Transfiguration - Matt. 17: 1-9 An Amazing Ride

Years ago, when our son Jeff was in middle school, we went to Knott’s Berry Farm. It was a misty, cloudy day in California and very few other people were present. That meant we could ride Montezuma’s Revenge over and over and over again. Montezuma’s Revenge is a rollercoaster ride that goes from zero to 55 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds. It takes you up, completely upside down, then back up. Then it stops. After a brief pause it is another 4.5 seconds until you are flying backward at 55 mph. It was really a rush. But after seven or eight rides I was kind of sick to my stomach.

The disciples must have felt a little like they were riding Montezuma’s Revenge. In Matthew chapter 16 Jesus asks them, “Who do people say that I am.” They respond that people are saying he is Elijah or Jeremiah or John the Baptist come back from the dead. Then Jesus says, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replies, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus blesses Peter for his answer and says that he will be the rock upon which Christ will build his church. Then immediately Jesus begins telling his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem where he will suffer and be killed and then be raised from the dead. Peter takes Jesus aside and says, “Say it ain’t so, Lord. This must never happen to you.” Remember, Jesus has just blessed Peter and praised him. Now he yells at him saying, “Get behind me, Satan!”

Talk about a roller coaster ride. But it isn’t over yet. Jesus tells them that if they want to be his followers they have to follow him all the way to the cross and give up their very lives. In the next sentence he tells them about the glory they will experience in God’s kingdom.

Now we come to chapter 17 and our text for today. Jesus takes Peter, James and John on a rollercoaster ride that puts Montezuma’s Revenge to shame. He takes them up to the mountaintop and there he is transfigured before them. His face shines like the sun and his clothes become dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus. Peter, who is good at blurting things out, says, “Lord, how about if I build three dwellings: one for you, one for Moses and one for Eljiah?” He is still blathering away when this bright cloud overshadows them and God speaks, saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased, listen to him!” Hearing that, the disciples fall to the ground petrified with fear. But then Jesus comes to them, touches them and says, “Get up and do not be afraid.”

After traveling to this incredible high point where they catch a glimpse of Christ’s glory they head back down into the valley. On the way down, Jesus again tells them that he is going to die. I would think all of these ups and downs would have made them a little sick to their stomach. It was a tumultuous time.

But then, life is often like a rollercoaster ride. There can be some incredible highs and some terrible lows and sometimes the transition from one to the other can leave us screaming in fear and hanging on for all we are worth.

We spend much of our lives feeling a bit like the child who summed up his fear of going to his first day of school, saying, “My name is Donald, and I don’t know anything. I have new underwear, a loose tooth, and I didn’t sleep last night because I’m worried. What if a bell rings and a man yells, ‘Where do you belong?’ and I don’t know? What if the trays in the cafeteria are too tall for me to reach? What if my loose tooth comes out when we have our heads down and are supposed to be quiet? Am I supposed to just bleed quietly? What if I splash water on my nametag and my name disappears and no one knows who I am?”

Donald is not alone in being afraid. We all have our fears. Transitions can be exciting and scary all at the same time.

The first day of school, the first day of high school, the first day of college, and the first day on the job, can all be quite a ride.

Getting married can set your nerves all atwitter.

Having a baby is rollercoaster ride like no other. Seeing this little person for the first time is awe inspiring. But having them cry and scream and turn red all over without being able to tell you what is wrong is no fun.

Changing jobs, moving to a new city, entering retirement, all carry with them a combination of hopes and fears.

Seeing your pension plummet; having the doctor tell you that you have cancer; losing a loved one to death; fill you with fear, pain and sorrow.

Some of those things can cause you to wonder if you can survive them.

That is why Jesus took Peter, James and John to the mountaintop. That is why he gave them a glimpse of his glory. He knew this vision would help them through the valley.

God told those disciples, “This is my Son, the Beloved,; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” If we are going to make it through our valleys, if we are going to survive our fears, we need to listen to him. We need to hear what he has to say to us and hold onto his promises more firmly that a frightened rollercoaster rider grips the safety bar.

