Light God's Light Shine Through You and Me

Yesterday I was privileged to preach at Trinity Lutheran Church in Tipton, Iowa.   

It was Transfiguration Sunday and the readings were, indirectly referring to a process very intimate  and personal to all of us.  

An invitation of the Spirit, that can transform us from the inside out. 

Elijah said to Elisha “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.”

And Elisha said: “Please let me inherit a double share of your Spirit.”  ( 2Kings 2)

Elisha wanted what he saw in Elijah’s life — what made Elijah strong and faithful to God.

He wanted to be a leader like Elijah.

He wanted what it was that made Elijah who Elijah was.

He wanted a double share of what drove Elijah to be a God driven human being who listened first to God. 

Our Gospel moves us along in this Spirit journey with the familiar Transfiguration story; when Jesus physical body becomes dazzling white -- whiter than bleach. (Mk.9)

Now in my imagination that same process, of transforming power, that revealed Jesus’ holiness to Peter, James and John on that mountain; was the same power, the same Spirit, that Elisha saw in Elijah.

It was the same transforming power that filled Abraham.

The same power that caused Moses’ face to shine with a blinding glow as he came down the mountain after talking to God.

That same transforming power lives and breathes within you and me.

Another similarity between all these historical leaders, and you and me, is God’s promise:

                              “I will be with you, 

                                 I will go with you, 

                                   I will not leave you, 

                                     I will speak through you, 

                                       I will be your strength, 

                                         I will be your courage, 

                                            I will be your wisdom.

A truly extraordinarily complete promise.

What we can clearly comprehend about Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and Jesus is a change — shift — something new, something different -- from what was before -- took hold of their lives.

Except for Elisha, none of these men asked for this life change.  

It was simply given to them like it or not. 

And they went, and they did, for God.  With God’s Spirit as their source of wisdom and strength.

It is extremely important, I think, not to let this sometimes-all-to-subtle-point slip by us.  

That is, the point that this profound change — this alteration — that took place in their live, their goals, their attitudes and their priorities were because of what God gave.  That is what God put into them.  And they virtually became something, or someone, else.  

They became something ‘other’ then they were before.  Before God’s intentional intervention in their lives.

By the way, the same kind of transformation took place within Jesus’ disciples on the day of Pentecost.  And those who hid in fear of the Jews on Easter night; were no longer afraid.

With this transforming Spirit, we witness in all of these men,  we can begin to get a glimpse — just a glimpse— of what God is ready and very willing to be and to do in you and me.  

“We have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extra ordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.”  (2Cor. 4)

The containers, our bodies, where God’s Spirit resides, are like common earthenware.  Every pot has its flaws.  Every pot is fragile and breakable.

You know, it does seem amazing to me that God give this treasure to limited, sinful, breakable, common, ordinary folks like: Abraham, Moses, Elijah, the disciples, you and me.

It is even more amazing the God actually makes us partners in showing, and sharing, this precious treasure.

And, this is where we get thrown off course; because it becomes quite obvious that God doesn’t expect his children to be “perfect.”           

                                                                     

Thats really good news for me.

All God really wants is our willingness — thats all.  The treasure is ours.  We all received it at our Baptism as God’s Spirit invades our tiny bodies.  

And as we grow, and know more about God, as we live out our live, we hopefully learn to share the wealth of God’s loving grace — the treasure — with others.

It is such a simple thing really.  It may sound daunting and even impossible, maybe even scary.  But I am here to tell you it is not.  

Actually we don’t even need to say a word. 

And like Elisha, people just see it in us.  They watch how we speak to others, how we treat others. They watch our facial expression and listen to tone our voices and the language we use.  And they know if we practice what we claim to believe.

At this critical time in our world — our nation — it is more important than ever for us to bring the gift of God’s promise.

The precious truth, of God’s never failing presence, in our live and in our world.

So important to those who are trying to make some kind of sense out of the chaos.  They are searching for some solution -- some new possibilities -- for ourselves and our country to hold on to.

They are looking for a REAL GOD in the messed up situations in the 21st century.

We can best do that by being demonstrations of how, through all of us, God is indeed active in the chaos.

They need, need, to see our faith and our trust in God by letting folks know that we hold on to God's faithfulness at all cost.

⁵For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness, who has shone in are hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the Glory of god in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4).

May the light of HIs love shine through the darkness with you and I.