Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
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Our readings this morning remind me of the popular Sunday School song "This Little Light of Mine", specifically the verse "Hide it under a bushel, no! I'm gonna let it shine." Some of you at one point may have even learned the hand motions that go with hiding the light under the bushel before revealing it to the world.
I'm reminded of this song, in part, because of Paul's words about Moses today. They seem unusual for a Jew, especially one who was so fastidious about following the Law. Paul tells us we should not be like Moses. We should not hide our light under a bushel.
At first glance, it seems that Moses had the right idea. His face, after conversing with God, was so bright, the people could hardly look at him. In order for them not to be blinded, Moses hid his face. He hid his light.
There's some irony in this. God's chosen people, the ones God chose to be in close relationship, couldn't even look at Moses, let alone God. They couldn't see the full vastness of God's glory.
A similar thing happens with Jesus. He goes up to the mountain to pray when all of a sudden, there are Moses and Elijah, the totality of all that has come before, the Law and the Prophets, and there is Jesus appearing in dazzling light. His light is not under a bushel. It is there, shining brightly, for all to see.
This is Jesus in His full glory. Jesus is there as the fulfillment of Law and the Prophets, all that has come before. This is the full glory, an icon or an image, of who Jesus is. Jesus isn't hiding His light. He's got it on at full power.
Unlike Moses, Jesus has not hid His light. He is letting it shine for the world to see. He is letting it shine, even though it makes His disciples uncomfortable, even though they are not really sure what to do.
Paul, in 2 Corinthians, is calling us to be not like Moses, but like Jesus. Perhaps the image of God's full glory is hard for us to look at. Perhaps the Transfiguration, the last epiphany, the last revelation of Christ Jesus for this season, can be difficult for us to understand. But Jesus does not hide his light regardless. And Paul calls us to be the same. He calls us to be tellers and showers of Truth, no matter what.
I'm reminded of this song, in part, because of Paul's words about Moses today. They seem unusual for a Jew, especially one who was so fastidious about following the Law. Paul tells us we should not be like Moses. We should not hide our light under a bushel.
At first glance, it seems that Moses had the right idea. His face, after conversing with God, was so bright, the people could hardly look at him. In order for them not to be blinded, Moses hid his face. He hid his light.
There's some irony in this. God's chosen people, the ones God chose to be in close relationship, couldn't even look at Moses, let alone God. They couldn't see the full vastness of God's glory.
A similar thing happens with Jesus. He goes up to the mountain to pray when all of a sudden, there are Moses and Elijah, the totality of all that has come before, the Law and the Prophets, and there is Jesus appearing in dazzling light. His light is not under a bushel. It is there, shining brightly, for all to see.
This is Jesus in His full glory. Jesus is there as the fulfillment of Law and the Prophets, all that has come before. This is the full glory, an icon or an image, of who Jesus is. Jesus isn't hiding His light. He's got it on at full power.
Unlike Moses, Jesus has not hid His light. He is letting it shine for the world to see. He is letting it shine, even though it makes His disciples uncomfortable, even though they are not really sure what to do.
Paul, in 2 Corinthians, is calling us to be not like Moses, but like Jesus. Perhaps the image of God's full glory is hard for us to look at. Perhaps the Transfiguration, the last epiphany, the last revelation of Christ Jesus for this season, can be difficult for us to understand. But Jesus does not hide his light regardless. And Paul calls us to be the same. He calls us to be tellers and showers of Truth, no matter what.
That truth is what Jesus reveals in the Transfiguration, that He is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, that Jesus is able to do all that which we never could, and that Jesus is the trajectory that everything has been leading towards. Through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, death can no longer separate us from the love of God. Thanks to Jesus, the stain of sin is washed clean, and we can be with God once again.
The Love of Christ Jesus has saved us from all that would destroy us and all that would separate us from Him. If that isn't a truth worth showing, worth spreading, I don't know what is.
The Light of God may be difficult for us to look at. It presents us with the hard truths about ourselves and it forces us to reexamine ourselves and change, as Paul points out to us. It can be tempting to hide that light under a bushel. Maybe others aren't ready to hear. Maybe we ourselves are not ready to change.
But the power of the Light of Christ is one that is redemptive and healing. It is a power that makes us whole again. It reconnects us to God, the root of our very being. It restores us as the ones we always were and the ones we always wanted to be.
The question for us is what do we do with that light? Do we follow Moses' way or the way of Christ Jesus as laid out for us by Paul? Are we proclaiming the Good News of the love Jesus Christ has for us, if not in word than through deed and action? Are we hiding our light under a bushel, or are we going to let it shine?
The Love of Christ Jesus has saved us from all that would destroy us and all that would separate us from Him. If that isn't a truth worth showing, worth spreading, I don't know what is.
The Light of God may be difficult for us to look at. It presents us with the hard truths about ourselves and it forces us to reexamine ourselves and change, as Paul points out to us. It can be tempting to hide that light under a bushel. Maybe others aren't ready to hear. Maybe we ourselves are not ready to change.
But the power of the Light of Christ is one that is redemptive and healing. It is a power that makes us whole again. It reconnects us to God, the root of our very being. It restores us as the ones we always were and the ones we always wanted to be.
The question for us is what do we do with that light? Do we follow Moses' way or the way of Christ Jesus as laid out for us by Paul? Are we proclaiming the Good News of the love Jesus Christ has for us, if not in word than through deed and action? Are we hiding our light under a bushel, or are we going to let it shine?