Two Transformation - Jesus and Moses

For 2/17/2013
Spiritual transformation; we speak of it, have questions about its meaning and many desire it for their lives. Today we read of transformation; literal physical transformation as a sign of two peoples closeness to God. So let us look at these stories and reflect on the transformation we have seen both in ourselves and in others who have taken up a spiritual journey:

Exodus 34:28 Moses was there with God forty days and forty nights. He didn’t eat any food; he didn’t drink any water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words. 29-30 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two Tablets of The Testimony, he didn’t know that the skin of his face glowed because he had been speaking with God. Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, saw his radiant face, and held back, afraid to get close to him… 33-35 When Moses finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face, but when he went into the presence of God to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. When he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they would see Moses’ face, its skin glowing, and then he would again put the veil on his face until he went back in to speak with God.                  The Message Version

 · Does anything sound familiar to you in this story? What is new to you as you read it?

 · What caused Moses to be transfigured? How do you imagine that he appeared – what does a glowing, radiant face mean to you   

· What was the reaction of the Israelites to his appearance? Why do you think they reacted in this way? How do you think that they interpreted this visible change in Moses’ appearance? What does it mean to you?

· Moses shielded the people from some of the change that his relationship with God made to him, do we also want to do the same – keep things about our personal spiritual life from others? Moses frightened people; could/should we have some similar reservations about overdoing it?

· How did Moses approach the presence of God? Why do you think that he removed the veil – any symbolism here?  

· What do you think was the purpose of the writer(s) of Exodus for choosing to include this particular story about Moses? What are we to understand about him and possibly God through this telling?

· Have you known people who seem to reflect a presence of spirituality through the way in which they are perceived or seen by others? Are the reactions to them and the way in which their spirituality seems to have changed them universally admired? Think of sports personalities who speak of their spirituality, or religiously based individuals who take controversial stands on local or national issues.

· Do you think that change or transformation is something we desire or expect as part of our faith life? Can there be some reservation about how far we might allow ourselves to be changed?  

· Have you sensed any kind of large or small, temporary or permanent spiritual transformation yourself? Did people seem to act differently toward you as a result of the change?

Now Jesus' Transformation:

Luke 9:28-31 About eight days after saying this, he climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John, and James along. While he was in prayer, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became blinding white. At once two men were there talking with him. They turned out to be Moses and Elijah—and what a glorious appearance they made! They talked over his exodus, the one Jesus was about to complete in Jerusalem. 32-33 Meanwhile, Peter and those with him were slumped over in sleep. When they came to, rubbing their eyes, they saw Jesus in his glory and the two men standing with him. When Moses and Elijah had left, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, this is a great moment! Let’s build three memorials: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He blurted this out without thinking. 34-35 While he was babbling on like this, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them. As they found themselves buried in the cloud, they became deeply aware of God. Then there was a voice out of the cloud: “This is my Son, the Chosen! Listen to him.” 36 When the sound of the voice died away, they saw Jesus there alone. They were speechless. And they continued speechless, said not one thing to anyone during those days of what they had seen.                             The Message Version

· What strikes you about the events taking place in verses 28-31? Do you see any significant differences in the two transfiguration stories?

· Why do you think that Jesus took the three disciples along? What do you think that the transfiguration and presence of Moses and Elijah is intended to tell us about Jesus? What does the writer of Luke want his readers/listeners to clearly understand?

· What was Jesus doing when his transfiguration take place? Was prayer for Jesus just sharing words or something more spiritual? What might it tell us about prayer, God’s presence, and personal transformation?   

· What did Jesus talk to Moses and Elijah about? How do you envision that the conversation was carried on? What do you think would have been the tone and tenor of the conversation.   

· What was Peter’s reaction to what he had seen? How does the writer of Luke describe his words? How do you interpret his state? What would your reaction have been? Have you ever babbled in reaction to something totally unbelievable or unexpected?

· God’s summary of the meaning of the transfiguration is contained in a few words. What meaning are three to take away and what do they do in response? Why do you think they elected to keep quiet? What would you have done?

· Have you ever had what you felt was an important encounter with the presence of the Spirit? What was your reaction to the experience? Did you keep quiet?

· In spite of this truly amazing experience, in the not too distant future Peter denies Jesus three times. What does this tell us about the reality of being a person of faith and yet living in the real world?

