Loading...Sermon February 7, 2016
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, LSW and Dr. Daniel Welliver
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen, Newport, PA
The Last Sunday After the Epiphany, Year C
A Note: This sermon was a back and forth between Dr. Daniel Welliver and me. The audio has the full version. You may need to turn it up a bit when Dan speaks.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Cor. 3:17-18
Please be seated.
In our Gospel today we read of an important experience the disciples Peter, John and James had when they accompanied Jesus to the top of a mountain to pray. They saw Jesus completely changed in form and talking to two great men of their faith, Moses and Elijah. They were astounded by what they saw. In fact, some artwork depicting this event shows them tumbling partway down the mountain.
Peter, possibly out of nervous anxiety, suggests they build a permanent monument to the event. Just then, they hear God’s voice telling them who Jesus is – God’s Son; and to listen to Jesus. They go down the mountain and possibly out of confusion and fear, they don’t say much more about it.
One thing is clear about this event… Jesus changed before their eyes AND the disciples were changed by what they witnessed and experienced. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, speaks about how we are changed and transformed. When we listen to Jesus, we know God through the spirit. In knowing God in the Spirit, we are freed. The more we follow and live into these teachings, the more we are transformed into God’s image!
This morning, Dan Welliver and I want to talk about how addressing racism…working to eradicate racism…has been part of listening to Jesus. How it has led us closer to God…closer to the Spirit… and ultimately transformed us. We hope our stories and witness help you see similar transformations in your life, as well as possibilities for continued transformation, especially when it comes to racial justice.
Dan and I have known each other for about 30 years. We first met when I was on the board of a fair housing organization in Harrisburg and Dan was one of the employees, working to ensure banks were in compliance with fairness laws. We went on to become part of a multi-racial group called People Against Racism to PAR, which met regularly for nearly 20 years.
In our work, we see parallels between the stories of our lives and the Gospel passage. First of all, the Disciples are with Jesus on the mountain and have a powerful “Aha” moment. Dan, what is one of your “Aha” moments when it comes to knowing the reality of racism???
(Dan speaks)
Dan, what do you do when you come down the mountain???
(Dan speaks about coming down the mountain)
This week, think about those “aha” moments and coming down the mountain!
Amen
