Sunday, February 22, 2009

transfiguration!

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. I want to see you. To see you high and lifted up, shining in the light of your glory. Pour out your power and love while we sing holy, holy, holy…

I would not call this one of my favorite songs.

Maybe it’s because it seems so individualistic or because I trust earthy visions of Jesus, son of man, a bit more than visions of Jesus “high and lifted up”—but on the other hand, this song does seem to express Transfiguration—this dazzling scene that we cannot fully comprehend. It’s a musical prayer that we might be open to seeing Jesus more clearly, a prayer that we might be moved to sing with the cherubim:
Holy, holy, holy... so may this be our prayer.

Two weeks ago on the campus of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, we hosted a conference on the power of Film & Faith—how each has the ability to reinforce and make deeper the stories of the other… and as a part of preparing for that conference, I watched the film The Whale Rider again… Maybe you’ve seen it—a story from the Maori people in New Zealand and about moment when there was a crisis of leadership.

[for the full text of this sermon about Transfiguration...]

Blessings,
Pastor Joy

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