Today's sermon/reflection:
As someone who didn’t meet his spouse until the age of 34, I had several years to develop a fool-proof system for meeting the right person. “How,” you might ask, “could the system be considered fool-proof if it took you 34 years to meet the right person?” That would be the topic for another sermon – but I digress.
Anyway, my fool-proof system had four-stages to it, and it went something like this.
Stage One: introduce my prospective spouse to a little piece of history I like to call “Craig: The Early Years”. I’d pull out Volume One of my photo albums and flip to the cutest picture of a child in the history of humankind and watch their reaction.
[Show my picture as a three-year old].
Roughly 90% of the prospective candidates made it through Stage One as they “oohed” and “ahhed” at the picture of that adorable three-year old. On to Stage Two.
Stage Two was a bit more challenging. It involved a publication known as the 1981-82 Antler. Most folks know it simply as my high school yearbook from my freshman year. First, I’d flip through the pages and show them my big hair on p 48. Then I would show them the debate trophies I won with my partner Nancy on p 88. Finally, I show them the picture of our mighty – yet winless - freshman football team on p 73.
If their eyes glazed over at any point in the presentation, they were out. That left about 34 % of the eligible candidates. On to Stage Three.
Stage Three was the music portion of the process where I revealed my favorite music group of all time. When I retreated to the cabinets and pulled out the records of my favorite group, there was two ways they could be eliminated. First, if they laughed when they saw vinyl – the relationship was over there and then. Second, if they didn’t recognize the group – The Pointer Sisters – I figured we would just be delaying the inevitable. Hasta Levista baby! By this time, the pool of candidates was shrinking quickly. We were down to about 5%. On to the fourth – and final – stage.
When I entered Stage Four, I would walk to my bookshelves, remove four publications – and lay them down on a table: a 1966 Houston Astros Media Guide, a 1966 Houston Oilers Media Guide, a 1971 Houston Rockets Media Guide, and a 1976 Houston Aeros Media Guide. I would watch and listen very closely to the candidate’s response. If I saw them shrug their shoulders and say something like, “These are kind of old,” or “They sure had funny haircuts back in the 60’s”, I would stand up, politely escort them to the door, and wish them a good life.
That happened in every case – except one. And most of you know that successful candidate – Mike – by now.
So what are you to make of the madness that I’ve shared with you this morning? Just this. In the first 34 years of my life; I had one goal. That goal was to be known. And while my four-stage screening process for a partner might sound a little odd – it worked. By the time I finished that lengthy process, I found someone who knew me!
Of course, I’m not the only one who had a burning desire to be known. There was someone else who has had that same goal for much longer than I? That someone? God.
Let me tell you how I know that.
In working with a variety of materials in preparation for this morning’s service, I stumbled upon a powerful resource that helped me think about today’s passage in a new way. The resource was part of a Sunday school curriculum prepared for middle school youth in the Episcopalian Church.
The curriculum started out by noting that while most people think of today simply as Transfiguration Sunday, there is another way we should think of this Sunday. We should think of it as Epiphany 6. What they mean by Epiphany 6 is that today is the sixth – and final Sunday – in a season known as Epiphany.
Now few of our local churches think of Epiphany as a season. Most of us think of it simply as the first Sunday in January when we remember the wise men’s experience of following the star to baby Jesus. That narrow understanding of Epiphany causes us to miss the real purpose of Epiphany.
So what is that purpose?
Well, the authors of the curriculum said, the real purpose of the eight Sundays in Epiphany is to help us spend our time between Christmas and the beginning of Lent getting to know the God revealed in Jesus better.
In order to help you understand their point about the purpose of Epiphany, I’ve prepared a little visual to help you out. You’ll find that visual tucked inside the back cover of your bulletin. Go ahead and take that insert out.
[Give them a moment to take the sheet out.]
On that sheet of paper, you’ll notice that there are boxes numbered one through eight - and that each of the boxes has a picture inside it to represent the Scripture from Sunday in Epiphany. Let’s quickly walk through those boxes and see what we have learned about the God of Jesus that was revealed through those stories.
