Let’s talk about mystical experience. Mystical experience such as the disciples Peter, James and John had on the mountain-top when they saw Jesus transfigured before them, such as Elisha experienced when he saw Elijah ascend in the whirlwind. There are many events recorded in the Bible that portray mystical and amazing experiences and these two placed before us this morning are just two. And I plan on focusing on just one, the one recorded in Mark's gospel. But I intend to ask a question that pertains to all mystical experience.
And that is what is the purpose of mystical experience, how does it function? Some might want to ask, the more traditional Lutheran question: what does it mean? I think I am asking the same question by asking why did it happen? And I am not asking this as a literary critical question but as a humanly curious, sincerely searching question. If this experience is of God, sent by God, directed by God, then, what is it that God intends by providing mystical experience? I'm quite sure that we can't ultimately answer questions such as that. Certainly not in a brief worship time. But I am convinced that the longer we wrestle with the question, we will approximate a more adequate answer as we grow faithfully.
This event in the gospel story was memorable; all three of the synoptic gospels, Mark, Matthew and Luke, tell this story with very little variation. Later in his life Peter would write to fellow Christians and describe that day on which he saw Jesus transfigured before him. As Peter related his memory he talked about the meaning of that day in terms of an affirmation that everything they learned from Jesus and learned about Jesus was pure revelation from God on High. The experience must have carried strength with it to affirm his faith. Moreover, I would speculate that every time he started to run on empty in his spirit and begin to doubt either himself or his faith he would go back to his memory closet pull out one of those experiences to give him strength. And say, yeah but then there was that day. He had other mystical moments to draw upon too we can be sure, Oh yes, there was that day when the Risen Jesus pushed his patience asking him three times did he love Jesus. Oh and then that day, Peter felt so grand when Jesus said blessed are you Simon Peter son of Jonah, upon you I will build my church. So the memorable mystical moment is almost a flywheel to perpetuate the original devotion, or reaction.
We also know that the Apostle Paul would recount his experience on the Damascus road a number of recorded times in the book of Acts, and I wonder how many times he told the story in less public arenas and it just wasn't recorded.
You see this moment was just that, a moment, not a sustained time. Just a snap shot in time to be held in the mind I believe that there is a mountain of meaning in it and especially so in the brevity of the moment.
What do I mean? I mean that this is a glimpse of the power and reality of God; this is a confirmation of the divine, but definitely not a modus operandi of the divine. The purpose seems to be to identify Jesus and impress upon the disciples who were only slowly catching onto his identity, the authority behind Jesus. Such a purpose was served by this brief encounter. And the brevity itself is purposeful. To remain would be unfaithful to the incarnational purpose. The brevity is the significance. For the story tells us that suddenly it was over and the immense glory that had been evident to the eyes and ears of the disciples, we assume was dissipated like a morning mist burned away by the return of the reality of everyday life. Gone is the dazzling apparel, gone are Moses and Elijah. The voice from heaven has resumed silence. Suddenly it was over and there was Jesus, just Jesus, only Jesus, same old Jesus, dusty, determined, travel sore, itinerant preacher Jesus, follow me, take my cross, lose yourself for the gospel Jesus, cure the sick, touch the lepers, dine with the outcast Jesus. Feed the hungry, welcome the child, and love your neighbor Jesus. Same old Jesus, only Jesus. But never again the same, because of the glimpse of glory that was theirs – for a brief moment.
The apostle Paul said to the Corinthians that the gospel was veiled in Jesus, not obvious to all people, but obvious to those who with faith were given to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus. But the Jesus they saw was only Jesus, not the transfigured Lord, but the humble carpenter of Nazareth, who turned their lives upside down. Paul tells us that it is none other than the creator of the universe who could just speak and light appeared who then has shone in our hearts in the face of Jesus.
What I have noticed is how stunning events in life create a new perspective, they give a new vision. And they give a lasting strength to keep us going, even if the moment does not keep going. And that is significant; even if the moment passes and we pass on to the next task, the vision given lasts.
I was hiking the border route by Rose Lake in the boundary waters canoe area. A dismal and arduous trek through shoulder high thimble berry bushes, and then through the dusty duff of the coniferous forest floor. But then like a curtain opening and the show beginning we came up on the vista from on top of a rocky outcropping and the layout of the lands and chain of lakes below displayed the long stretch of the Canadian Shield, and in that moment a flood of thoughts filled my mind, I saw old black and white photos out of my eighth grade geography text book, I heard naturalists describing the glacial formation of the Canadian Shield, I remembered passages from Sigurd Olson's accounts of paddling the boundary waters and stopping at Rose Lake. I stopped to drink in the view and a new enthusiasm flowed through tired limbs as we plunged back down a valley. Just the memory of the vista and the hope for vistas ahead made the travelling easier. The next cliff was a long distance away, almost too distant for the first vista to keep me enthused, but then there we arrived to see a new angle and a new understanding of the lake country.
For Peter and the other disciples they were given a new insight. In his letter Peter remembered the awesome moment as that which corroborated the divine inspiration and authority by which Jesus taught, but not the manner in which God chose to live among us. In Philippians Paul describes this pattern of identity with God, and yet the divine choosing of the humility of Jesus. But that is part of the scandal of the Christian faith. It was only Jesus, just a man Jesus who remained, and yet not ever only human, it is Jesus, also called Emmanuel, God among us, clothed in human experience. The full glory of God present, but veiled to all but those who see the light. And therefore human life matters, all earthly life matters, matter matters. We don’t live in the ephemeral moments that may be given us; we live every day in the matter of existence provided by God’s gracious creative hands. We are called to love, forgive, welcome people of this earth. We are not called to seek spirituality or spirits or heavenly ideas and a personal sense of peace. We are called to recognize “the least of these” as Christ incarnated before our eyes and hear the echo of that voice again, “Go and do likewise.” We are called to tend and keep, to guard and protect the creation into which God has placed us.
What have you been given to see, I mean really see? What charges your battery, what spins your flywheel? To you the light has been revealed. The veil has been lifted, God is with you, entering your hearts and your life every day. We keep our eyes open. By faith we are given the gift of discerning the Spirit moving through our lives in the so called mundane and ordinary yet sacred world God continues to bless.