Does It Show? (Transfiguration Sunday)

Exodus 34: 29-35 & Luke 9: 28-43

Roger Lynn

February 23, 2020

(CLICK HERE for the audio for this sermon)

“I’ve never seen her so happy. She was glowing.” “He was so pleased with himself, he was positively beaming.” “You look great. Your life must really being going well.” Such comments are a part of our language because they reflect a common reality – our internal experiences are often displayed through our external appearance. It may be a smile, or a glint in the eye, or a particular way we walk or carry ourselves. It is sometimes difficult to describe exactly what it is, except to say that we know it when we see it. But in any case, it is not uncommon for people to be able to “read” our internal moods just by watching us. 

In both scripture readings for this morning we find examples of this kind of experience. Moses and Jesus are each seen to be radiating or glowing following a particularly intense encounter with Divine Presence. Experiencing God in that kind of close and personal way left its mark on both of them. They were changed by the encounter. It was a change which was apparent to those around them. 

Love Beyond Our Means

Genesis 45: 3-11 & 15

Roger Lynn

February 16, 2020

(CLICK HERE for the audio for this sermon)

No one would have blamed him if he had sent them all packing. In fact, he had enough power to do a lot worse than that to them and no one would have objected. Joseph went way beyond the expected with his treatment of his family. But to understand the full implications of what he did, it might be helpful to make a quick review of what led up to the piece of the story we heard this morning. 

You may recall that Joseph was the favorite son of Jacob, which made him rather unpopular with many of his eleven brothers. One day when he went out to the fields to see his brothers they ambushed him, dropped him in a pit and sold him to a passing caravan of traders headed for Egypt. Not the sort of treatment designed to endear you to your siblings. Once in Egypt a variety of calamities befell him which eventually landed him in prison. It was there his ability to interpret dreams brought him to the attention of the Pharaoh, leading eventually to being entrusted with a great deal of responsibility overseeing the management of resources in preparations for the coming famine. It was in this context that his brothers finally encountered him when they came to Egypt in search of relief from the famine which had spread even to their home in Canaan. When they first come before him he recognizes them but they do not recognize him. It had, after all, been a long time and he had changed a great deal. In addition, they were not looking to find him in charge of Egypt’s food supplies. In those early encounters with his brothers, Joseph is not entirely kind. He doesn’t tell them who he is. He plays tricks on them. He leaves them to suffer in uncertainty and fear. In other words, he proves that even the good guys in the Bible are only human. But finally he relents. He reveals his identity to them. He promises them relief from the famine and invites them to return home and bring their father and the whole family to live safely in Egypt. He rejoices with them over the re-uniting of a divided family. In short, he lets them off the hook. He not only forgives them, but he goes out of his way to help them and embrace them as family, whole and re-united.

A Still More Excellent Way

1 Corinthians 12: 27 – 13: 13

Roger Lynn

February 9, 2020

(CLICK HERE for the audio for this sermon)

The thirteenth chapter of Paul’s first letter to the Church at Corinth might well qualify as one of the most familiar, and most beloved, passages in the whole Bible. It is frequently read at both weddings and funerals. Sometime this week you may even see it on a Valentine’s Day card. It really does represent Paul at his poetic finest.

And yet, precisely because of its beauty and its familiarity, I suspect that we often miss much of the real power contained in these words. We tend to think of it in terms of “warm and fuzzy” or “sweet.” When viewed within the larger context of the rest of the letter, however, what we discover is Paul taking the Corinthians to task. “Stop living the way you’ve been living,” he is telling them. “Stop acting as if you are the only person in the world that matters.” This is Paul spelling out what it really means to take seriously the way of Christ. It is a life that matters. It is a life that reaches out to touch the world and make a difference.

Love, as Paul is describing it here, is the unconditional concern for the well-being of those with whom we share life on this planet. It is outward looking rather than inward looking. In short, it is loving as Christ loves. It is loving as God loves. And it is the foundation upon which a meaningful life of faith is built. Without it nothing else really matters. Without it nothing else is really worth even talking about.