Closing Prayer
I’m asking God for one thing, only one thing:
To live with him in his house my whole life long.
I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet.
That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world.
Amen

Next Week’s Scriptures: Isaiah 55:1-9, Psalm 63:1-8, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Luke 13:1-9

 

It Is All About Letting Go!

For 2/17/2013


One of the promises of living a life of faith is that it will be transformational – we will not be the same – we are a new creation. Paul especially emphasized transformation through the presence of God’s Spirit within us – if we just let it happen. Today we look at an excerpt from his letter to the church in Rome as he addresses “the core of our preaching.” So as we enter the Lenten season we might reflect on our faith journey and transformation:

Romans 10:8-10 It's the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—"Jesus is my Master"—embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That's it. You're not "doing" anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That's salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: "God has set everything right between him and me!"  The Message Version

• How does Paul describe salvation? What do we have to do to receive it? What will God do? What is the key to letting God’s work take place? Can you think of a word, one option is in the first sentence, which captures the crucial step that allows “God to go to work”?

• A core of this scripture is “God doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead.” How does our relationship with God raise us from the dead? What do we learn from the resurrection that might apply to our own faith journey? Has your faith ever helped you recover from a setback, tragedy, or reversal in your life?

• What must we affirm to receive salvation? What did you affirm when you verbalized your commitment?

• What important relationship is “set…right” through our salvation? What does that mean to you? Have you experienced times when it seemed that things were not right with God? What happened? Were you able to reestablish it? How did that happen?

• For Paul this reality changed his life and became the focus, direction and in a very real sense brought him the strength to be able to do what he did. What should we expect to occur because of a sound relationship with God? How would you imagine your life if this was not a reality to you?

Romans 10:11-13Scripture reassures us, "No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it." It's exactly the same no matter what a person's religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. "Everyone who calls, 'Help, God!' gets help."   The Message Version

This scripture comes in the midst of Paul’s struggle to explain the fate of the Jews now that Christ is a reality. It is tied to and refers to the prior scripture about salvation.

• What is the assurance that flows from this scripture? Do you agree? Have there ever been times when in spite of your faith that you questioned the presence of God in a situation? Have you ever struggled to reassure either in your mind or for someone else who is struggling with great difficulties that God was present in the situation? How did it go?

• Who does this scriptural reassurance apply to? Do you think that it applies to non-Christians as well? If so what seems to be the criteria for God acting generously “when we call out for help”?

• The scripture refers to trusting God – trusting that God will respond to our faith – in terms of salvation. But after salvation what do you trust that God will be and do on your behalf? What do you expect or what have you experienced as you have traveled on your faith journey? Have you ever chosen to make a decision or respond in a way that reflects confidence that God is present with you?

• Does help from God necessarily come as we hope and expect it might? Have you ever seen or felt God’s presence in a situation that seemed hopeless? Should we ever expect to be able to understand, predict, or fashion the presence of the indefinable, infinite, creator of the universe in real life?

Now Paul the Evangelish speaks to us:

Romans 10:14-17 But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That's why Scripture exclaims,

A sight to take your breath away!

Grand processions of people

telling all the good things of God!

But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: "Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?" The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ's Word is preached, there's nothing to listen to.        The Message Version

• Sum up the main points of this scripture; what is Paul urging upon us? Do you think that he is right? How do you think that this telling and preaching should be done? What has been the most effective telling and preaching in your spiritual formation? Was it always literally “telling” and “preaching” or something else?

• Paul lived out this scripture; it became the focus of his life which he zealously pursued until his death. But what does it mean for you today with your responsibilities and problems; what should be expected of you? How do you feel you have been equipped to be a “teller”?

• Does it say that being a advocate who is “telling all the good things of God” is natural and easy? What has or would motivate you to share your faith with others?

• What is your reaction to ‘how can they know’ – what level of priority should we place on giving others the salvation message? How do you feel about the responsibility he seems to place upon us?

• What frustration does this diligent preacher of the word seem to run into – is everyone receptive? Can you relate to it and does it impact your actively taking on the telling of the salvation story yourself?

• So what have you learned today? What are you taking home after discussing Paul’s message this morning?

Closing Prayer

Almighty God, who has poured upon us the new light of Jesus, grant us that the same light ignited in our hearts might shine forth in our lives. We pray that the life of Christ within us turns all our fears to freedom, helping us live for others. Amen.

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18, Psalm 27, Philippians 3:17 - 4:1, Luke 13:31-35 or Luke 9:28-36

What Do You Say? What Is Your Faith Story?

