Sunday, March 5, 2000. We have two weird stories in today s three scriptures, the taking up into heaven of the prophet Elijah and the appearance before three of his disciples of a Jesus whose appearance is changed and who is seen being spoken to by Elijah and Moses. The event of Jesus looking different to his disciples gives its name to today s Sunday on the church calendar, the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Transfiguration literally means changing of face.
In each of them the normal boundary between this world and heaven is breached, providing a glimpse of the beyond. This experience of a vision of what usually is unseen is at the center of both stories. Elisha s seeing his master Elijah going up in the whirlwind is presented as something which might have proved impossible, but the fact that it does happen means great things for Elisha. In the gospel story, the disciples seeing Jesus, Moses and Elijah is presented as a kind of overwhelming and confusing experience, but it becomes the occasion for their receiving a word from God. Seeing something usually unseen and what that means is the topic of today s sermon.