February 22, 2004; The Last Sunday after the Epiphany Readings: Exodus 34:29-35; 1Corinthians 12:27—13:13; Luke 9:28-36; Psalm 99.   The Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith Experiencing, Knowing, and Acting Luke’s account of the Transfiguration has been called a composite of the whole Gospel tradition. It tells the whole story: the baptism of Jesus, the passion predictions, Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets, his death and resurrection, and his ascension and future coming. Moses and Elijah represent Jesus’ connection to the law and the prophets. As with Jesus’ baptism, God speaks and claims Jesus as the Chosen One. The talk of what is to be accomplished at Jerusalem refers to the passion and the resurrection. In this one mountain top experience the entire truth is contained. Jesus is transfigured, which refers to the change that comes over him: we hear, "his face changed and his clothes became dazzling white. God’s glory is known through Jesus. The divinity of Jesus is communicated in this vision to his followers. This is the mountain top of spiritual experiences. What is the point of a spiritual experience and what is God’s hope for us? Is it God’s gift to be treasured or is such an experience a piece of a much greater adventure in faith? Peter knew that this moment in time mattered greatly. He had the vision; he had the experience, but he did not yet fully understand the meaning. He wanted to mark it with the three "dwellings"—also translated "tents"—one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Peter was focused on the moment and was not looking ahead. He wanted to hold on to the event. The experience, however, would not last—it was not meant to last. There was no need to build three structures. The point of the experience was not to remain there, but rather, to move on to Jerusalem. The meaning of Transfiguration would only be clear to Peter James and John after Jesus’ death and resurrection. We come to know God through God’s self revelation. God gives us the vision. God, who knows us so well, reaches out to us through people and life events and sometimes in moments of divine encounter that cannot be explained—rationally, historically or scientifically. The mountaintop moments of knowing give us great faith and confidence. Wouldn’t be nice to pitch a tent and stay in the place of inspiration? But, as Peter learned, God reveals God’s self to us for a reason. In the case of the disciples, they were giving a vision that would support them as they went to Jerusalem. Jesus companions would have watch his suffering and suffer with him. The epiphanies experienced by the followers of Jesus gave them information about his identity and his mission. And yet, as with the transfiguration, they did not understand the full meaning at the time. The most moving spiritual moment of our lives is only a prelude to the fullness of God’s love that will be made known to us. As we hear in Corinthians: "For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end....For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I will know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known." God desires to be known by us and to know us. I’ve been giving much thought to how this happens for most people. It has been on my mind because of the great attention being given to Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of the Christ. This film might be the experience that will give some people, maybe many people, a deeper vision of Christ’s suffering, which then might leading into a more intimate relationship with God through Christ. It might be an experience of great spiritual significance for certain people. The film is the result of Mel Gibson’s experiences of Jesus’ suffering. Mel Gibson felt directed by God to make this movie. Perhaps one of the messages of the film is simply that we, like Mel Gibson, should seek to deepen our lives of faith and see what God would have us do as a result. If the film helps us to do so, that’s great. God is available to each one of us to help us to do so. What makes God different from a movie about God is that God knows each of us fully and will, therefore, act to bring us close in ways that are right for us. May we all gain a deeper knowledge of God’s love through God’s grace. Amen.