My Chosen!

 Transfiguration Sunday!

  

Focus Statement:  In this scripture, Jesus is transfigured while praying before Peter, James, and John, and Moses and Elijah appear talking to him about his departure.  A voice from the cloud confirms that AThis is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him!@

 

Function Statement: Because of this sermon, the congregation will have renewed faith that the crucified Christ is indeed the chosen one of God and our Savior and will realize that God gives us the confirmation we need as we follow God.

 

Prayer

Luke 9:28-36

Watch clip:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UVKp72dByM

 

Sermon manuscript:                 

Movement 1: 

Each person's call is different!  About the time I was in Jr. High and helping my dad out in the backyard working on lawnmowers, I thought I might could become a mechanic.  Mom even wrote a little song at one time, AMike the Mechanic!@  When I was in early high school and took accounting, I pictured myself being an accountant.  When I took drafting, I seriously thought about becoming an architect.  When I went to college, I double majored, and one of the majors is a BS in Math Secondary Education.  One of the ironies of my life is that in High School when speech was offered I didn=t take it because I didn=t ever plan to do anything that would require public speaking; the thoughts of that scared me to death.  I did think about the ministry in High School though. My youth Sunday school teacher gave us opportunities to take turns leading a Sunday School lesson; I made a pretty unsuccessful attempt at that.  When I would try to speak, my voice would just stop!  Along about that time,  I can remember at church camp answering an altar call to come up if you felt the Lord leading you into some sort of special service.  You didn=t have to know what it was yet, just come up if you felt that tug, so I went.  I don=t know what I thought it would be without public speaking! 

 

It wasn=t long after that when our church split, and I became very unsure about things and especially that call.  As I continued in the church, some things began to happen that I think are relevant to the message today.  One time, when I was troubled with how things were going at church and how they weren’t leaving the split behind, I talking to my dad about it, he said, well tell them!  Another time I was given the opportunity to lead a Wednesday night Bible Study of adults and was able to do it with confirmation from my class!  While all this was going on, the Spirit was working in my life; “Mike do you love me?  Feed my sheep.  Do what I am calling you to do.” God used this passage as a part of my call; that is why I have a picture with that passage on it over our stairway.  I talked to my pastor at the time.  I was advised to try different things in the church to see if they met the calling in my heart, so I tried different things in the church that continued to confirm, along with the Spirit=s leading in my heart, God=s call on my life until one day I had my answer, and I answered the call into ministry. 

 

Before I got to the place of answering the call into the ministry, this person who didn=t take speech because he wasn=t going to need it needed a lot of confirmation to be sure!

 

Movement 2:

 Just before our scripture today, Jesus has just declared that he will Aundergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes and be killed, and on the third day be raised.@ (vs. 22)   In our scripture for today, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain to pray.  While he is praying, he is transfigured (the appearance of his clothes changes and his face becomes dazzling white) and Moses and Elijah appear with him.  This event is recorded in some of the other gospels, but only in Luke=s gospel does it say what they are talking with him about.  Luke records that they are talking to him about his departure!  Peter says it is good for us to be here and see this and declares the need to build three dwellings: one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. The idea to be sure is to make three temples!   While he is saying this a voice from the clouds says, Athis is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!@  Then Jesus is alone and Moses and Elijah are gone.   God had confirmed Jesus as God=s Son, the Chosen!

 

Movement 3:

I think Luke=s gospel is significant in that he tells that Moses and Elijah are discussing his departure just after Jesus has talked to them about what will happen to him.  After Jesus tells them this, they have got to be wondering if Jesus is who he says he is or if this will really happen.  After Jesus is crucified, they will definitely wonder if Jesus was the Messiah or if they have been misled.  They are and will need confirmation of who Jesus is.  Here Luke finds and gives it in the transfiguration.  This one who will be (or later has been) crucified is Agod=s Son, the Chosen!@  It is him we need to listen to.  If there is any doubt who Jesus is, Luke tells us here in this event of the transfiguration.  It would have given them what they needed at the time, but it also stands as a confirmation to us that this crucified Christ is the Son of God and our Savior.  We can trust in Christ!  We can put our faith in Christ!  Christ will fulfill God=s promises to us and our church, if we believe!

 

I think we can also see in this that God will give us the confirmation we need in life to follow God, just like God did for me as I was searching God=s leading in my life, but we have to be open to it.  God will reveal God=s self to us through the Spirit.  God will confirm our calling through other people, through successes that we have, and through the inward leading of the Spirit. 

 

As we encounter Christ, the Son, the Chosen one at the altar today in communion, do you need to have your faith renewed?   Are you searching for God=s leading in your life?  Do you need to ask for God to help you find the confirmation that you need?  You can do all of that as you encounter Christ today, if you would like to kneel at the altar after taking communion, you are invited to do that as well.  If you make a commitment, let me know so I can help you with your walk in Christ!

 

Prayer of Confession

Service of Communion