Walk Tall: Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8)

So how did they know it was Moses and Elijah who appeared with Jesus? Did they have stickers: "Hello, My Name Is Moses"? Was there some kind of iconic clue?

Then Peter and James and John saw Jesus and his clothes start glowing. Jesus was transfigured -- changed on a mountain top. How would you react to that... seeing your teacher start glowing? But then a talking cloud moves in and says "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him." What would Doppler radar say about this cloud? The weather guy on the news: "Partly freaky to freaky this evening...."

Then it was over, as quickly as it started. Jesus stopped glowing; Moses and Elijah disappeared; and the cloud moved along. And it probably left the three disciples staring... maybe one of those "deer in the headlights" moments. I can imagine one of them saying, "Okay, that was pretty weird."

Today's gospel ends with Jesus saying "Rise, and do not be afraid." And if I had been Peter or James or John, I would have thought... "Dude, if you can pull all that off - the glowing, and the Moses, and the Elijah, and the talking cloud - whatever you say."

More interesting: how were they supposed to explain this to others? That's the aspect of today's gospel that I want to talk about. I mean, if things happened the way we read it, then Peter or James or John had to tell somebody because they were the only ones there. Somebody had to report it to the author of the gospel. The three were permanently changed by what they saw. If I told all this to my doctor, he would tell me to check my blood-sugar, assuming I was having an insulin reaction.

Love God. Love yourself. Love your neighbor. When so-called church leaders spew hate aimed directly at you, bless them. Rise with love, not anger... and do not be afraid.

When the boss acts like he doesn't know who you are, bless him. Walk tall... with love, not anger... and do not be afraid.

That's what Jesus said we should do, and we've got the spoken witness of a talking cloud that says we're supposed to do what Jesus says.

Love God. Love yourself. Love your neighbor. And when the going gets really weird, "Rise, and do not be afraid."

When life seems fundamentally scary, remember the witness of God the father speaking from within a cloud. When it seems hard, we're told to keep the faith. Trust God, even when life seems impossible.

When Moses went to the mountain to hear God in the Old Testament, he had to cover his eyes. When the three apostles went to the mountain and saw those three glowing figures, they were told to rise, and not to be afraid.

If Matthew tells us anything, it is that you are empowered and it doesn't matter who you are. This is the Jewish writer who starts his gospel telling us about three magi from the East. Let's simplify the words: magi are sorcerers and "from the East" probably means Persia. Using knowledge from the stars, they come to Bethlehem. Do the math: Persian astrologers, probably followers of Zoroaster, were some of the first to pay homage to Jesus. Not very Jewish, even though scholars say Matthew is the most Jewish of the gospels. Persia is now Iran, and can you imagine some Iranians sorcerers showing up in Israel today, saying that a star told them to come? Outsiders, and it just didn't matter.

We are all empowered, regardless of who we are: Jewish or gentile. Whether you are gay in an ocean of homophobes... whether you are a woman and don't want to be "Girl Friday": walk tall. If you're transgendered and do want to be "Girl Friday": walk tall. If you are a racial minority, and it's Bubba from sea to shining sea: walk tall. If you are a democrat in Texas: walk tall. A Liberal Catholic surrounded by Romans: walk tall, and do not be afraid. If you have HIV-disease and find that people (even gay people, who ought to know better) are afraid even to hug you: love God; love yourself; and love your neighbor. What you think of me is none of my business: I walk tall.

Someone once taunted Mother Teresa of Calcutta, saying "You think you're going to wipe out poverty? You're old and sick yourself." Mother Teresa replied, "I wasn't called to be successful. I was called to be faithful." But think of the thousands of people she helped. She was successful, and she touched so many lives... but success was a by-product, not the goal of her life. Mother Teresa said, "Each one of us has something beautiful to do for God."

Dealing with others sometimes feels hopeless, helpless, and certainly thankless. People who seem respectable (even religious) are eager to say your life isn't worth living. Whole pockets of society want you to leave town or die. They're so powerful... so believable... sounding so holy... maybe we should learn to hate ourselves or turn to anger.

Each one of us has something beautiful to do for God, and that is the lesson of being witness to the Transfiguration. Not just seeing the transfiguration but going down from the mountain to tell someone about it.

Love God. Love yourself. Love your neighbor. Rise, and do not be afraid.

When presidents and potentates put you down, not because of what you've done but because of who you are: rise up with love... walk tall, and do not be afraid because you have something beautiful to do for God.

When poobahs and popes say you're deficient or bad or whatever: bless them and simply say: Talk to the cloud. Talk to the cloud.