“Mount
Transfiguration vs. Avatar”
Luke
9:28-36
First
Presbyterian Church
Reverend
Donald E. Ray
February
14, 2010
Transfiguration
of the Lord
I begin with the disclaimer; that other than a few
preview clips and a trailer I looked up on line, I have not seen the movie, Avatar.
I have heard that it has a good
story line; one reviewer sketched numerous similarities to Dances with Wolves which we own and have chosen to watch repeatedly.
But ducking huge birds so realistic
that they appear to fly through the theater directly at one’s head doesn’t
particularly appeal to me. Then, I
am puzzled that the predominant idea of interaction with creatures from another
planet or universe has to be hostile and violent. I
loved ET, recall crying through
several parts of it. This creature
with the evidently superior intelligence to create an intergalactic transmitter
out of a simple record player; the power to fly on the handlebars of a boys bike
poses no threat; he – she - it, befriends a young boy and finally, just wants
to go home. That is my idea of a
space adventure movie.
The Gospels share the story of Jesus having gone up
a mountain with three of his disciples, there his robes became dazzling bright
and he was joined by Moses and Elijah from the dead. Biblical
movies use special effects to create a glowing aura and spirit Moses and the
prophet into the picture. Those who
have seen Avatar or even a clip showing a little of the computer generated
technology that created the characters and scenes, will not be impressed by
three radiant men on a mountain. Not
even a nomination for an Oscar there. Laundry
detergent commercials do as much. So
in the supernatural, miraculous stories from Scripture sometimes offered as
evidence of the divinity of Jesus, it’s not special effects that convey the
story.
Luke brings together two images in his Mount of
transfiguration story. In Exodus it
is reported, Moses’ face glowed when he came down from his meeting with God on
Sinai bearing the Law on tablets of stone. (Exodus 34:29) In
the dramatic account of Elijah’s sojourn on
In response to the dazzling radiance of Jesus and
the appearance of Moses and Elijah, Peter wanted to build a camp and preserve
the moment. But then a cloud
enshrouded Jesus and the disciples. The
disciples were terrified. “From
the cloud came a voice,” writes Luke. “This is
my Son, my
Psalm 46 gives us two commands; the first, “Come,
behold the works of the Lord.” (Psalm 46:8) The
second, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) Overlay
the Psalm on
In his ‘Tween
Sundays email a week ago, Tom shared this poem from the seventeenth century
mystic and poet, Angelus Silesius:
God, whose love and joy
Are present everywhere
Can’t come to visit you
Unless you aren’t there.
Roger Housden’s commented, “what has to
disappear for us to know that love and joy are everywhere is not just the
concept but the sensation of being a separate entity of consciousness.”
I read a synopsis of the plot of Avatar—didn’t
have to duck giant birds. Jake, part
of a mission to Pandora to raid deposits of valuable Unobtanium infiltrates the
native Navi to help his expedition gain access to the treasure. Instead,
he becomes a convert to the Navi way of life and joins them in warding off the
raiding party. I can see the
similarities to Dances with Wolves where
Lt. John Dunbar befriends the wolves and Indians, siding with them in opposition
to the military massacre of native Americans to claim the new world treasures.
I took a lashing Thursday evening at Choir
rehearsal for my hymn selection this week. I
suspect some in the congregation this morning agree that I deserved it. I
considered changing the first hymn before the bulletin was printed Friday
morning but didn’t. I considered
changing it this morning even though it is already listed in the bulletin, but I
didn’t. I didn’t because I
realized the hymn is a graphic image of
God
folds the mountains out of rock and fuses
elemental
powers
In
ores and atoms we unlock to claim as if their
wealth
were ours.
From
veins of stone we lift up fire, and too impressed by our own skill
We
use the flame that we acquire, not thinking of the
Maker’s
will.
Our
instruments can probe and sound
the
folded mountain’s potent core,
But
wisdom’s ways are never found among the
lodes
of buried ore.
Yet
wisdom is the greatest need, and wisdom is the
greatest
source,
For
lacking wisdom we proceed to waste God’s other gifts
on
force.
Lord,
grant us what we cannot mine, what science cannot plumb or chart;
Your
wisdom and your truth divine enfolded in a faithful heart.
Then
we like mountains richly veined will be a source of
light
and flame
Whose
energies have been ordained to glorify the
Maker’s
name. (1)
We who share responsibility for crafting the frame
for worship, work intently to shape a unified flow. Our
goal is that we all may climb the mountain together. The
resulting beauty, warmth and inspiration can create a dazzling radiance. But
a dazzling glow is not always our experience. Because
we have come with a weight upon us; because something strikes the note of
discord in our life; because we sense a cloud descending upon us; it’s
terrifying to lose our vision, to feel cut off, isolated. But
gratefully we are not alone in crafting the frame of worship, not alone in
worship; even enshrouded in cloud, especially when all is obliterated we hear a
voice, we sense the love, we can trust the Spirit that leads us.
The “mountain top experience,” indeed all of
worship, prayer, meditation ought be transfiguration - not just creating glow,
awe and wonder, heart and soul stirring, but transformation at the core of our
being. At the Session retreat, I was
part of a small group collating responses to the interviews by elders with
persons from the congregation. I was
struck by a number of responses that indicate that their experience in this
community of faith has led to differences in their daily lives; greater respect
for persons, for creation impacts the way they do business and relate to others.
The Gospels tell us the voice said of Jesus,
“This is my Son, my chosen, listen to him.” Centuries
of romanticizing a dazzling bright Jesus have tended to distance us from the God
the Christ in Jesus intended to bring near. That
voice to which we are invited to listen, the voice that comes often when we are
enshrouded in a cloud, carries a message of love, forgiving, and hope. It
is the message that helps us be the healing force when we return to where it is
we live.
Then
we like mountains richly veined will be a source of
Light
and flame
Whose
energies have been ordained to glorify
The
Maker’s name.
I wish my sons lived closer but since they live a
long day’s drive away, I am glad one lives in the Adirondacks and the other
near the Blue Ridge in
Maybe I’ll brave the diving giant birds and go
see Avatar to be wowed by the computer
generated special effects. But I
know for a sure winner, I’ll keep going to the mountain, even when its hidden
in a cloud-- especially then.
Amen.
(1)
God
Folds the Mountains Out of Rock; No.
287 The Presbyterian Hymnal