Today we gather under the theme of attention, as in “Pay attention.”
St. Peter in his second epistle recounts the Transfiguration of Jesus of which he was an eyewitness of, with James and John:
(17) For when [our Lord Jesus Christ] received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with Him on the holy mountain. And we have the Prophetic Word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place…
Could you imagine that Peter and James and John could pay attention to anything else than when Jesus took them on a mountain and was transfigured before them, His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus…and bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”
They had to overwhelmed.
What they heard. What they saw. What they felt.
It had to be overwhelming, a sensory overload.
What else could they pay attention to?
And that’s, perhaps the point of the day for you, to pay attention to Jesus only.
I’m sure you know this, but there are dozens of things in your life that are always asking you to pay attention to them.
I’ve started to like dress shoes and dress boots. And so,I did a lot of research and recently bought a pair of dress shoes and then did a lot of research and later bought a pair of boots, and someone else graciously gifted me a pair of dress shoes.
And now, my facebook feed is filled with advertisements for more shoes and more boots.
Every time I log on to my email or do a google search, advertisers are putting more and more shoes and boots before my eyes.
Things like this are happening all the time for us, aren’t they?
The world, the devil, the sinful flesh are always setting things before our eyes and heart to pay attention to.
What all is happening in your family, and in your body, and in your life, and in others lives and in the world,
What you hear and what you see throughout your days, what facebook and the news tells you to pay attention to, what advertisers want you to pay attention to try and convince you what you need.
What you think you must be doing or deep guilt or burden of conscience what you have failed to do.
Are you overloaded at times? – have difficulty paying attention to one particular thing because another thing is pulling you another way.
It’s frustrating, isn’t it?
Transfiguration Sunday is perhaps exactly what we need – because what else could Peter, James and John pay attention to other than Jesus?
What else should we be paying attention to above all things?
The Father sets His beautiful Son before our eyes, our Savior, whose shoes we are not worthy to untie, but who was stripped and pierced in His feet to defeat our enemies, how beautiful are the feet who bring good news.
This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.
There’s no bright cloud or shining face or a dead Moses or a once disappeared Elijah now appearing for you to pay attention to, just God’s Word that we should listen to.
But, just God’s Word?
Peter, who was there, who could pay attention to nothing else says that we have something better than what he saw in Jesus’ Transfiguration,
We have the Prophetic Word more fully confirmed (some translations say God’s Word is completely reliable, other translations here say we have greater confidence in God’s Word, finally others say we have some more sure in God’s Word) so we do well to pay attention to as to a lamp shining in a dark place
Peter reminds us that it’s never “just God’s Word.”
And Transfiguration Sunday reminds us what God in His Word always wants you pay attention to above all us.
Listen to this beautiful detail from our text:
6When the disciples heard this voice (…), they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
Our lives are so often very overwhelming.
But Jesus only can tell you to rise, and have no fear.
Jesus only knows everything about you.
Jesus only is the One that you will be accountable to.
Others know some about you, but only Jesus knows everything.
Others see some of your sin, Jesus alone knows the sinful desires you sometimes do very well to hide.
Jesus alone knows where that anger came from, where those words came from, why you leave certain things left undone when you should be doing something.
Jesus alone knows how you are in the worst moments of trial and suffering, your impatience, your discontent with what God has given you and your sinful judgments of others.
When the disciples heard the voice from the cloud and said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” they fell on their faces and were terrified.
We don’t listen as we should.
We don’t do whatever He tells us as we should.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” and when they lifted their eyes, the saw no one but Jesus only.
It is good that the thought of judgment for our sin would terrify us. The Law is good for by the voice of God we know we cannot be loved by Him because of works.
It is not possible for sinful people to stand in the presence of God.
And then it is good to see Jesus only.
It is good to lift up your eyes to see Jesus only.
By whom you are loved.
By Whom you do stand in the presence of God.
It’s good to be overwhelmed by God’s power and wrath and bigness sometimes, and then see God’s grace in Jesus alone.
See again today this same Jesus who has cared for you, and been patient with you in your foolishness and ignorance, who has brought you along gently, who has worked miracles for you and your family.
The one who has cared for you in such wonderful ways.
The one by whose Gospel you have been saved and whose peace you have lived.
The one that you do not fear because of what He has done for and is doing for you.
He’s God. Pay attention to that. See His glory today. His face shone like the sun, His clothes white as light, Moses and Elijah talking with Him and about Him, bright cloud overshadowing Him and voices from heaven pointing to Him.
Be convinced of His power and might. Rest assured He laughs in heaven at anyone who thinks they can overthrow or set themselves against Him and His Word.
O, He’s God.
And pay attention to the comfort that He’s God with us, humbling Himself to become man, to take on the form of a servant to love us and suffer for us and die for us.
How beautiful are His feet.
This mountain of Transfiguration begins again to show us that Jesus chooses to die for us. He’s in complete control.
He chooses to go down the mountain, despite Peter’s desires to stay on that mountain, so He can do the work of our salvation on another mountain.
Shortly after His transfiguration Luke records that Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51).
His full attention is set on loving you to the end and defeating everything that you think you have to fear.
And Jesus touches Peter and James and John and says “Rise, and have no fear.” And they see Jesus only.
With the joy of a full attention on Him and being overwhelmed by His love again, rise and have no fear.