For 2/10/2013


Just what is being a Christian all about? Jesus preached and lived the good news and it was recorded in the Gospels, but what is its essence? How would you explain to someone in a 2-3 minute conversation just what the meaning of Jesus’ life and ministry is to you? In I Corintians 15 Paul writes his very condensed version of the gospel message well before the four New Testament gospels are written. Many credit him as being the first Christian theologian and we can see in his extensive writings the foundation of what is now the orthodox Christian message. Read and think about this telling of the essence of Christian belief and then reflect on what is even more important; your own personal understanding of the gospel message:

15 1-2 Friends, let me go over the Message with you one final time— this Message that I proclaimed and that you made your own; this Message on which you took your stand and by which your life has been saved. (I’m assuming, now, that your belief was the real thing and not a passing fancy, that you’re in this for good and holding fast.)  The Message Version

Paul is writing to a congregation that he formed and taught; to people whom he personally evangelized and many whom he may have baptized. His relationship with them has been up and down over the years resulting in letters to them which alternately praised, cajoled, scolded and taught.

• How important is the Message that Paul proclaimed – what does he believed it did? How important do you think it is to him and how important should it be to those who read his words?

• What has been the impact of your interaction with the Christian faith? He says that it saved the Corinthian’s lives, how would you characterize its importance to you? How important do you think it is for others to incorporate a faith journey into their lives?

Paul now validates the message by describing what happened after the resurrection:

3-9 The first thing I did was place before you what was placed so emphatically before me: that the Messiah died for our sins, exactly as Scripture tells it; that he was buried; that he was raised from death on the third day, again exactly as Scripture says; that he presented himself alive to Peter, then to his closest followers, and later to more than five hundred of his followers all at the same time, most of them still around (although a few have since died); that he then spent time with James and the rest of those he commissioned to represent him;   The Message Version

• What is the Message? How many sentences does it take to express it? Is it clear and unambiguous? Do you think that some crucial points are missed? You will have a chance to embellish later.

• What are some things he cites to support the validity of the message? What of what he says is new to you?

• How does this compare with your personal experience with the gospel message? Who or what experiences made it credible to you?

• Write down the major important points you would include in a very brief telling of the good news. Why is it valid for you and how would you authenticate it in your telling to someone?

Now Paul gives the source of his understanding of the gospel message:

and that he finally presented himself alive to me. It was fitting that I bring up the rear. I don’t deserve to be included in that inner circle, as you well know, having spent all those early years trying my best to stamp God’s church right out of existence.  The Message Version

And it is even more clearly expressed in Galatians:

1: 11-12 Know this—I am most emphatic here, friends—this great Message I delivered to you is not mere human optimism. I didn’t receive it through the traditions, and I wasn’t taught it in some school. I got it straight from God, received the Message directly from Jesus Christ.  The Message Version

• What is clear in Paul’s mind about the certainty of his theology – what gives it credibility? How much of it is spiritual; coming to him through his spiritual connection to God through Jesus Christ? What is your reaction to this assertion?

• What are the sources of your faith, your understanding of your relationship with God? How much comes from your “God moments” when the presence of God seemed close to you?

So what responsibilty do we have as hearers of the message - here is Paul's testamony:

10-11 But because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I’m not about to let his grace go to waste. Haven’t I worked hard trying to do more than any of the others? Even then, my work didn’t amount to all that much. It was God giving me the work to do, God giving me the energy to do it. So whether you heard it from me or from those others, it’s all the same: We spoke God’s truth and you entrusted your lives.   The Message Version

• Paul is an evangelist who is driven to spread the gospel message. What does he say drives and motivates him? What burden does he feel he takes upon himself?

• What kind of person would you picture speaking these words, is it someone you would relate to?

• Do you share his feelings that we should in our own way be workers spreading the good news? Mainline Christians are for the most part leery of being perceived as evangelical – why might this be the case? What are some consequences of being hesitant to share elements of our faith life? Who is the worst for it?

• What is your take away from reflecting on the scriptures and questions? Has any of your thinking changed? Has anything been reinforced? What do you want to explore with more study and discussion?

Closing Prayer

Loving God, thank you for your presence in my life.

Thank you for those who invited me to know you.

Guide me to those for whom I might prepare the way.

Give me the wisdom to know when to speak and what to say?

Amen

Next Week’s Scriptures: Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16, Romans 10:8b-13, Luke 4:1-13