One day a father decided to take his little daughter out for lunch. While they were munching on French fries, the father said: "You know, honey, I want you to know how special you are to me. I love you very much, and I'm really glad to have a daughter like you." When the father stopped and paused, his daughter looked at him and said: "Tell me more, Daddy. Tell me more." And so the father did just that. He went on about all the ways he loved her, and about how proud he was of her, and about all the hopes and dreams he had for her. When they got back home, the little girl rushed in the house and said: "Guess what, Mommy? I'm special. Daddy told me so."

Our Heavenly Father wants us to know that we are special to him. God wants us to know that he loves us so much that he sent Jesus into the world to save us. Jesus left the glories of heaven to become one of us. He knows all about the rollercoaster ride of life. Having lived in heaven he knows higher highs and greater glories than we will ever know until we enter into his kingdom ourselves. Having been born in a stable, grown up under an oppressive government, grieved the death of friends, suffered betrayal, injustice, beating and an excruciatingly painful death he knows better than we do, how deep and dark the valleys can be in the rollercoaster ride of life. He has been there and done that and tells us he will help us do it too. He promises to be with us to uphold us and help us and empower us to enjoy the ride.

We would do well to listen to Jesus. One of the most important things he says to us is, “Do not be afraid.” There are 365 passages in the Bible that tell us to “Fear not.” or “Do not be afraid.” That is one for every day of the year!

In Isaiah 41:10 God says, “Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”

Angels address Mary and Joseph and shepherds in their fields about the birth of Jesus and the first thing the angels say is, “Do not be afraid.”

God tells Peter, James and John to listen to Jesus and the first thing Jesus says to them is “Do not be afraid.”

On Easter morning at the empty tomb the first words the angel speaks to the women are, “Do not be afraid.”

God does not want us to be afraid. God wants us to trust in his promises to be with us and help us and give us the strength we need for this rollercoaster ride we call life.

There is a climber’s register on a difficult peak in the North Cascade Mountains. On that register is a sign, which reads, “Yes, you can. Others have.”

We don’t need to be afraid. Yes, there are frightening things that confront us. But God has promised to give us the strength to face them. The Bible is filled with stories about people God has helped to overcome all kinds of challenges. It tells us we can climb the mountains in front of us for with God’s help “others have.” God has promised to be with us in the midst of any experience that could cause us fear. We don’t need to be afraid of the valleys of life for God has promised to walk with us and lead us even through the valley of the shadow of death.

On Thursday night, KARE 11 News had a touching story about Nick Nelson is a 9-year-old Minnesota boy who just a few months ago, made a difficult choice. Nick was born with a condition that made walking nearly impossible and after a young life full of surgical procedures, Nick decided his best choice was to have doctors amputate his leg. This brave little boy just recently got a prosthetic leg and is walking again. His story captured the attention of people across the country. He has been on the Today show and was invited to the US Para-Olympics. He met swimmers with no legs and played sled hockey with others with no legs. Nick said it was the best day of his life. He said, “This makes me think my life's going to be better and it's not gonna stink," When asked about his decision to have his leg amputated, Nick said, “Sometimes you have to make hard choices in life, very hard choices. But if you're brave enough, you can have enough power to do it, then you life will be a whole lot better."

Nick was inspired by others who are living rich, full lives after amputation. Now Nick is an inspiration to others.

We can be inspired by Abraham and Isaac, Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha. We can be inspired by Mary and Joseph and by Peter and James and John. But most of all we can be inspired by Jesus who tells us, “Do not be afraid.” If we listen to him and lean on him we can be an inspiration to others.

Life is a rollercoaster ride. There is no doubt about it. There are ups and there are downs. The ups can be thrilling and the downs can be scary, but Jesus has promised to be with us every inch of the way. If we hold fast to his promises. life will be an amazing ride. Amen.

GUIDED BY THE GOSPEL: GATHERING • GROWING • GIVING