Booths to Build - A Sermon for Transfiguration Sunday February 19, 2023

GOSPEL: Matthew 17:1-9

The holy gospel according to Matthew.

Glory to you, O Lord.

1Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” 6When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” 8And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

 9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

I knew a man who was getting close to retirement.

Let’s call him Arnold.

When asked about retirement, Arnold would say

“oh, maybe in a couple years”

and he’d been saying that for a decade.

He just kept on working.

Well one day Arnold went on vacation.

He didn’t come back.

He loved the warm weather,

he loved the lack of work,

he saw a glimpse of

what retired life could be like,

It was good for him to be on vacation,

so he arranged his retirement remotely

and just stayed on vacation.

All it took for Arnold was a glimpse of this new life,

retired life,

vacation life,

to convince him it was time.

Enough of the old life,

enough of the work,

bring on the sand and golf.

The apostle Peter, who knows how old,

was making a living by fishing,

and when Jesus said to Peter:

“Come, follow me,

and I will make you fish for people”

he left his net behind and followed.

Perhaps Peter had had enough of the work,

the old life,

and only needed a glimpse of Jesus’ kingdom

to give this new life a chance.

Day by day,

Peter received glimpse after glimpse

of who Jesus really is.

Peter hears Jesus’ sermon on the mount:

a reframing of who is blessed and why,

to be salt of the earth,

to be the light of the world,

a reframing - a fulfillment - of the law

how to pray,

the golden rule,

And then Peter witnesses this great sermon lived out:

Jesus cleanses the leper,

heals a Centurion’s servant,

heals many at Peter’s own home,

Jesus stills the storm,

raises the little girl,

restores sight to the blind,

gives voice to the mute,

feeds the 5000 plus.

Jesus even walks on water,

and Peter walks with him,

until he took his eyes off Jesus.

Less than one year with Jesus,

and Peter sees glimpse after glimpse

of God’s glory manifest in Jesus,

and with it a glimpse into this new life

that Jesus offers.

Six days before the transfiguration,

Jesus asks the 12 “who do people say that I am?

who do you say that I am?”

And Peter, gifted by the Holy Spirit, declares:

“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Peter gets it.

Glimpse after glimpse of this new life,

this new kingdom,

this new Rabbi

and Peter makes the declaration,

the foundation,

the rock

upon which the church is built:

Jesus is God’s Son!

Peter might not have understood why

the Son of Man is to suffer

and die

and rise from the dead,

but he saw and believed and witnessed

to who Jesus really is.

6 days later,

up on the mountain,

by Jesus’ invitation,

Peter is given yet another glimpse:

Jesus transfigured.

the biggest glimpse yet,

and Peter wants to do something about it.

Maybe, like the man who retired while on vacation

he just doesn’t want to go back to the old life,

and now’s the opportunity to change.

If you wish, Peter says, I can make a habitation,

a tent,

a dwelling place,

a tabernacle,

a booth,

one for Moses,

one for Elijah,

and one for you, Jesus,

for God.

And why not?

The law, the stone tablets of Moses,

the place of God’s presence

was in a tent, the tabernacle, a booth

until God’s home was built in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Peter was expecting to see

the Son of Man come into his kingdom,

and the transfiguration on the mountain

with Moses and Elijah

might just look like the Son of Man

coming into his kingdom.

It was a fantastic display:

clothes dazzling white,

not even Mr. Clean could look so clean.

Face shining like the sun,

Light and life,

law and prophets, fulfilled,

It is not every day that a bright cloud

illumines over you

and a voice calls out from the heavens

This is my Son, the beloved,

with whom I am well pleased,

listen to him.

This Jesus of Nazareth,

Rabbi,

friend,

is God’s Son.

listen to him.

Sometimes we Christians give Peter a hard time,

but I can understand what he’s doing.

Jesus doesn’t rebuke Peter

for wanting to build the booths.

Where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also,

and Peter wants to build a tent

to house his treasure on that mountain.

Jesus is the treasure.

This is the new kingdom.

Yet we know they don’t stay on the mountain.

Jesus touches the 3,

encourages them in faith,

and they go back down into the valley.

This was just a glimpse,

This is not the final act.

