A Heart of Awe
Matthew 17:1-9
February 2, 3, 2008

This is one of the days of the year when we set aside some time for mountain climbing. Do we have any mountain climbers here today? Or perhaps some of you prefer to do your mountain climbing with the aid of a ski lift—as our young people did last weekend?

You may have heard the story about the two Boy Scouts who were on a camp-out in the Rocky Mountains with their troop. After the troop set up the campsite, Nate and Sam received permission from their Scoutmaster to wander around a little bit. While hiking in the woods, Nate and Sam found this huge rock which had an old iron lever attached to it. Etched into the rock was the following inscription: “If this lever is pulled, this mountain will explode!” They looked at each other and were amazed! Nate was the curious one—he wanted to pull the lever to see what would happen! Sam was the cautious one—he shouted, “No! Don’t even think about it!” But Nate could not help himself—he started to pull on the lever. Out of nowhere, there was a loud thud—Sam had picked up a nearby log and knocked Nate stone cold! The scoutmaster and troop members heard all the commotion and rushed to the scene! The scoutmaster yelled, “What’s going on?” Sam said, “I’m sorry, sir. But it was better Nate than lever.”

A more serious mountain climbing story happened to Leonardo Diaz. He found himself in a real predicament—stranded by a blizzard at 12,000 feet in South America’s Andes. He tried to call for help on his cell phone, but was unable to make a call. Why? Because he was out of range? No! Because his prepaid phone minutes had run out! Great planning, huh? As you can guess, Leonardo was terrified. He prepared himself for the worst. Hours and hours passed. Incredibly, the next day he heard his cell phone ring. He fumbled to find the phone and said, “Hello?” The operator said, “I’m calling to remind you that your cell phone is out of minutes; would you like to purchase more?” He was rescued seven hours later! So, the next time you get pestered by a phone company—think of Leonardo Diaz.

IN THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE LESSON FROM MATTHEW, WE HEAR ABOUT AN EVEN MORE SERIOUS MOUNTAIN CLIMBING STORY. This weekend we conclude the season of Epiphany—a time when Christians give thanks for the ways God’s Light breaks into the world—especially in the life of Jesus.
I have suggested that Epiphany is a time to be “Light-hearted”—a time not just to recognize the Light of Christ—but to share the Light of Christ in this world. We have read scripture passages that have encouraged us to have a heart of humility, a heart of generosity, a heart of purity and righteousness, a heart of excitement, and a heart for ministry.

Today we will think about having a heart of awe. Today’s text from Matthew brings to mind a couple of mountaintop experiences. From the book of Exodus, we remember Moses’ dramatic journey to the mountain where he received the Ten Commandments. “Moses went up on the mountain—and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai—and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day God called to Moses out of the cloud. The appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain—for forty days and forty nights!” Moses makes another mountaintop appearance in today’s text—this time on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus and some of his closest friends are mountain climbing. When they get to the top of the mountain, Jesus is transfigured before them! Peter, James and John see Jesus in an incredible new way! His face shines like the sun! His clothes are dazzling white. Moses and Elijah—the great law-giver and great prophet—appear with him. Peter begins to blab… But this is not a time to talk. It is a time to listen. And God cuts him off!

It’s kind of like the young executive who was working his way up the corporate ladder—he was stressing out and stretched too thin. He confessed: “I was snapping at my wife and our children, choking down my food at mealtimes, and feeling irritated at unexpected interruptions through the day.” “Before long, things around our home started reflecting the pattern of my hurry-up style—I was becoming unbearable.” “I distinctly remember after supper one evening, the words of our younger daughter.” She wanted to tell me something important that had happened to her at school that day. She talked quickly: ‘Daddy, I wanna tell you somethin’ and I’ll tell you really fast.’ “Suddenly realizing her frustration, I answered, ‘Honey, you can tell me—and you don’t have to tell me really fast—say it slowly.” He said: “I’ll never forget her answer.” She said, ‘Then, Daddy, listen slowly.’”

