Sermons

vicarScottGrossman smSermon for Transfiguration - 
The Rev. Scott Duane Grossmann.
Vicar of Mt. Olive 

I'm not here to tell you, you should do this or you should do that, in Jesus reveal all he is doing, is saying, I just thought you'd like to know.

Who's your person?

We are blessed if we have one person that we rely on
And doubly blessed if we have one or more who sees us without judgment and that we would trust to be there in any situation

Many of us make God our person “A voice came from the cloud’ it is during the transfiguration and at Jesus baptism that we hear God say with you I am well pleased and in the scripture today a cloud is frequently a symbol of God's presence to protect and
guide, when God is involved as your person the only true hearing is unquestioning hearing.

You can either believe or not,

Just thought you'd like to know

Your person might be Jesus who reveals to you Christ.

There is a television show it's a show about doctors, emergency rooms and personal relationships one story line is with the lead character as she refers throughout the series as you’re my person, you're my person, I trust in you to be my person. its One of my
favorite shows Called Gray's anatomy

I say it is all right and good of changing up that person or those people in your life if they seem to not look out for your beast interest

I say it’s an honor to be some ones person

In this honor I believe as a human it is important and its ok to truly reveal all my warts and accomplishments too.

Our biggest fears in the human race is embarrassment, being humiliated, not being believed, as we expose ourselves to our core people,
And what a relief and freedom we get when we know we have found her our person who comes without humiliation


All we are saying is “just thought you'd like to know who I am and your person is safe with me.

Transfiguration Sunday A day in

Transcending going beyond the limit of which we are
Or what’s trending in social media in the moment to change to be popular

Being transparent, to see through me showing you all my flaws, as well as assets

A word becoming more common in our vocabulary today is transgender
Accepting that one insides feel different than ones outside exterior

To live in the comfort of who I am,/ can be uncomfortable/ however many of us do not struggle with this discomfort.

And for us to stay out of judgment we must look upon it as any equal rights movement

yet it takes the very strong person to become free, then proceed to change it. Even those, who are Olympic, gold-medal athletes.

Who's your person…. To go to when you are in need of non-judgment?

We also use the word transform, we change our hair color, change our clothing, change our environment, and change our relationships,

Transform our lives from addiction to recovery,

Transform our denial of medical issues to the reality of being honest in revealing to what really is going on,

Transform our own acceptance of death

We, become transformed, exposing ourselves by our own reveal, our own Transfiguration.

Pause?

In the Gospel of Mark the last few weeks we have been speaking of specific people Jesus takes with him. Who does Jesus take with him to denounce demons, Andrew, Peter, John, James. the first four disciples.

Who does Jesus take to the mountaintop with him who are these core people in today's Scripture, who’s Jesus person or persons?

We talk about Jesus leading up the mountain Peter, John, and James, his nicknames for them is peter Rock John and James sons of thunder these are close friends.

I remember my nickname in high school on the football team it was House because I was big as a house and I could block for the quarterback to run in for a touchdown at that time I was that person.

Jesus Transfiguration appearance changed the three disciples who saw Jesus in his glorified state.

I tell you the truth you will not taste death before you see the kingdom of God come with power,

Jesus tells this to his peeps, his person, and knew
They would not be saying what are you smoking Jesus?

No.
For it was necessary at this time to reveal who Christ is in Jesus, to give a heads up, ease the shock of what is to come, with no demands, with no defensive dialogue, with no should or shouldn’t, with no guilt, or shame.

Just thought you'd like to know

This is what I truly am
Jesus transfigures in front of them

Some scholars think it's great to see Jesus Transfiguration from person to light.

However I like to see it in this form Jesus is standing there on the mountaintop steps out of this light to reveal and then turns and faces in to this light/ he then literally steps aside revealing this light next to him so bright bleach of the world would not
recognize and in some way Jesus tells his person, his people, you see this next to me right there/ that's inside me, that light is Christ in me that is who I am this is what you will have forever and forever, this is a pre showing of my resurrection to ascension.
And then we see Jesus while the light is still glowing shining bright as bleach than any earth could imagine stands next to him Moses and Elijah

And the jaws of Peter, the rock James and John the sons of thunder have now dropped to the ground in ahhh of what they are seeing, however, no embarrassment, no condemning

They were Jesus’s persons

Jesus knows who his person is, exposed through this transfiguration in all confidence expressing the importance of humanness on this earth, representing

God’s/ Christ light within each of us, Moses leading us through the desert, Elijah ascending to heaven alive to represent the prophets all these leaders are here, exposed.

It was at this point Peter not wanting to show his fear became like a kid, eager to please, a little excited child peter says I will build you all three each a dwellings, each a tent to be in..

I was 17 1/2 years old my senior year in high school and I was so excited to plan and build a huge party for my mom and dad's anniversary that summer. Because I did want to show my fear like peter I was a tickled little kid who was excited to please.

Throughout my teenage years my brother and I were witness to domestic abuse within our household and this was incredibly uncomfortable to be part of.

My parents were coming upon an anniversary and I was so excited and told them I have planned to build and create an incredible party I'm good to put together this incredible party for you at the river cabin
I would fix it up and get a make it beautiful to have a band that would invite the townspeople and I would try to make it the best anniversary ever for you mom and dad build you a dwelling that you can keep your love protected.

My mom and dad both looked at me and they said son this is bigger than us we have to take a look at our part in this and we will have two transform our own lives for the better to accept each other.

There is no party going to make any difference and thank you for your thoughtfulness

I wanted so badly to keep my mom and dad alive in their relationship. And, in their love for each other.

