listeners once again hears a voice that was heard at the beginning of Mark. “This is my Son, my beloved, listen to him”. Peter, James, and John look up and the only person remaining is Jesus.  Moses is gone.  Elijah is gone. At this point, all are silent: including the loquacious Peter and even Jesus. 

I cannot explain what happened that day. What I can say is that for those who were with Jesus that day, it served as a confirmation of what could and would be.  That even though the situation of the people is seemingly hopeless, the vision and determination to live out that vision, empowered them as they descended the mountain and began their final journey into Jerusalem to confront the power which held a death like grip on the people’s aspiration to freedom.

 

Jesus is about to enter the city of Jerusalem.  This city viewed as the spiritual center of the world, as holiest place on earth was occupied by a hostile military force.  The people’s dream of freedom, wholeness, had been thwarted time and time again over the centuries by one hostile occupying force after another. One potential leader after another had risen and fallen.  Nothing really changed except the name of the occupying army.

 

Within a few weeks of that event on the mountain Jesus and his rag tag group of followers will gather additional followers as they wandered into Jerusalem.  Hope would mix with fear.  Courage will be followed by cowardice. Unity would break down into dissent and fracturing of the movement. And within days of what appeared to be a triumphant entrance into the holy city,  Jesus would be lynched and hung on a tree, Peter and the others would go into hiding, and the Romans would be congratulating themselves on crushing another weak coup attempt by delusional fanatics.  And things would return to what was normal.  Or so it appeared.

 

Mark ends his narrative by recalling that the few women who remained loyal to Jesus to the end, went to his grave to anoint the body only to find his body missing and told that Jesus had been raised.  In the direct and abrupt style that characterized his narrative, Mark ends his story with these words: “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid” (16.8).

But we know that they did say something, and that they were not overcome by fear. They recognized that the world is in fact a disfigured world, and can and will be transfigured.

They remembered and were empowered by the vision of the Transfiguration.  That God has not and will not abandon God’s people.  That the way of the world can be transfigured.

Racism is a reality in our world today.  However we affirm that it is not the ultimate reality for our world.  Racism is a disfigurement of the human condition.  We must continue to be guided and inspired by the vision of the Transfiguration, of what the human condition is called to be.

Where are the signs of transfiguration in regards to racial justice?  They are in our communities everywhere:  They are:

·         Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi: young queer black women who started the #blacklivesmatter campaign and are examples of the mobilization of a new generation of black activists

·         The immigration rights movement that are led by  young people, known as “dreamers” who have come out of the shadows of fear and unashamedly proclaim their immigration status and thus risk being deported to countries they never knew.  These young people who walk the corridors of powers in Washington and confront legislators, engage in civil disobedience such as sit in in government offices, are fueling the  movement for a just immigration policy in our country.

·         #IdleNoMore campaign of First Nations people on this continent is only the latest incarnation of the sustained Indigenous Resistance to the rape, pillage and exploitation of this continent and its women that has existed since 1492.

The signs of Transfiguration occur in the midst of movements that remind and inspire us of our goals and destiny.  They are often momentary, gone to soon, but are nevertheless empowering.  Like Jesus and the three we must come down from the mountain of inspiration and confront the valley of opposition. 

Mark places the Transfiguration story in the middle of his gospel, as the story shifts and moves forward toward its climax in Jerusalem. It serves as a reminder and inspiration as we continue the struggle. We are not there yet, we will be confronted by setbacks, pushbacks, disappointments, pain and death.  The disciples desired to remain on the mountain and to bask in the radiance of the Shekinah.  We too may want to remain at places and moments of inspiration and hope.  Yet we know that the work continues, that God continues to beckon us to follow the way and will of Jesus, which is the way of the cross, the way of choosing to stand with those who are struggling for justice.

Fifty years ago our nation was in the midst of an era of advocacy and movement for racial justice. Those who were active in the movement testify that our nation was experiencing profound changes in attitudes and behavior. Lest we romanticize that era, we must remember the countless numbers of people who sacrificed careers, families, health, and those who were martyrs of the freedom struggle.

 “On October 8, 1963,  [the singer Sam] Cooke called ahead to the Holiday Inn North in Shreveport, LA to make reservations for his wife, Barbara and himself, but when he and his group arrived, the desk clerk glanced nervously and explained there were no vacancies. While his brother Charles protested, Sam was fuming, yelling to see the manager and refusing to leave until he received an answer. His wife nudged him, attempting to calm him down, telling him, "They'll kill you," to which he responded, "They ain't gonna kill me, because I'm Sam Cooke." When they eventually persuaded Cooke to leave, the group drove away calling out insults and blaring their horns. When they arrived at the Castle Motel on Sprague Street downtown, the police were waiting for them, arresting them for disturbing the peace. The New York Times ran an AP report the following day headlined "Negro Band Leader Held in  Shreveport,”( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Change_Is_Gonna_Come).  

African- Americans were outraged.

That incident inspired Sam Cooke to write the song “A Change Is Gonna Come”, that would become an anthem of the American Civil Rights Movement. In the midst of difficult times, we need to recall and be empowered by our experiences of Transfiguration.  Although fleeting these experiences are real and are empowering.  They will strengthen us in difficult times and remind us things will not remain as they appear.  We will be able to affirm and sing:

“There been times when I thought I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gon' come, oh yes it will”