Monday 24 February 2014

Transfiguration blues






Looking ahead to Sundays gospel - The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9)

We don’t do well with the unexplainable.
We’d rather be able to cram everything into boxes,
labelled and categorised, neatly packaged.
We’re discombobulated by events that refuse to fit
into our systems and theories.
It’s been like that since the beginning,
since Adam and Eve
tried to cover their nakedness
or Noah asked for a drawing
or Sarah laughed out loud
or Lot’s wife wanted one last look
or Isaac wanted a ram
or Moses wanted a speech
or Gideon wanted a sign
or David wanted a harem
or Ruth wanted a husband
or Job wanted a break
or Jeremiah wanted a pair of clean shorts
or Amos wanted a simple basket of fruit
But all of these simple requests and actions
turned into multi-faceted messages about the reign of God.
And so the disciples
on the mountain top with Jesus
want everything pegged down:
tents for the prophets,
something to do,
anything,
to keep them from feeling
so out of their depth
at Jesus throwing them
yet another curve ball,
catching them off balance
with dazzling appearances
and voices from heaven,
too preoccupied with the desire
to “normalise” this event
that they tuned out the echoes of baptism
and didn’t catch the subtlety
of the beginning mirrored
in the beginning of the end.
A mountain top experience
that didn’t quite compute
when they were back on lower ground.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

18 comments:

  1. I would like to use this in my sermon. I really appreciated the part about us 'doing' something concrete. There is a word in there for me and the church I serve. However, I do not see a last name so that I may give attribution.

    Mark Ford, First Presbyterian, Brainerd, MN

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  2. Mark,
    Delighted that it speaks to you and happy that you want to share it.
    Liz Crumlish

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  3. I too would like to use this probably on Sunday morning. Would that be possible please? Thanks
    Glynis

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  4. In your flowing stream of words, you've captured the "light" that we often turn from instead seeking to be "enlightened" logically instead of "spiritually".
    Blessings, a "wandering priest"

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  5. This is fantastic! Thank you for sharing your gift of words and thoughts with us!

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  6. Yes, my I use it as well?
    Jessica Babcock St. Christopher's Episcopal - Pensacola FL

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  7. Thanks, Liz, this is great. You are besting Thomas Traeger (another poet preacher)

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  8. I am touched by your depiction of our human need to understand mystery. May I reprint the poem for a prayer service to be used by my congregation of Catholic sisters later this month? I will give attribution to the author and web location. Thank you.
    Sr. B. Schiavoni

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  9. Sr B Schiavoni - Please do share. Blessings.
    Liz

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  10. Thank you very much. Peace and blessings to you. Sr. B. Schiavoni

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  11. I'd like to use this in my sermon on 2/26/17. May I?

    Janet Potter
    Community Pres. St Maries Idaho

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  12. I don't blog exactly, but I love lurking as I write on Sat.
    Love this poetic approach, I love mystery the whole idea of the open heart and those wonderful thin places where no words can define what is happening! I too, would like to use this with appropriate credits to you, Liz. Thanks

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  13. I would like to use this in my sermon. I love the poetic approach. I will give you credit for this wonderful word to make transformation more understanding. Thank you

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