1) We always have the awe of God before our eyes. The total presence of God demands total response.  Be concerned not with perfection,  but with focus and goal of life. 

God must become the true object of our worship - not ourselves - we are not to be concerned about what we get out of worship, but rather what we put into worship.  Awe of God means - not about us - about God!

2) Once knowing God is present in life means we must accept the will of God for ourselves. God doesn’t just give us the attributes we ask for; God gives us opportunities to develop those attributes. Working through opportunities (challenges?) reveals God’s will and direction.

3) We are willing to subject ourselves to the direction of others. That is we learn that we are not in control of every aspect of life. May not fully control our work environment or even our home environment. It means I might seek direction from friends; learn the importance of community. It means I open myself up to seeking and accepting the will of God through others.

4) We accept that life is full of hard things, most of which are not impossible, simply difficult. Sometime in the Spiritual life, we have to stop running away from the things that aggravate us or cause us fear, so that we can see what it is that is being demanded of us - that we are refusing to give.

5) We make confession - the humble heart is asked to quit pretending to be something it is not. Self disclosure and interaction with others are imperatives. We admit our struggles and someone else, wife, husband, friend, parent, someone close enough to care about how we develop - guides us through our spiritual journey.In Confess, humility does not in any way deny our own self worth. Rather, it affirms the inherent worth of all persons.

6) We learn to be content with the meanest and worst of everything. What we need to make us whole is not of this world. Humility does not call for poverty - it calls for the right use of God’s gifts and resources. Walking the line between the opportunities we have because of our abundance and the discipline of humility is an uncomfortable line to walk - soul searching and change is required. But the discomfort brings us closer to God. The humble person does not regard his/her possessions or accomplishments or life as his/her own, but as a gift of God. Humility demands that we hold only to give and that we gather only to share.

7) We come to see ourselves as potentially weaker, potentially more sinful, potentially more confused than anyone around us. If we see ourselves more as John (beloved disciple) than Judas (betraying disciple) we will not be able to grasp our need of Christ. It is here that we stop saying "Well, that’s the way I am" and begin to say, "There is more God wants me to be."

8) We learn that community itself is a source of wisdom for us; a basic awareness of my relationship to the world and my connectedness to all its circumstances.

9) We learn humility is the admission of God’s gifts and the acknowledgment that I have been given them for others.

10) We discover humility is the total continuing surrender to God’s presence and power in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

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Sermon Notes: Transfiguration Sunday 2007
© M. Williams - Georgetown Presbyterian Church

An Unveiled Faith

Transformation is the changing from self-centeredness to Christ -centeredness.
Transfiguration is that point in our Transformation when others can see Christ in us!

Story of Moses: Exodus 34:29 - 35

Transfiguration sets us apart - others will “suggest” we dim ourselves to make them more comfortable.
And often, we want to hide ourselves - dim ourselves and blend in rather than letting our faith shine through all we do.
Moses put on a veil; we put on sunglasses!

Sunglass do more than protect the eyes - they hide us! Celebrities hid behind sunglasses.
When talking to someone who wears sunglasses, we cannot see their eyes, their reactions, their responses.
Its simply not as personal - sunglasses can be a “protective” barrier to keep others away and keep us "hidden."
It can be tempting to put sunglasses on our faith!

Story of Transfiguration: Luke 9:28 - 36

We are called to take off our sunglasses to receive God’s glory
and we are called to come off the mountain to reflect that Glory.
But how do we do that? 
God's Glory is so otherworldly that even in its presence, we, as Peter,  
often fail to understand what we are experiencing.

2 Corinthians: 2 Corinthian 3:12 - 4:2

The answer is Christ!
Through our open acceptance of Christ and Christ’s call to discipleship, we are able to remove the veil and claim
an Unveiled Faith that is intimate with and in awe of God, an Unveiled Faith that others will see!

Transfiguration is the spiritual shining through the physical! 

We too, both as individuals and as a congregation of God’s people, are called to be transfigured as was Christ.

That is we are called to be transformed by Christ’s presence - to accept and embrace our spiritual nature.

And, we are called to let our transfigured selves be seen - not hidden on the mountain - but shining brightly here in the midst of our daily living.

"In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in his bossom that transfigures you and me!"
The Battle Hymn of the Republic - verse4 - Julia Ward Howe.

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Some other random thinking not used in the sermon delivered:

In letting ourselves be transfigured (that is letting the Spiritual shine through the physical) we become more like Jesus and will see him more clearly and through him be able to better converse with Moses and the Prophets and thereby engage in a more prophetic ministry.

The children’s song “This Little Light of Mine” is cute and does speak of letting our lights shine. But in truth it is not our light at all - it is God’s light shining through us; God’s light reflected in us!


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