Exodus 34: 29–35; Psalm 99; II Peter 1: 13–21; Luke 9:
28–36
This is the homily given
by Fr. Gene Tucker at St. John’s, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Sunday, August 6,
2017.
“THROUGH
MANY DANGERS, TOILS AND SNARES”
(Homily texts: Exodus 34: 29–35, II Peter 1: 13–21 &
Luke 9: 28–36)
“Through
many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come….”
Perhaps
most of us will recognize these familiar words as being one of the verses of
the hymn “Amazing Grace”, whose author was John Newton, who, after his career
as a ship’s captain whose work was transporting Africans to the New World to be
sold into slavery, became a Church of England priest.[1]
“Through
many dangers…..”
This
morning, we have the delight of being able to celebrate the feast of the
Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ, one of the major feasts of the Church
Year, which always falls on August 6th. And, since this year, August 6th
is a Sunday, we are able to celebrate this event in our Sunday morning worship.
This is, of course, something that happens only once every five or six years,
whenever August 6th happens to be a Sunday.
As we
read Luke’s account[2]
of the event that took place on the mountain, we notice that Jesus’ appearance
is transfigured. Luke, along with Mark, tells us that Jesus’ clothes became
“dazzling white”. Matthew makes more of the presence of light, telling us that
Jesus’ face “shone like the sun”.
Since
light is involved in this event, either by its explicit inclusion in Matthew’s
account, or by inference in Mark and Luke’s accounts, let’s think a little
about what light does, and then let’s couple that idea to the place that the
Transfiguration occupies in the lives of Jesus’ first group of disciples.
Finally, let’s consider our own walk with the Lord and how God’s light plays
into our journey.
We
begin with light.
The
image I have in mind of light and light’s abilities and qualities comes from a
railroad locomotive. (OK, I know that using such an example isn’t the least bit
surprising to those of you who know me.) But, since our parish is located just
a block off the main track that connects New York to Chicago (which was once
owned and operated by the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad, but now is owned and
operated by the Norfolk Southern), let’s think about the light that shines from
the front of the locomotive as a train makes its way through town. We have
plenty of opportunity to see this in action if we will walk a few blocks to the
Amtrak station to watch the trains come and go.
A
very bright headlight is mounted on the front of the locomotive. Back when I
was a boy, that bright light was mounted on the front of a steam locomotive,
and some of the lights that were mounted on the locomotives, both steam and
then diesel, rotated in a figure-eight pattern. Nowadays, changes in the
regulations require that locomotives not only have the main headlight, but they
must also have two smaller lights that are mounted below the headlight. They
give additional light to the way ahead, and when a crossing is coming up, they
flash back and forth to attract the attention of users of the highway to the
train’s approach. The object of that light, whether it moves or not, is to illuminate
the track ahead. At night, such a need is mandatory, otherwise, the train might
collide with something. At daytime, the lights also make it possible for the
train to move forward, for the lights draw attention to the train’s presence
and its movement.
If we
consider the qualities that this bright light provides, we can see that light
makes it possible to move forward. But, if we turn around and look at the path
of travel that lies behind us, we can see that the light which made it possible
for the train to move forward also allowed the train to make its way from its
beginning point toward its destination.
So
light allows us to look forward and to move forward, while light also allows us
to look back in appreciation for the movement that light made possible.
Now,
let’s turn our attention to the Transfiguration itself, and to the
Transfiguration’s place in God’s plan for Jesus’ ministry.
That
dazzling whiteness of the Lord’s appearance, and the light which is indirectly
alluded to in Luke’s account, but which is explicitly mentioned in Matthew’s
account, provided a glimpse of the Lord’s glory that would be revealed on
Easter Sunday morning.
But
the disciples couldn’t know this at the time. They only knew it as they looked
back at the event from a post-Easter perspective. Notice how Peter, writing in
his second letter some years later, would recall witnessing the majesty of God
as it was revealed to him on that holy mountain.
But
between the Transfiguration event and Easter Sunday, there was the darkness of
the experience of Good Friday. As the disciples experienced the Lord’s
resurrection, perhaps they could look back and see that God the Father’s power
over every danger was complete, a power that could conquer even death.
After
the resurrection, Peter, James and John related what had happened as Jesus’
appearance was transformed. Somehow, as the disciples gained a fuller
understanding of what God was doing in sending Jesus Christ, perhaps they saw
God’s “bigger picture”, and came to know God’s power, made known in Jesus
Christ, more fully and completely. Perhaps these first disciples were able to
connect the dots and remember how God revealed Himself to Moses on another
mountain, the appearance we read about in Exodus 34: 29–35.
Indeed,
if these original disciples had known John Newton’s hymn, perhaps they could
affirm that they had, indeed, come through “many dangers, toils and snares”.
Perhaps
we can affirm, with John Newton and with the original disciples, that we, too,
have come through “many dangers, toils and snares”. We are assured in Holy
Scripture that, in this life, we will have times of difficulty, trials and
troubles. We will experience loss and disappointment. There will be times of
darkness, perhaps even the deepest darkness.
But
in the midst of these things, can we look back and see the light of God,
shining in even the darkest of times? Can we see how that light not only made
it possible for us to survive those trying times, but how the light of God also
allowed us to move forward into a better place?
Newton’s
hymn not only looks backward, but it also looks forward. Consider the entire
verse to see this aspect of what he wrote:
“Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. ‘Tis grace that brought be safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”
We
can be assured that God’s light will lead us into the times which lie in front
of us. Whether those times are completely illuminated with the light of God, or
whether those times will be times in which we can’t seem to see much of God’s
light at all, we can take courage from God’s faithfulness in lighting the
pathway of life in the times that lie behind us, knowing that He will go before
us into the times which are to come.
Thanks
be to God!
