Talking about prayer today, specifically why we bother at all.
Luke 9:28-43; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Psalm 99; Exodus 34:29-35
Today is Transfiguration Sunday. It’s a fitting day for the transition between Epiphany and Lent, especially since it’s also a transition point in Jesus’ ministry. It happens right after when the disciples realize that Jesus isn’t just a Rabbi, but instead the Messiah who they have been waiting for – the one who, they think, is going to kick the Romans out of Israel and set up a new theocracy in Israel. When this happens, Jesus shifts focus away from teaching general things, and toward telling them who the Messiah really is, and what he’s going to do – Jesus is now working on teaching the disciples that the Messiah is going to set the world free of sin, not just Israel from the Romans, as he begins his own trek to the cross.
This transition is also for us, in light of the things that go on during the Transfiguration. When Jesus goes up on the mountain, a week after telling the disciples that he was going to suffer, die, and rise again – and that it’s the job of his followers to do the same – to pray. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus often goes off by himself to pray, but this time he took Peter, John, and James with him. As Jesus and his “inner circle” of disciples are praying, all of a sudden Jesus gets incredibly shiny. As Luke describes it, “the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” Then Moses and Elijah, the giver of the law and the greatest prophet – in essence the two most important people in the Old Testament – show up and they start having a conversation about Jesus and the things that are going to happen to him in Jerusalem.
Now as we might notice becomes common with these three, while Jesus was praying Peter, James, and John wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. So Peter, startled by the bright light and the appearance of Moses and Elijah says, “This is kind of nice up here, let’s go ahead and put up some tents to we can hang out up here and show everyone how great this is.” Luke adds that Peter, at this point, didn’t know what he was saying.
Then a voice came from heaven and said, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” Then, with a command not to tell anyone, they head down the mountain, and the next day there was a boy with an evil spirit. The disciples couldn’t drive it out of the boy, so Jesus shows up and heals the boy and everyone was amazed at what God could do.
That’s a great story, but it’s not one we can easily find ourselves in. I’d be willing to be the vast majority of us haven’t seen Jesus, nor him glowing with Moses and Elijah, nor the driving out of an evil spirit. We can’t really relate, but I’d also guess that we can all related to an experience of God where we felt especially close to him. I’ve had a quite few of those experiences in my life, and at the time I don’t want them to end. Like Peter, I want to just build a tent on the mountain and hang out there forever with God, but it doesn’t work like that.
When Jesus left the mountain, what was the first thing he did? He didn’t wish for another mountaintop experience. He didn’t regret leaving the mountain. No, the first thing Jesus did was go and help someone in need and in doing so bring glory to God. Then after that he appointed 72 of his followers to go out and do the same thing. He went out to do service.
Jesus often went by himself to pray, but when he did, it was also to, in a way, recharge himself for more of God’s work. It’s a good and wonderful thing to spend time with God, and it is a wonderful idea, but it’s not good if that is the only thing we do. If all we do is try to get as close to God as possible, but never do anything about it, something is wrong.
In a lot of ways, when we gather together on Sunday mornings, it is to provide that recharge for the week. I’ll even go so far as to say that coming to church on Sunday doesn’t make you a Christian any more than being in a garage makes you a car. Being a Christian, or more correctly being a follower of Jesus, is really about going out into the world and loving people like Jesus did: helping them, caring for them, and in doing so showing the glory of God to the world.
The experiences we have of being close to God – be it in church, at a retreat, in a time of prayer, or however else it plays out in your life – are there to empower us to do ministry. It’s a chance for us to refill our spiritual tank so that we can be there for those who don’t know that there’s a God who loves them and wants the best for them; a God who takes away their guilt and fear.