Last Sunday after the Epiphany (Matthew 17:1-9)

Our Christian practice of worshiping Jesus is not about deifying the person from Nazareth. (If so, isn’t that against the second commandment of not making any idol?) Worship in its etymological sense is to acknowledge worth. By worshiping Jesus, we Christians mean to recognize the worth of Jesus and his ministry which compels us to follow his way of life through the crucifixion to the resurrection. We believe that this life of following the way of love according to the teachings of Jesus, deeply rooted in the inner kingdom of God, is worthy in and of itself. Think of why we are called Christians. Christians are the ones who want to become like Christ. Christians are Christ-like. 

In this respect, the glorious event of transfiguration depicted in the gospel lesson today is not just about Jesus. We are also invited to envision ourselves being transfigured. As Jesus is transfigured, you are to be transfigured. As his face shines like the sun and his clothes become dazzling white, your face shines like the sun and your clothes become dazzling white. In the place of Jesus, we stand with Moses who led the Israelites out of Egypt, and also with Elijah who was the only figure ascending to heaven alive. Through Jesus, we experience freedom from spiritual, mental, and material enslavement as well as the ascension of the human mind by allowing the Holy Spirit to breathe Heaven itself into the body. Then, we hear the voice from the cloud of unknowing, “You are my child, the Beloved; with you, I am well pleased…” 

The transfiguration event takes us back to the baptism of Jesus in which we hear the same voice declaring, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) Transfiguration and baptism point to the same thing: transformation. As baptism signals transformation that is to develop through one’s life with love as a means to that end, transfiguration reinforces the same task we choose to pursue. Transformation is God’s vision personally taking place in us. What kind of transformation are we then talking about? Is this some kind of supernatural transformation? Is it realizable? Is God’s vision something that remains in a heavenly realm? Is it more like an empty slogan? 

When Peter, James, and John become disoriented by the scene of the transfigured Jesus conversing with Moses and Elijah and hearing the voice from heaven, Jesus comes and “touches” them. This touch grounds them back to the earth, back to their reality. Don’t gaze upon the heavenly realm but keep their feet on the ground. The transfigured Jesus is not untouchable. Being transfigured is not to be taken metaphorically in an abstract sense. It ought to be real and concrete, which is not limited to Jesus himself but is open to all. 

For this reason, I would like us to look at the Greek term, “metamorphosis,” which is translated as transfiguration. Metamorphosis, according to the dictionary definition, is “the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages.” It’s usually applied to an insect or amphibian. For us human beings, this metamorphosis is a maturing process of spiritual life. As aging makes us more aware of the force of gravity that is pulling down all our muscles with its acceleration of 9.8 m/s^2, maturing is to deepen a sense of spiritual gravitas. This spiritual deepening process of metamorphosis is bodily. It works better with aging. As we notice our body becoming closer to the force of gravity, despite the fact that our culture is anti-aging, we gracefully sit in it. There comes a sense of humility, so human and humus. Thus, the divine mystery of human life is fully enacted in us. 

Parker Palmer shares his wisdom on aging: “Age brings diminishments, but more than a few come with benefits.  I’ve lost the capacity for multitasking, but I’ve rediscovered the joy of doing one thing at a time.  My thinking has slowed a bit, but experience as made it deeper and richer.  I’m done with big and complex projects, but more aware of the loveliness of simple things: a talk with a friend, a walk in the woods, sunsets and sunrises, a night of good sleep.” (Parker Palmer, On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old)

Don’t look up to the sky for your transformation. Look down within. Metamorphosis begins with our aging body. Slow reaction time creates a gap to discern what actions can be skillful or not and to act accordingly. Contemplation as a practical tool to deepen our transfiguration process helps us see this gap more clearly. The more we practice, the clearer we see the gap, in which we gain wisdom and insight from God. It’s never too late to get on this maturing process. Get on it here and now with your body. You’re already being transfigured with the help of the Holy Spirit.