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Our
True Identity
Mark
9:2-10
March
11-12, 2006
Rev.
George Smiga
The
transfiguration of Jesus was a revelation to the disciples
and to us. But what did it reveal? As Jesus stood in glory
between Moses and Elijah, the disciples saw things they had
never seen before. But what did they see? The most frequent
answer to this question is that they saw Jesus' heavenly stature,
that it was revealed to them that Jesus was divine. True as
this answer is, it is not precise enough. Because the words
which came to the disciples from the heavenly cloud indicate
that what was revealed was not so much who Jesus is, as to
whom Jesus is related.
The
revelation of the transfiguration does not center on Jesus'
being, but on his connectedness to the Father. The words that
come from the cloud are, “This is my beloved Son “. What they
reveal is the intimate, unbreakable bond of love that exists
between Jesus and the Father. What they proclaim is that Jesus
is more than a prophet, more than a teacher. Jesus is God's
beloved Son. The words that come next are every bit as important:
“Listen to him.” Why should we listen to him? What should
we listen to? We should listen to him because if Jesus is
in fact God's beloved Son, then we who are baptized into Jesus
are truly God's beloved daughters and sons as well.
The
mystery at the heart of the gospel is that through Christ
we participate in the intimate union of love that exists between
the Father and the Son. This is the good news. This is what
we must hear and believe in above all else. Why is it so important
to hear it, to listen to it? Because the minute we forget
our status as beloved daughters and sons of God, the Good
News evaporates. The minute that we begin to substitute some
other identity in place of our identity as beloved children
of God, the Gospel vanishes. I can testify that from the experience
of over 30 years of priestly ministry, there is no more common
or fatal mistake made by Christians than to forget this basic
identity.
When
we ignore our status as beloved daughters and sons and begin
to see ourselves primarily as sinners, as victims, as unlovable,
as flawed, as unworthy, the power of the gospel is lost to
us. Do we sin? Are we flawed? Is there a real sense that we
are unworthy of the tremendous love that God showers on us?
Of course. But despite all of those flaws, we remain chosen
and beloved children of God. It is only by claiming our true
identity that we find the power to turn away from sin, the
power to heal our hurts, the power to claim the dignity that
God has so freely given us.
Richard
Rohr, the spiritual writer and lecturer, once admitted that
he was a rambunctious and mischievous child. There was in
his neighborhood an elderly gentleman, Mr. Brown, who was
very protective of his property. He built a fence around his
yard. He forbade all the children of the neighborhood to walk
on his lawn and insisted that they stay away from his apple
orchard which was his prize possession. Well this demand of
Mr. Brown was seen by Richard and his buddies as a challenge.
One day they climbed over the fence and stole as many apples
as they could from the orchard. Mr. Brown spied them and came
after them. They all escaped except Richard, who Mr. Brown
collared and dragged back to the Rohr's home. He buzzed the
doorbell. Mrs. Rohr answered. Mr. Brown immediately demanded,
“Your son stole apples from my yard and he must be punished.”
Mrs. Rohr said, “Mr. Brown, I'm sorry. I've told Richard over
and over again to stay out of your yard. He's done what is
wrong, and I will punish him.”
But
Mr. Brown was not satisfied. “Well what punishment will you
give him? I want you to tell me! I want to hear right now!”
At this, Mrs. Rohr's back straightened a bit, and she said,
“Mr. Brown, I've told you that I will punish him. I will take
care of it. Now have a good day.” But Mr. Brown would not
be satisfied. “Mrs. Rohr,” he said, “I don't think you are
taking this seriously enough. You are forgetting that Richard
did something that was wrong.” Mrs. Rohr said, “Mr. Brown,
I told you I will take care of it. I will punish him. But
I cannot see Richard as you do. You are forgetting that Richard
is my son.”
Richard
Rohr insists that this is how God looks at us. God never forgets
that we are beloved daughters and sons. For all of our faults
and all of our failings, God continues to look at us with
love. This is what we must listen to. This is what we must
never forget.
So
when you become discouraged, when you find yourselves losing
hope because of your faults, because of your inability to
be as patient or as generous as you would like, because of
your inclination to be judgmental of others, remember: God
loves you with the same love that God loves Jesus. When things
are going wrong, when you cannot find a way out, when you
are beginning to think that God is punishing you, remember:
God is not about punishing you. God is about loving you with
a love that never ends. When you become overwhelmed with grief,
with sickness, with an emptiness that will not let you go,
remember: God's love for you is everlasting.
You
are not one among many people. Your dreams and your needs
are always before God's face. Jesus himself assures you, “You
are God's favored daughter. You are God's beloved son.” Listen
to him.
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