My father and mother are still married 57 years now I don't know if that's right or wrong to be honest there were a lot of miserable years in their however the generation that my folks grew up in was when it seemed not so easy to transform their lives outside
of the commitment of marriage neither is right or wrong it just our thinking that makes it so. If there is danger we do not repeat the same action expecting deferent results that would be a form of insanity so I ask you to speak out and ask for help.


And I often wonder how many times children of divorced parents have tried to keep together the building,
the home-me dwelling to keep their parents together and the tickle little kid excited holing back fear to keep their father and mother safe.


The important essence here is truly of Peter wanting to build a dwelling for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah was in relation that peter didn't want to let go of what he was seeing he wanted to be one to keep all of that in form in the four walls of brick-and-mortar, a
tent that he could come and visit as time went on this dwelling that he was to build for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, a dwelling to keep them here on this Earth in Peter's mind,

but Jesus says no I'm not to be put in a box in a dwelling I am to be put out into the world to be the light of the world.

And bless Peter’s heart for all he wanted was the to erect a dwelling where God could again communicate with his people

How ironic do we find it that

Today we look at what that meant at that time when Peter stated I will build you each a dwelling, Peter on some level was ahead of the game, I think advanced in his ages as he knew without really knowing that as life goes on in the world

We have Christian churches to represent Jesus, we have synagogues for the belief of Moses, we have mosques in the belief of profits Elijah, Mohammed, and we have temple dwellings for Buddhists

•And the point of excitement that Peter had at that moment could have never went beyond what we are seeing today as we recognize on many more occasions the killing in the name of Allah, God Islamic, Muslim, religion, the killing in the name of Laws and
the high priests within the Jewish religion, the killing in the name of isolation, and separation, from the Buddhists, and the killing in the name of freedom and control of Christianity. And we keep all these forms of religion in our prayers.


It’s not that the core disciples of Peter, John, and James who ever doubted that Jesus, for he was Son of God.

it was necessary for this transfiguration to take place though as they were eager to find fulfillment of the promise glory then prior to the suffering that Jesus had announced as necessary,

This is a celebration.

Just thought you'd like to know, this is not going to be the end.

I will not be in form as you probably would recognize me, but I am in form of light so when I ascend into heaven I will still be with you.

It was important for Jesus to lay the groundwork at this time for he knew that it was going to get pretty messy, and for the moment he needed to expose himself in a way to reveal himself revealing his transfiguration of himself to his core disciples knowing
there would be no disregarded humiliation.

Theses were his persons

Up on that mountaintop Jesus revealed a part of him that is still in all of us today. he was setting the site, paving the road for easing the pain for his people, yet knowing there were so much more to come.

As he and his persons left that mountaintop we are remained by Luther as he talks to us of your will be done Luther says no matter what happens, let my life be governed not by my will, but by yours, Luther praised: our times are in your hands of God, keep
me in your care all the days of my life,

Just thought you like to know, thanks Luther

This was an opportunity that puts some peace of comfort with in his people within Peter John and James for this was an opportunity for them to recognize the light that shines so bright with in the soul of Christ also can shine so bright in us as well.

You are the light of the world “God has built his plan for the salvation of his son on us”, this is not a statement of pride or arrogance or self-deception it refers to you as you were created by God it simply states the truth and the light has come.
I will have forgiven the world I will be light to the darkness

I will there be light, darkness is not my will

My grievances keep me in the darkness and hide the light,

A daily mantra might be, Light and joy and peace abide in me

Today in 2nd Corinthians we talk about the veil we talk about the light,

We hear God today and listen to the word, which lifts the veil that lies upon the earth and wakes all those who sleep and cannot see.

God calls to them through you, God needs your voice to speak to them for who could reach Gods sons and daughters except his father calling through yourself.

Lift the veil do not to look through the fuzzy haze any longer
All things you want are given as you lift the veil of forgiveness.

As we lift the veil today it will be given you, to feel the peace forgiveness offers and the joy the lifting of the veil holds.

Jesus teaches us through his transfiguration you will see another world arise you have no words to picture,

We walked directly into the light and we receive the gifts that have been given and been held in store for us since time began.


Just thought you like to know

What we have today is a light in each one of us that assures us of the love that we are to offer this world, one candle cannot burn alone or as brightly as all candles, there is a light in every soul, some brightly burning, some dark and cold,

However the spirit brings a fire ignites the flame and makes its home

Who's your person?
Tell them just thought you like to know, who I am
Christ- with- in. Christian.

Jesus is telling us there are no should or shouldn't it's a free will, we have been given, and salvation can be ours just thought he'd like to know

My hope is you run to the darkness with your light seek out the hopeless, those of us confused,

Expose your light, let Christ led you up to the mountaintop; all alone, for you can be Gods person.

Yes in a dazzling white whiter than anyone in the world imagine or teach us.

So bright, brighter than bleach white take your candle burning inside you, reveal in your own transfiguration and go, then and light your world, by telling all, “just thought you’d like to know’

Music
Take your candle go like your world
So take your candle go like your world

Music vamp everyone here today is welcome to come forward and light a candle and place it on the altar under our beautiful earthy piece of art as you start your journey through Lent or to light a candle for a loved one or friend your person…. as we sing “go
light your world’

Vicar Scott

The Rev. Scott Duane Grossmann
Vicar, Mt. Olive Lutheran Church
Santa Monica, California


Just thought you'd like to know.
Sermon for Transfiguration
February 14 &15, 2015

Written by Rev. Scott Duane Grossmann 

 

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