Box #1 represents the story of the star that led the wise men to Jesus. Box #2 is a picture of the dove that descended from the heavens during Jesus’ baptism. Box #3 is a symbol of a fetus in the womb that reminds us of the psalmist’s words about the depths of God’s knowledge of us. Box #4 is a representation of the fishing gear that reminds us of Jesus’ call to the disciples. Box #5? It’s a picture of a demon that can remind us of Jesus’ expulsion of the demon in our first healing story of the season. Box #6 is a symbol of a sick woman in bed. It reminds us of Jesus’ healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. Box #7 is a representation of a man with skin rashes. That picture can remind us of Jesus’ healing of the leper. And Box #8? That, of course, is used to tie in today’s story of the Transfiguration.
As we take this visual tour of the season of Epiphany, let me ask you this: “What have we learned about the God revealed in Jesus?”
[Wait for responses.]
As you can see, the entire season of Epiphany was initially designed much like my little screening process for a prospective partner– to ensure that those involved would get to know the essence of the One to whom we can give our heart.
As most of you know, this Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent: a season that also was designed with a specific goal in mind. That goal is to help us prepare for the events that will culminate in our celebration of Easter on April 12.
So how do we do that? How do we adequately prepare ourselves for that transformational event?
Well, we all do it a little differently. In honoring the many different ways we prepare ourselves, I want you to flip over the sheet of paper I’ve given you with the eight pictures. On the back of that paper, you’ll find – nothing but a blank space. That blank space represents an empty box. As we sit three days out from Lent, I want you to take the next minute or two and think to yourself – “What picture would I draw in that box to represent what I will do to prepare myself for Easter?”
For some of you, the picture you might draw would be something you will take out of your life in order to symbolize the sacrificial love of Jesus. For others, the picture would be something that you add to your daily routine that will symbolize the growth you hope to experience in the coming days. Don’t worry! I’m not going to ask you to draw that picture right now; you can take the sheet home and do it later. I do want you to spending a few moment thinking about what will symbolize your experience of Lent this year. As you do that, I want to provide a little background music for you.
[Play “Open My Eyes”]
Friends, as we leave behind the season of Epiphany – a season when we have learned more about the nature and the character of Jesus – and move toward the season of Lent – a season where we will contemplate the radical places this Jesus will take us – my prayer is this: that we would draw strength for our journey through the relationships we have formed – with God and with one another - that will sustain us through Lent and beyond.
Amen.
Anyway, my fool-proof system had four-stages to it, and it went something like this.
Stage One: introduce my prospective spouse to a little piece of history I like to call “Craig: The Early Years”. I’d pull out Volume One of my photo albums and flip to the cutest picture of a child in the history of humankind and watch their reaction.
[Show my picture as a three-year old].
Roughly 90% of the prospective candidates made it through Stage One as they “oohed” and “ahhed” at the picture of that adorable three-year old. On to Stage Two.
Stage Two was a bit more challenging. It involved a publication known as the 1981-82 Antler. Most folks know it simply as my high school yearbook from my freshman year. First, I’d flip through the pages and show them my big hair on p 48. Then I would show them the debate trophies I won with my partner Nancy on p 88. Finally, I show them the picture of our mighty – yet winless - freshman football team on p 73.
If their eyes glazed over at any point in the presentation, they were out. That left about 34 % of the eligible candidates. On to Stage Three.
Stage Three was the music portion of the process where I revealed my favorite music group of all time. When I retreated to the cabinets and pulled out the records of my favorite group, there was two ways they could be eliminated. First, if they laughed when they saw vinyl – the relationship was over there and then. Second, if they didn’t recognize the group – The Pointer Sisters – I figured we would just be delaying the inevitable. Hasta Levista baby! By this time, the pool of candidates was shrinking quickly. We were down to about 5%. On to the fourth – and final – stage.
When I entered Stage Four, I would walk to my bookshelves, remove four publications – and lay them down on a table: a 1966 Houston Astros Media Guide, a 1966 Houston Oilers Media Guide, a 1971 Houston Rockets Media Guide, and a 1976 Houston Aeros Media Guide. I would watch and listen very closely to the candidate’s response. If I saw them shrug their shoulders and say something like, “These are kind of old,” or “They sure had funny haircuts back in the 60’s”, I would stand up, politely escort them to the door, and wish them a good life.
That happened in every case – except one. And most of you know that successful candidate – Mike – by now.
