Peak Experiences

 

Feb. 18, 2007     Rev. David C. Huffman Lk. 9:28-36

 

   Most of us, I trust, have been blessed with what some like to call peak experiences, those special moments in our lives when we feel a little closer to God and in synch with the universe. Most of these take place on mountain tops, or by the sea, or deep in the woods far from the mundane routines of life and in the midst of God’s beautiful natural world. That’s why they build retreat centers like Montreat, Massanetta Springs, and Ghost Ranch where they do. Theologians call these peak experiences epiphanies or theophanies, because they are revelations, rare glimpses into the divine.

   I will never forget walking out of Rancho Chimayo near Ghost Ranch in New Mexico in the mid eighties. I was there for a conference, and a group of us had dinner at this old Spanish hacienda that had been turned into a restaurant. As we left the restaurant, we looked up and there on the western horizon the sun was setting. Now, I have seen the sun set many times in my life, but never had I seen it set in the southwestern desert quite like that night. There must have been 30 different shades of purple, orange, and pink radiating upward and outward throughout the evening sky. It was breathtaking! We all froze and stood staring into the sky for what must have been a half an hour. We were truly awestruck and said very little. We just stood there with our gaze transfixed on the sky, God’s beautiful canvas. I know why Mary Oviatt moved to New Mexico to continue her painting.

   The only other place that has light like the New Mexico desert is the desert in Israel. Thirty five years ago, I stood on a hill overlooking Joppa, an ancient seaport on the Mediterranean Sea, where Jonah boarded a ship to flee from God and where Paul disembarked on his missionary journeys. It was late afternoon, just before dusk and the sky was crystal blue and the Mediterranean emerald green, and I felt as if I could reach up and touch heaven, as I reflected on the great divine history that had happened on that sacred soil and what lay ahead for me as I returned the next day to finish seminary. A peak experience, one in which I felt a little closer to God a little more confirmed in my calling and awfully glad to be alive and to know the love of God and the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ.

I

   I know you have had peak experiences in your life, probably quite different from the two I have just shared. And if you are like me, when life gets tough and confused, you call up those memories and let them serve as anchors in a world of shifting sand. Thank God for these experiences. Jesus knew their value and often took his disciples in the boat across the Sea of Galilee for prayer and reflection. In our passage this morning he took the inner circle of the disciples to a mountain to pray. I suspect that the other nine might have felt a little jealous of Peter, James, and John; but who knows; maybe they were too busy to go anyway. When they got there, Jesus began to pray and right before their eyes the appearance of his face was transformed and his clothes began to shine a dazzling white.

   And suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared and the three of them were talking about Jesus’ impending departure in Jerusalem. They must have been awestruck to see the two leading lights of Israel who had been dead for a thousand years standing there in all their glory as Jesus’ face and clothes shined like a new Cadillac. And Peter was also dumbstruck, because as Moses and Elijah were departing, Peter blurted out, “Hey, Jesus, why don’t I set up three tents, one for all three of you?” The text adds, “Not knowing what he said.” Have you ever had a similar experience? Where you were so excited and you wanted to make a suggestion and you started talking before your brain got in gear? Boy when I think of the stupid things I would like to be able to unsay, the list is a mile long. But Jesus dignified Peter’s remarks with the response they deserved: he ignored them.

   At that moment, a cloud descended upon the mountain, and a deep baritone voice said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him.” Sound familiar? These are almost the exact words Jesus heard when he came up out of the Jordan River when John baptized him. Also, when Moses and Elijah had been on another mountain, Mt. Sinai, a cloud had descended upon the mountain and God spoke to them from the cloud.

   And then as quickly as this theophany had begun, puff, it was over. The cloud departed and Jesus was alone. And they went back down the mountain, and the text says that the disciples told no one about their peak experience. I don’t blame them. Who would have believed them? And as soon as they returned to town, Jesus healed an epileptic boy that the disciples had not been able to heal.

II

   Why did Jesus take these three disciples to the mountain top? Yes, to pray. But also apparently to give them a preview, a sneak peak, into his identity and mission. They saw three things on that mountain they had never seen or heard: Moses, the recipient of the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, Elijah, the first prophet of Israel, and the voice of God from the cloud. And what did they learn from these three? They learned in no short order, that Jesus was the Son of God and that he had come not to replace or abolish the law and the prophets of old but to fulfill them as God’s anointed, the Messiah. Furthermore, they had it on high authority that they were to listen to Jesus – not to Moses or Elijah or Ceasar or their neighbor down the street but to Jesus for whom they had left their jobs and families to follow as disciples. Yeah, I guess you could call that weekend retreat experience a peak experience, in more than one way.

   This morning I want to focus on three words: listen to him. In a minute I am going to give you an opportunity to do just that. I am going to do something rare for a preacher and quit talking for a few minutes so we have some time of silence to listen for the word of God. This may not be easy for some of us. We ministers are known for talking: some of us are born talking, others are trained to talk, and many like to talk whether they have anything to say or not. I have a nightmare that when I am standing in line at the Pearly Gates, Tom Smith from Crossroads Ford is going to be standing in front of me. Right after I came to Trinity a member of the choir gave me a plaque that still hangs in my office; it reads: “Lord fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff and nudge me when I’ve said enough.”

   So, this morning, I feel that God is nudging me. So I am going to quit talking and give us all an opportunity to be quiet and to listen to Jesus or God or whoever may speak to us in this special time. Most of us have trouble with silence. That may be because we are no longer trained to listen, especially to listen for God. So for the next four or five minutes I want you to bow your heads, close your eyes, get into a comfortable position, and to open your ears and your mind and your heart and listen. If this silence makes you awkward, think about those peak experiences you have had in the past, maybe on a beautiful mountain top or walking along a deserted beach, or sitting by a babbling brook or walking in a quiet meadow, or sitting on the bank of a lake or pond.

   Take these few moments to empty yourself of all your anxieties, worries, and fears; put your calendars and to-do lists away and just listen, listen for God. You may not hear anything. God might not have anything to say to you at this moment. Or you might not be in the right frame of mind or heart to hear it if he did. Our job is to listen, and not only today but always, and to gain a set of ears that can pick up on the right frequency of God’s voice. Maybe that is why Jesus frequently said, those who ears to hear, let them hear. (silence)

 

   Did you hear anything? I hope so. If not, don’t worry; God’s got all the time in the world –even if we don’t. Let us pray.