March 6 2011    Reading:  Matthew 17.1-13

Theme: ‘The glory of Jesus Christ..........’

‘We were eye witnesses of His majesty..............’ 2 Peter 2.16

The old Russian chronicles tell us that towards the end of the 10th. century, the Prince of Kiev, then a growing city on the banks of the Dniepr river, sent embassies off to find a religious faith that might best suited his nation and people. The embassies were duly sent off. One embassy headed east and visited the great centres of Islam, another headed west to visit the great centres of Jewish life. But came back to report that neither would seem to suit the Russian people. So the Prince of Kiev, according to the legend, sent two emissaries to the South to the city of Constantinople. They set off and journeyed nearly a thousand miles down the Dniepr river and across the Black Sea and arrived in Constantinople on a Friday or Saturday. The next day, the Sunday, the two Russian emissaries joined the vast crowds heading for worship, in the great cathedral of Hagia Sophia. Stepping into the cathedral, the two Russian emissaries were struck speechless by the richness and sublime beauty of worship, overwhelmed by the sheer space in the church the soaring walls, the great dome overhead....... and by the wonderful singing of the Byzantine choirs in the lofty, domed cathedral. Hurrying back to Kiev, they told the Prince that such was the majesty, and beauty and glory, of the worship in Hagia Sophia that they were, they said, unable to tell if they were on earth or in heaven. The choice was made, by the Prince in Kiev, for the orthodox Christian faith.

Majesty, and beauty and glory, the majesty, beauty and glory of Jesus Christ, these are the great themes of the gospel reading this morning, and at some moments it seems as if even the disciples themselves, on that mountain top, could not tell if they were on earth or in heaven.

The Mount of Transfiguration, is the traditional name given to the mountain where Jesus took Peter James and John in the north part of Galilee. This was probably Mount Hermon, which is 9,400 feet high, high enough to have snow on the top. Here it is that Jesus brought the disciples, Peter, James and John. And as they looked on, the gospel tells us, a change came over Jesus: his face was shining like the sun, and his clothes were dazzling white. Suddenly the majesty, the glory, the beauty of the living God is seen in Jesus, there on the mountain top, as He speaks with Moses and Elijah.

But what happened that day, certainly stayed with Peter and John for the rest of their lives . John would later write “ We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth”.

And many years later, in old age, the apostle Peter wrote.........we were eye-witnesses of his majesty. He received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.

This is what John writes:

we have seen His glory........

This is what Peter writes

.we ourselves heard the voice of the Father

Let’s take what John says first: we have seen His glory........

We have seen His Glory ! Now, what is glory ? What is this glory that we read of ? We sing the word glory often. To God be the glory, great things He has done ! Glory, glory hallelujah - but What is glory ?

Well, Glory is one of the great words of the Bible Well, the Hebrew word is kabodh and the Greek word is doxa and if we take both together the word glory refers to the light and radiance of God’s presence. a light full of splendour, beauty, and majesty.

This light or glory of God is seen in many places in the Bible. God led His people across the desert in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, in light and glory. The glory of God came down on the summit of Mt. Sinai, as we read in the book of Exodus, in awe-inspiring majesty, so that the people trembled. The glory of God, the Bible tells us, came down on the Tent of Meeting On the day the Tent of Meeting was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. Long ages later, the Temple in Jerusalem was filled with glory the day the prophet Isaiah was called by the living God...... And of course, Luke’s gospel opens by telling us that the heavens were filled with glory the night the angels sang, and called the shepherds to see the child in the manger.

Not a flickering light like sunlight through the leaves of the trees, not a fading light like the sun through clouds or at sunset...... the glory of God, the light and radiance of God’s presence. is a light full of splendour, beauty, and majesty.

Now, see Jesus ! on the mountain top ! The lowly One, the Man of Sorrows. Here, here, we now see His glory. Through the gospel we are allowed to glimpse, along with the disciples, the glory and power of Jesus, as the Son of God.

The radiant light there on the mountain top, allows us to catch a glimpse, of the majesty, the glory, the beauty of the living God in Jesus.

And how little we know of the glory of Jesus Christ, how little we know of the light, the radiance the majesty and greatness of Jesus. So dull are we of eye, blind in sight. How little we know of the glory of Jesus Christ. Yet, as a Church, how deeply we need to know the majesty and glory of Jesus - in wondering adoration to know His glory.

If we did, it would change our worship of Jesus forever.

But the glory of Jesus we see there on the mountain top is not silent. The radiant light is not all - as Peter says: we ourselves heard the voice of the Father

Now the voice of the Father speaks.

This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased, listen to Him. Just as at Jesus’ Baptism, which was at the beginning of all that Jesus would do, the Father, spoke and affirmed His Son Jesus. Here once again the Father speaks in deep, loving affirmation of Jesus. This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased, listen to Him. You see, from this mountain top, the way, the winding path, leads down the mountainside, across the rolling hills of Galilee, through the orchards of the Jordan valley, through the pastures, then the vineyards and fields of northern Judah, to Jerusalem. And to the cross.

In these moments on the mountain top, all this lies in the future, further on the journey that the Lord Jesus will take.

But before Jesus, the beloved Son, sets out on that final journey, the Father speaks to Him, lovingly upholds and affirms Him once again This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased, listen to Him. The Father here affirms Jesus.

Who is Jesus ? He is the One who will take upon Himself our sorrows, our sin, our iniquity, and restore us to the living God, who says: This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased, listen to Him. So, the Cross which lies only weeks away or so away is not the working of “fate” or it is not an unfortunate event – no – at the Cross, Jesus has taken away our guilt, our sin, and has restored us to the living God………. all of this, is in the loving purpose of God……….who declares: This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased, listen to Him.

The glory of Jesus Christ, we glimpse on the mountain tells us this: that all that lies in the days ahead is within the loving purpose, of both the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The gospel shows us there on the mountain top glory of who Jesus is – in Him is the power, the majesty, the greatness of God – and lets us hear the Word of the Father lovingly affirming that Jesus is the well beloved Son.

Little wonder, then, that Peter and the other disciples longed to stay there on that mountain, there in that light, hearing the voice of the Father. Little wonder, then, that Peter longed to stay, to look upon Jesus, in the radiance of light and glory. It was not to be, it could not be. But those few moments were enough - Peter, James and John saw Jesus Christ as He is. For a moment Jesus was revealed in His glory. For a moment the disciples hear the Father declare His love for Jesus and delight in Him. The disciples see and hear all this. So, for the moment, they see Jesus as He really is, in a way that is far beyond their earthly grasp. They see Jesus as He really is, as the beloved Son, before that journey to Jerusalem and the Cross begins.

And think of the day they met Jesus raised from the dead, that was the day, they saw at its clearest - who Jesus is, the beloved Son now raised to the highest place in heaven by the Father.

May we as a Church know the glory of Jesus Christ, the light, the radiance, the majesty, greatness, the glory of Jesus. May we as a Church hear, and never forget the Word of the Father This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased, listen to Him. And so may our lives be lifted up, and marked by joy, reverence and awe in His presence

And when we come to know the glory of Jesus Christ, and the wonderful love of our Father in heaven, may we, like the disciples, be filled with adoration and praise.

AMEN.