Real glory awaits.

God’s glory is shown in Jesus’ face on the mountain,

a revealing of who Jesus really is,

but God’s glory is better shown in the valley,

on the cross,

in the empty tomb.

The kingdom of heaven isn’t up on the mountain,

it’s down in the valley.

Coming down the mountain,

into the valley,

Jesus shows the kingdom,

Jesus shows God’s glory in justice;

in demons exorcised

in healing,

in the gift of new life

God’s glory is shown in mercy,

in resurrection,

in undeserved gift.

God’s glory is shown in compassion,

a willingness to suffer and die for all,

in caring for the disciples amidst grief,

in newness of life.

Peter wanted to build booths;

tabernacles, tents, dwelling places

on the mountain,

but that’s not Jesus’ dwelling place.

Listen to Jesus.

Jesus dwells in justice,

Jesus dwells in mercy,

Jesus dwells in compassion.

Listen to Jesus.

what is Jesus saying?

Jesus doesn’t want booths on the mountain.

Maybe the booths Jesus is calling Peter to build

are booths of justice, mercy and compassion.

Maybe the dwelling places we are called to build

are tents of justice, mercy and compassion.

Christ’s church has enough buildings,

enough paved parking lots,

enough office spaces and classrooms,

But what about a booth, a tent, a habitat,

a dwelling place

of justice, mercy, and compassion?

Imagine what if those were the dwelling places we built…

The thing about tents, tabernacles, booths,

is they’re portable.

When you go to a campsite, you set up your tent,

or RV, camper, whatever,

it is portable.

You can keep it pegged in the ground as long as needed,

and then you can move to another campground.

Maybe the booths we are called to build,

booths of justice, mercy and compassion

need to be portable,

so we can take them wherever the need is,

wherever Jesus leads us

down in the valley.

The valley is the place where

justice, mercy and compassion are hard to find.

As Jesus leads the inner circle down the mountain,

he is met by someone with a demon

that the disciples couldn’t handle,

Jesus speaks and he is restored.

Jesus is met by children,

lowest in the societal class structure

Jesus speaks and they are lifted up.

Jesus is met by sin,

by hesitancy from neighbour to forgive neighbour,

and Jesus says forgive 490 times.

Jesus is met by pride,

by lust,

by rage,

by corruption,

by hypocrisy,

by apathy,

by violence.

and Jesus speaks justice and mercy.

Jesus sees a religious system of sacrifice

that neglects the weightier matters of the law:

justice, mercy, and faith.

yet Jesus responds with compassion,

and weeps over the city.

Listen to Jesus.

Jesus is saying justice, mercy, compassion.

those are the booths to build.

Thinking about Arnold,

the man who went on vacation

and didn’t come back,

I didn’t know him well,

maybe he didn’t have family or friends,

maybe he did.

I think part of his motivation to finally retire

and to do so in that vacation paradise

was to finally escape life as he knew it.

It’s like this new, retired life

had to come at the expense of his old one.

Jesus does not invite you and I onto the mountain.

Only Peter, James and John

received that invitation for a brief escape.

Instead Jesus invites us all,

not to escape the valley,

but to follow Jesus into the valley.

The new life,

the kingdom of heaven life,

is found in the valley.

As much as we are invited, in baptism,

to let the old self die

and for Christ to rise in us each day,

I don’t believe new life in Jesus

requires that we escape our lives.

For starters, you can’t.

For better or worse,

Our past follows us.

Jesus does not offer escape,

Jesus offers forgiveness and new life.

Listen to Jesus.

The kingdom of heaven that Jesus ushers in,

is not just for me and my comfort,

but for the good of all,

for justice, mercy and compassion,

for all:

for those who have clothes

and those who don't,

for those who are hungry and thirsty,

and those who are full,

for those who are naked

and those who are clothed,

for those who are sick

and those who are well,

for those who are captive

and those who are free.

May we listen to Jesus

and follow Christ into the valleys.

May we receive glimpse after glimpse

of Jesus transfigured,

of new life with Jesus,

of the kingdom of heaven here and now.

May we build booths

of justice, mercy and compassion.

Thanks be to God. Amen.