So what are you to make of the madness that I’ve shared with you this morning? Just this. In the first 34 years of my life; I had one goal. That goal was to be known. And while my four-stage screening process for a partner might sound a little odd – it worked. By the time I finished that lengthy process, I found someone who knew me!
Of course, I’m not the only one who had a burning desire to be known. There was someone else who has had that same goal for much longer than I? That someone? God.
Let me tell you how I know that.
In working with a variety of materials in preparation for this morning’s service, I stumbled upon a powerful resource that helped me think about today’s passage in a new way. The resource was part of a Sunday school curriculum prepared for middle school youth in the Episcopalian Church.
The curriculum started out by noting that while most people think of today simply as Transfiguration Sunday, there is another way we should think of this Sunday. We should think of it as Epiphany 6. What they mean by Epiphany 6 is that today is the sixth – and final Sunday – in a season known as Epiphany.
Now few of our local churches think of Epiphany as a season. Most of us think of it simply as the first Sunday in January when we remember the wise men’s experience of following the star to baby Jesus. That narrow understanding of Epiphany causes us to miss the real purpose of Epiphany.
So what is that purpose?
Well, the authors of the curriculum said, the real purpose of the eight Sundays in Epiphany is to help us spend our time between Christmas and the beginning of Lent getting to know the God revealed in Jesus better.
In order to help you understand their point about the purpose of Epiphany, I’ve prepared a little visual to help you out. You’ll find that visual tucked inside the back cover of your bulletin. Go ahead and take that insert out.
[Give them a moment to take the sheet out.]
On that sheet of paper, you’ll notice that there are boxes numbered one through eight - and that each of the boxes has a picture inside it to represent the Scripture from Sunday in Epiphany. Let’s quickly walk through those boxes and see what we have learned about the God of Jesus that was revealed through those stories.
Box #1 represents the story of the star that led the wise men to Jesus. Box #2 is a picture of the dove that descended from the heavens during Jesus’ baptism. Box #3 is a symbol of a fetus in the womb that reminds us of the psalmist’s words about the depths of God’s knowledge of us. Box #4 is a representation of the fishing gear that reminds us of Jesus’ call to the disciples. Box #5? It’s a picture of a demon that can remind us of Jesus’ expulsion of the demon in our first healing story of the season. Box #6 is a symbol of a sick woman in bed. It reminds us of Jesus’ healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. Box #7 is a representation of a man with skin rashes. That picture can remind us of Jesus’ healing of the leper. And Box #8? That, of course, is used to tie in today’s story of the Transfiguration.
As we take this visual tour of the season of Epiphany, let me ask you this: “What have we learned about the God revealed in Jesus?”
[Wait for responses.]
As you can see, the entire season of Epiphany was initially designed much like my little screening process for a prospective partner– to ensure that those involved would get to know the essence of the One to whom we can give our heart.
As most of you know, this Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent: a season that also was designed with a specific goal in mind. That goal is to help us prepare for the events that will culminate in our celebration of Easter on April 12.
So how do we do that? How do we adequately prepare ourselves for that transformational event?
Well, we all do it a little differently. In honoring the many different ways we prepare ourselves, I want you to flip over the sheet of paper I’ve given you with the eight pictures. On the back of that paper, you’ll find – nothing but a blank space. That blank space represents an empty box. As we sit three days out from Lent, I want you to take the next minute or two and think to yourself – “What picture would I draw in that box to represent what I will do to prepare myself for Easter?”
For some of you, the picture you might draw would be something you will take out of your life in order to symbolize the sacrificial love of Jesus. For others, the picture would be something that you add to your daily routine that will symbolize the growth you hope to experience in the coming days. Don’t worry! I’m not going to ask you to draw that picture right now; you can take the sheet home and do it later. I do want you to spending a few moment thinking about what will symbolize your experience of Lent this year. As you do that, I want to provide a little background music for you.
[Play “Open My Eyes”]
Friends, as we leave behind the season of Epiphany – a season when we have learned more about the nature and the character of Jesus – and move toward the season of Lent – a season where we will contemplate the radical places this Jesus will take us – my prayer is this: that we would draw strength for our journey through the relationships we have formed – with God and with one another - that will sustain us through Lent and beyond.
Amen.
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