Matthew17:1-9

There is a true story of a 33-year-old truck driver by the name of Larry Walters.  Believe it or not, I heard about his story from Korean TV News program just before I came to the States in 1989.  I remember this because it’s so unique and very interesting.  Of course, I don’t remember in every detail.  It happened at least 30 years ago.  But, I can share this story now because I accidently found this story in a book, Everything I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten, by Robert Fulghum.

Here’s the story: Larry was sitting in his lawn chair in his backyard one day wishing he could fly.  For as long as he could remember he had wanted to fly but he had never had the time, nor money, nor opportunity to be a pilot.  Hang gliding was out because there was no good place for gliding near his home.  So he spent a lot of summer afternoons sitting in his backyard in his ordinary old aluminum chair.  One day Larry hooked 45 helium-filled surplus weather balloons to his chair, put a CB radio in his lap, tied a paper bag full of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to his leg, and slung a BB-gun over his shoulder to pop the balloons when he wanted to come down.  He lifted off in his lawn chair expecting to climb a couple of hundred feet over his neighborhood.  But instead he shot up 11,000 feet right through the approach corridor to the Los Angeles International Airport.  Wow!

When asked by the press why he did it, Larry answered: “Well, you can’t just sit there.”  When asked if he was scared, he answered, “Wow…, Yes…, wonderfully so.”   Larry Walters will never be the same again after his trip to the mountain in his lawn chair.  He has seen things and felt things that will shape the way he lives the rest of his life.

Today’s lectionary text is about Jesus’ transfiguration story.  We know Jesus often went to the mountain to be alone, to pray.  One day, Jesus took his three closest friends to the mountain.  As soon as they arrived, something happened that was out of ordinary.  Jesus was transfigured.  He glowed.  His clothes became dazzling white.  And if that is not out-of-the ordinary enough, two of faith’s most honored heroes suddenly appear by Jesus’ side.  Moses, the great law-giver, and Elijah, the prophet par excellence – the Law and the Prophets – paying respect to Jesus, in whom both are brought together.  Then the voice of God echoes around them saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!”  This is both literally and symbolically a “Wow Moment.” 

It was so extra ordinary that when it was all over, and when they were headed back down the mountain, Jesus told them to tell no one about what they had seen.  That made sense.  Who would have believed it anyway?  But the three of them believed it.  They had been there, and those moments would forever mark their lives and change the way they looked at everything.  Certain moments like that, especially religious “WOW” moments, have a way of doing that.

Do you want to have a WOW moment?  WOW experience?  I wish everyone could have that WOW experience.  But, the reality is that we do not have these experiences on the mountaintop every day.  We need to live and deal with our everyday life.  After all, life is lived in the valley, not on the mountain top.  Things are different between the two.  The contrasts are stark.  On the mountain, we encounter almighty God; in the valley, there is an encounter with the demonic.  On the mountain we encounter our faith’s heritage; in the valley, we encounter those who consider questions of faith as occasions for battle.  On the mountain, God’s calming voice is heard; in the valley, human argument is heard.  On the mountain, disciples are in a mood for worship; in the valley, the disciples are spoiling for a fight.  On the mountain, the glory of God is revealed; in the valley, the power of sin and unbelief is revealed. 

So, how can we arrange those energizing, even life-changing, mountaintop experiences during the course of our journey?  I wish there was an easy answer.  The only answer that I have is this:  We have to wait for the moment.  Just like grace, it is a gift from God.  Yes, it is a gift.  But, it should not be the main focus of our spiritual journey, because these religious experiences are like dessert not main dish.  If that is the extent of our spiritual diet, we will be poorly fed.  Our faith will be unhealthy.  It will be not much more than a spiritual rabbit’s foot, something that protects us from problems – divine cures for sickness, financial worries, the anxieties of life – the glory on the mountaintop.  We need some preparation before we can truly appreciate the mountaintop spiritual WOW Moment.

Do you want to be ready for an invitation to the mountaintop?  Let me make a few suggestions.

First, make yourself available.  Peter, James, and John were invited up the slope because they were already in the company of Jesus.  The company of Jesus in 2020 is right here – the church.  Those who, for whatever reason, choose to absent themselves from the fellowship will not be ready to respond to the invitation.

Second, learn all you can about your faith tradition.   All the surveys indicate that biblical literacy is at a very low ebb these days, and going down!  A couple of years ago, while I was watching Jeopardy Show, I could answer several questions in a raw, which is of course very unusual for me.  Usually, I couldn’t answer any of them.  That day, the category was Bible.  The contestants were so good at other questions except for the “Bible” category.  Sad. 

Our text does not tell us how Peter, James, and John recognized Moses and Elijah, but they did, and they knew how incredibly important these men were.  Had they not ever heard of them, the moment on the mountain would not have been nearly so special.

Third, listen to Jesus.  Only twice in the gospels does God (the Voice) speak – once at Jesus’ baptism, and again here.  “This is my son, the Beloved; Listen to Him.”  Listen to Him.  We hear him as we worship.  Listen to Him.  We hear him as we study scripture.  Listen to Him.  We hear him in the voice of other Christians.  Listen to Him.  We hear him when we are in deep contemplative prayer and meditation.  It is SO EASY to listen to other voices to the point of drowning Jesus out.  Not good.  Listen to Jesus.

One final suggestion: if you would be truly prepared for Christ’s invitation to the mountaintop, have a joyous expectancy.  When you come to this holy place from week to week, prayerfully begin your trip through the doors ready, not to run into someone you would rather not see, not to sing a hymn you don’t know and would rather not learn, not to mumble through a prayer and a creed without thought, not to suffer through a sermon that somehow misses you.  No.  Rather come in ready to meet Jesus… in a person, in a song, and in a word.  The older I get the more I realize that ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING.  When the ATTITUDE is right, then the invitation can come and be received with the joy it deserves.

Four suggestions in preparation for a trip to the mountaintop: make yourself available; learn all you can about your faith tradition; listen to Jesus; and finally, ATTITUDE.  Then you will be ready when the WOW (moment) presents itself.

Yes, we need mountaintop experiences once in a while.  Or maybe twice in a while.  They do us good.  But remember, faithful Christian discipleship is lived, not up on the mountain, but back down in the valley, when we use our lives for Jesus’ sake and the sake of those for whom he died.

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the Lent season.  During this Lent, let us take the opportunity to prepare our hearts to journey together for the mountaintop spiritual WOW experiences.  Amen.