Psalm 89:5-18
1 Kings 19:1-16
John 12:20-33
Today’s observance is one of those big doctrinal events: it marks a moment in the life of the Lord Jesus, a moment that had tremendous implications for the relationship between God and humanity, and leads us to live in a certain way because of it. This is what “doctrine” means; some truth about God and us, and the consequent way in which we ought to live.
So what is the event, and what is the direction for living?
The Transfiguration is the hinge upon which our Lord’s earthly ministry turned. Up until that point he had been teaching people about the kingdom of God in word and deed. From that point on, he turned to face Jerusalem, the place of his passion, death and resurrection. This moment, then, is significant because it links the two together: who Jesus is, and what Jesus does.
Immediately before his transfiguration he had been at the base of a mountain that, for centuries, had been used as a pagan shrine and gateway to the underworld. There, he turned to his disciples and asked who they thought he was, and St Peter replied “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) To this confession, Jesus announced that he would build his Church on that rock, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. In effect, he walked right up to the gates of hell in person, made a public declaration of war, and announced that he would win.
He and his disciples then spent some time going through what this would look like. There would be “many sufferings” at the hands of the authorities, he would be killed, and on the third day he would rise again. His followers, comrades in this war against hell, would have to deny themselves, pick up their cross, and follow him. After six days of this, he then went up to the top of the mountain.
Taking only Ss Peter, James and John, he ascended that mountain, and at its peak, revealed his glory. We read that “he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.” (Matthew 17:2) This was the glory that is enjoyed by God alone, and Christ Jesus revealed himself to enjoy that glory. A bright cloud then came and overshadowed them; again, this is the glory of God as he has revealed himself in ages past. From this cloud of the glory of God came a voice: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (v. 5) And so we have our Lord marching up to the literal gates of hell, declaring war, and then marching to the top and revealing himself as God Almighty.
There are a couple of doctrinal points we get out of this. Again, doctrine is a truth about God and us, and a response we need to make as a result of that truth. What we have here is that God is pleased to reveal his glory to us; and he reveals his glory to us on his own terms. This affects greatly how we worship him.
It is impossible to grow up as a Christian in Australia these days without coming across a certain form of worship that encourages an ecstatic emotional state. I want to give every grace to those who worship in this way; there is a great deal of faithful thought and prayer that goes into it. However, I believe God has revealed to us how we wants to be worshipped and, if we worship him in that way, he will reveal his glory to us. It is why I believe Anglican worship according to the Prayer Book is the most faithful way of worshipping God the Church currently has. Let me explain.
First, we must recognise the primary way God relates to us: through his covenant. God has made a covenant with us, a binding promise, and told us that if we live according to that covenant we can enjoy him and his glory forever. He made it with our first parents in the Garden of Eden: do this, and live. However, none of us can live up to that standard, which is why Christ Jesus came to earth and did it for us. This is how we start our services: by hearing that God expects perfection from us, confessing that we have not and could never live up to that perfect standard, and receiving the forgiveness in Jesus Christ God offers to us. In Christ, God has both kept the perfect standard he requires of his creatures, while also showering us with his gracious love in the self-sacrificial giving of himself for our sake. This is the glory of God in Christ Jesus to us in his covenant; we begin our worship by glorifying Jesus.
Having established ourselves in relation to God through his covenant and in the name of his Son, we hear his word to us in Holy Scripture. In the Bible we find all things necessary for salvation, for it is the special revelation of God to us. This is also the glory of Jesus in his Transfiguration: when he appeared in glory on the mountaintop he was flanked by two men: Moses and Elijah. That is, the Old Testament points us to Jesus, and so we read and hear his word searching for him in those ancient revelations. Just as God was pleased to glorify Jesus in shadows and types in the Old Testament, we too look for his glory there.
In the prayers we glorify the Lord by making requests of him and interceding on behalf of his creation. The Lord is glorified in this because we are laying aside our own glory and telling God he is the one who can help us.
When we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion we glorify Jesus as the great climax of the glory of God to us, in his death and resurrection, and his feeding of us unto eternal life.
In none of these moments is there any need to manufacture or manipulate ourselves into “feeling” something. The glory of God in Jesus Christ is entirely objective; the glory exists, and is there for us to enjoy, whether we “feel” it or not. We simply come before the Lord according to the way he has laid out for us, and he does the rest, for it is all from him, through him, and to him.
Returning to the main point: the Transfiguration of our Lord is an important doctrine, which means a truth about God and human beings that demands a certain way of living from us. Jesus is glorified with the glory that only comes from God; he is pleased to reveal that glory to us; we ought to worship him according to the way he has told us to worship him; and when we do so, he is pleased to reveal his glory to us. Let us therefore pray that God would accept our worship as pleasing in his sight; and may we always be alert to when he reveals his glory to us in return.