Matthew 17:1-9; 2 Peter 1:16-20 Last Sunday after the Epiphany A; 02.15.26; G. Miles Smith+
I want to impress upon you…in the most urgent terms: Do not listen to me.
Do not listen to clergy…and religious people.
Do not listen to politicians…and powerful people.
Do not listen to podcasters, YouTubers, Instagrammers, TikTokkers, conspiracy theorists…or Artificial Intelligence.
Do not listen to your parents…your husband or wife…your friends…or your neighbors (Mt. 10:34-39; 12:48-50).
When Jesus was transfigured in divine light upon the mountain…as the disciples Peter, James, and John witnessed…a cloud overshadowed them…and voice from within the cloud said:
“This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”
And so, the scripture wants to impress upon us…in the most urgent terms: Listen to Jesus.
Some years after the Transfiguration of Jesus, the apostle Peter wrote a second letter to the churches of that time and said:
“We did not follow…cleverly devised myths…when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.”
Both the gospel reading and the epistle…assume as a given…that human beings will in fact…make up…all manner of things…and will not listen to Jesus.
Looking back in history…that is ever so clear. And yet it can be strangely difficult…for any present generation to recognize…our own “cleverly devised myths”.
Human beings…willfully…and unintentionally…have an astonishing capacity…to reinvent religion and reality itself…and to shape it to our own purposes…or our fears. We wrap ourselves in so many layers of voices…that we cannot find our way out…even when something…really does not quite feel right about it all.
The last thing that we are likely to do, actually, is…to listen to Jesus.
The disciples of Jesus could barely manage themselves to listen well to Jesus. It took a mysterious voice…from a cloud…in the midst of divine light…for them…to listen to Jesus. Why should it be any different for us?
I am, of course, very much aware…that I am overstating…my point this morning.
The world of leaders and peoples and our close loves…is not…totally bereft of godly truth. The divine voice still echoes…and the voice of Jesus…can still be heard…not only where you might expect it to be heard…but also from people who are not even aware…that Jesus is speaking through them.
We are not a people bereft…of godly truth…since the coming of Jesus. Through the mysterious movements of the Holy Spirit…godly truth is woven throughout our reality…and is everywhere to be found. However, it is not obvious…unless we learn to discipline ourselves…to listen to Jesus. We are a people who--perhaps more than ever in human history—live within a constantly evolving manufacture…of “cleverly devised myths”.
So, it is getting clearer and clearer to me…that the only way to navigate it at all…is…to listen to Jesus…to actually trust the gospel…to actually return to and read…study…pour over…meditate upon…talk to…question…even argue with…Jesus.
The scripture puts it a different way…as Peter wrote in his epistle to the churches:
“You will do well…to be attentive…to this [the voice of God in Jesus]
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until the day dawns and the morning star rises
in your hearts.”
The best way to navigate this life…honestly…is to love Jesus…and…to love Jesus more.
This is not of course, any easy fix, for all the troubles and assaults of this life are very convincing on their own terms. But to seek to listen to Jesus…is the place to return to…over and over again…with a dependable hope of beginning again.
This is the most essential calling…that is calling me: to listen to Jesus.
It is, I believe, the most essential calling for Grace Church…and any other church.
To listen to Jesus…is the one and only clear place in which we can all potentially share common ground…to be together…to become friends across our differences…to be a people of good will and peace…and maybe even…find some peace…of mind.
When the disciples heard the voice of God saying “Listen to Jesus”…they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.
But Jesus came…and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.”