Peter is too preoccupied with his own agenda—he is missing the moment. And God tells him to be quiet, to be silent. A bright cloud overshadows them and a voice from the cloud says, “This is my Son, the beloved. Listen to him!” The disciples are driven to their knees—overcome with fear. But Jesus comes and touches them and says, “Do not be afraid.” They look up. All they see is Jesus—and strangely, Jesus tells them to keep this a secret. Right?! How are you going to keep something like this a secret?! It’s like going to see a movie and enduring the twenty minutes of commercials and previews. Most of the time we continue to yak and squawk and talk. But once in a while one of the coming attractions grabs us—and everybody around us—and we whisper, “I can’t wait to see that one!” During that mountaintop moment, Peter, James and John, the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples, are given a preview of coming attractions. They are given a powerful preview of a Jesus they had not seen. Radiant, dazzling, mortality draped in divinity! Shining in glory like the very sun!

Although incredibly difficult days are approaching, they are given a sneak preview of things to come—the joy of Easter. This experience marks the beginning of a whole new understanding on the part of these disciples. He has been their friend, their teacher, their inspiration. But nothing could have prepared them for this mountaintop moment. And what they experience drives them to their knees. They are standing in the presence of the Almighty, Mysterious, Amazing God. They are overwhelmed to the point of…worship. True worship—knock your socks off worship. Knock you to your knees worship. So overcome by the power and presence of God—awesome worship—AWE-FULL worship.

THAT’S A WORD WE THROW AROUND TOO LOOSELY, I THINK. We’ll use to describe some incredible catch during the Super Bowl. We’ll bounce it around to talk about some slam-dunk of a basketball. We’ll toss it around like a salad as we tell somebody about a delicious meal we had at the newest restaurant in town. We’ll use it to try to sell somebody on a super sale in the mall. We’ll use it for our favorite adjective when things are going well in our lives—“Oh, I’m awesome!” But I think it’s a God-word, a mountaintop moment word, a word that should be reserved for the One who cannot even be captured by any of the words we use. And I am not proposing that we use it less. In fact, I am proposing that we use it more. But let’s use it to describe the God-moments in our lives. Let’s use it to name the work of God around us and in us and through us. Let’s use it to talk about the Spirit of the Living God—a Spirit that permeates and empowers everything around us.

I am so excited to begin our study of Martha Grace Reese’s book, Unbinding Your Heart, next week! She will encourage us to tell our stories and talk about what our faith can be. Early in the book, she shares this experience: “One Ash Wednesday morning, my ash-crossed forehead prompted three comments at the supermarket (including, “Oh, you’ve got some dirt on your forehead,” from a clueless clerk.). “I mentioned this to one of my seminary professors, who replied, “You know, if we had any IDEA what being a Christian really was, we’d walk around every day feeling like Martians.” She refers to a comment from Annie Dillard: “Does anyone have the foggiest idea of what sort of power we blithely invoke when we pray?” “Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it?” “In church we should all be wearing crash helmets!” “Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews.” Reese wonders: “With that perspective, here’s the question?” “What difference does it make in your life that you are a Christian?” “We only dabble our toes at the edges of the waters of faith.” “Few of us have a clue how vivid and powerful life with Christ can be!”

A pastor tells a story about a lovely, little 90-year-old woman named Mrs. Sampson, who was a member of the church family. Mrs. Sampson was frail, feeble, even sickly. But whenever he became discouraged, he went to visit Mrs. Sampson. She had a radiant spirit that was contagious! One day he asked this 90-year-young woman, “What is your secret? “What keeps you happy and contented? “What keeps you cheerful—even in your sickness?” Mrs. Sampson answered with a line from a poem, “I had an hour of glory on a windswept hill.” The pastor reflects, “I sensed that she had been in touch with God—and that was the whole reason for her radiant joy.”

“An hour of glory on a windswept hill.” Many of us could tell similar stories—times when God seemed closer than close. It happens to Peter, James, and John in today’s story. It happened to Martha Grace Reese. It happened to Mrs. Sampson. It will continue to happen to you. And friends, that is AWE-some!