Don't blink

Matthew 17: 1-9

The small town of East Bend where I grew up is a one stop-light town.  The joke with people passing through was “don’t blink, you will miss it” East Bend was so small that if you weren’t looking for it, if you weren’t paying attention you may never see it.

Maybe you give that advice to new parents.  Cherish every moment- your kids will grow up faster than you realize.  In a blink of an eye you will realize that all those special moments are past.  If we aren’t paying attention, if we aren’t looking for how special life is in this moment- we may get too caught up in getting to work on time, having a spotless home, or climbing the corporate ladder that the moments that are truly special pass us by unnoticed.

Jesus invited Peter, James and John to participate in a very special and intimate moment.  But they were so used to being with Jesus that they were unaware of just how special this would be.  Oh it’s just another day with Jesus, will he ever get tired of these hikes to nowhere?

But then they get to the top.  Is this real?  Are we hallucinating?  Who is that Jesus is talking too? Moses? Elijah? Really?

Is this an illusion?  Is Peter, James and John really seeing what they think they are seeing?  Peter immediately thinks, well if they are real then they should have a place to stay.  Even though Peter was being confronted with divine images of prophets- he continues to think about things people on earth would want.  He doesn’t quite get it. 

But if it wasn’t special enough- if being with Jesus wasn’t enough, if seeing Moses and Elijah wasn’t special enough God isn’t going to let them leave without being changed forever.  God interrupts Peter and as they hear the voice of God they fall on their faces.  How awesome is that!  What an awe inspiring and amazing gift to hear the voice and be in the presence of God! 

When I read this verse I thought of the MercyMe song “I can only imagine” The chorus asks: what will I do when I see Jesus- Will I stand or will I fall to my knees? Will I dance or be still, will I speak or be silent?

The problem with this and with the reaction of the disciples is that every day over the past 3 years they had been in the presence of God and didn’t know it.  They claimed to know Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ but they didn’t really understand what that meant.  It took a spectacular, extraordinary, face flat on the floor moment for them to realize what was going on.

We do this too.  We claim Jesus is the Messiah, our Lord but yet we fail to recognize his presence in our lives.  Maybe we can remember the first time we met Jesus.  We can remember our baptism, those moments when we were acutely aware of the Presence of God, when we could feel his love, those moments when we are moved to tears by the overwhelming presence of God…. You probably felt transformed after those moments -right?   But those big moments pass and ordinary life continues on and maybe we begin to forget that Jesus is still with us.

Sometimes it is hard to see and recognize that God is with us.  Maybe we get so caught up in life that we miss how special those everyday moments with Jesus are.  We get so busy doing stuff- family, work, church, housekeeping, caring for loved ones, volunteering, watching TV, and work that we begin to forget that God is with us.  Sometimes we get so caught up looking for those big moments- anticipating and worrying that we blink and we miss what is right in front of us the whole time.

Yesterday I was standing in line at the post office and a little girl was running circles around the counter and singing.  Her dad was worried about her being disruptive to the other customers so he corrected her but for me that was a holy moment.  A child, being the sweet, charming, and lovable child she was created by God to be.  I wanted to freeze time for that dad because it won’t be long before she is too busy with friends on a Saturday morning to spend time with her dad. 

Maybe it is that moment over coffee with your spouse when nothing is really said, or needs to be said. Maybe it is shopping with a friend, laughing about an inside joke. Or that special song that comes on the radio as you’re driving to a doctor’s appointment or work.  Or maybe it is in that moment when a loved one holds your hand as you cry.   We encounter God every day.  We just have to take the time to be aware of God’s presence. It is in these moments with God when we come face to face with the Holy that we too are transformed.  

John Wesley believed that while God is always present, there are specific ways and moments in life where God makes a special effort to reveal God’s self to us; Baptism and Holy Communion.  While it may seem like the bread and this grape juice of Holy Communion are ordinary things we may eat and drink every day, when we partake of them in worship it is no longer ordinary but extraordinary. 

When we slow down, when we listen to the words spoken, when we don’t just read the words but earnestly confess our sins, when we truly believe that Christ died for us, then it becomes special and we can see God and be transformed.  Communion is a Holy moment.  It is a time we as believers set aside to really stop and think about who Jesus is and reflect on what it means to us to be forgiven and loved and what it means to have a God who doesn’t need a temple but instead dwells in our hearts. 

And like the other moments in life, if we rush through it, if we say the words without thinking we blink and miss just how extraordinary it is to be in the presence of God.  Unlike in the song “I can only imagine” we don’t have to wait until we meet God in glory to know what it is like to be in God’s presence.  God is with us every day and in every moment.  Don’t just imagine what you will do when you see God- live it out in every moment of your life.  Start now, start today, let it change your life now.

http://youtu.be/0xwzItqYmII