This sermon was first preached at St Peter and St Paul Church, Langham on Sunday 6th August 2023.
Readings: Daniel 9:9-10,13-14; 2 Peter 1:16-19; Luke 9:28-36
We have been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
On Thursday Cecily and I were driving in the car on the way to see my parents. As is customary when driving in Cecily’s car, we had Classic FM on the radio. It was on quietly in the background whilst we were chatting. Then the next piece of music came on and I stopped Cecily in our conversation and cranked the volume up from 4 to 14. ‘Cecily, we just need to turn this piece up.’ Any guesses about which song this was? It was Zadok the Priest. Cecily knew what to do. We were there together loudly singing: ‘Zadok the Priest, and Nathan the Prophet anointed Solomon King.’
Given my love for all things royal, this outburst of song was probably no surprise to any of you. But what I love about Zadok the Priest is that it captures a moment of majesty. Think back to the coronation. It was the moment when King Charles took off his outer garments and dressed in plain white, went behind the partition for this holy and sacred moment of anointing. It was the pinnacle moment of the service as God’s blessing was bestowed on King Charles by the Archbishop of Canterbury. It was the moment when the king knelt before the King of Kings to receive his blessing. Watching it at home (not even sitting at this point, but Cecily and I were standing) was deeply moving and powerful as we saw the majesty of the king under the ultimate majesty of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. Our hearts were burning within us as we saw the majestic act God was enacting.
This moment at the coronation strikes my heart very strongly, and I know that this isn’t the case for everyone. However, you could see from the coronation service, whether you liked it or not, that something majestic and grand was happening.
I mention the coronation as we now cut to today’s gospel story. This is the story of the transfiguration. Jesus took his closest friends, Peter, James and John, and went up a mountain. And if we have learnt anything from the Bible it is that when people go up a mountain, something big and often majestic is going to happen. This story is no exception. Jesus goes up the mountain with his besties to pray, and whilst he was praying, his face started to look different. Jesus’ face and his clothes and his whole appearance started to dazzle in brilliant white. His appearance was transfigured. Peter, James and John were prior to this quite tired and ready to go to sleep, but they were definitely staying awake when they were in the presence of Jesus’ glory and majesty.
Whilst Jesus was transfigured, Moses and Elijah, two of the greatest figures in Israel’s history, were there speaking with Jesus. Can you imagine what Peter, James and John were thinking? They were probably in awe at Jesus’ transfiguration, then they would have been even more overcome when they saw whom Jesus was speaking to. Then when Peter tried to suggest making three dwelling places for Jesus, Moses and Elijah on the mountain, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were terrified as the cloud fell upon them and surrounded them.
I don’t know if you have ever been on top of a mountain when the clouds descend but it is quite terrifying. I remember when I was 14 and we had climbed Mount Snowden. We went up in the sunshine and could see in every direction for miles. But whilst we were up there, the clouds descended, and we couldn’t see more than a few metres in front of us. It was completely overwhelming. If you have been on a mountaintop when the clouds come in then you will know what this is like. However, if you haven’t been on a mountaintop in the clouds, and you were wondering what this might have looked like, look back at our reading from Daniel. It’s a prophecy he had about Jesus. He describes the coming of the Ancient One (that is Jesus) on his throne and how his clothing was as white as snow, and how he came with the clouds of heaven. Daniel says, ‘To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.’[1] This was the extent of glory and majesty that Peter, James and John were witnessing. Of course, they were in awe, of course, they were terrified and scared. Wouldn’t you be? Then God the Father spoke from heaven declaring that Jesus is his Son, the chosen one; listen to him. Notice at the end of this reading the three disciples don’t say anything about what they had seen. Why? My guess is that they probably couldn’t get their heads around what they saw. They were too in awe, too overwhelmed, too terrified at the majesty and glory of what they had seen.
Peter doesn’t talk about this event till after Jesus had ascended into heaven. In fact, in our reading from 2 Peter, we see Peter talking about the transfiguration. Peter says:
‘We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honour and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.’[2]
2 Peter 1:16-19
Be attentive to this, Peter says, be attentive to the majestic glory of Jesus. We must be attentive to Jesus’ majesty and glory. Peter says that when he talks about Jesus, he isn’t speaking about what ifs and maybes, he is talking about what they saw Jesus do. They were eyewitnesses and testify from their own experience of seeing Jesus’ majesty. It means more. Just think of a courtroom drama. What-ifs, maybes and buts don’t have a leg to stand on in court, but eyewitnesses are what make and break a case. That’s partly why the gospels are so powerful, because the stories come from eyewitness accounts, people who saw the events as they unfolded.
Our eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ majesty and glory speak powerfully to us and to others about who Jesus is. You might say, ‘Well that is all very well, Shakeel, but we have never seen Jesus transfigured.’ No, I guess none of us have, (though if someone has, please tell me because I would love to hear about it). But that doesn’t mean that we have not witnessed his majesty and his glory. When we encounter and meet with God, we see his glory. When we encounter his creation and handiwork, we see his glory. When we see his children share his loving-kindness in this world, we see his glory. We are eyewitnesses to Jesus’ majesty and glory, and that changes how we live. To encounter such glory and to be in such a majestic presence gives us a whole new perspective on who Jesus is. When we tell others about Jesus, we are speaking as eyewitnesses who have seen first-hand Jesus’ majesty and glory.
This week, ask yourself, where are you seeing Jesus’ majesty and glory? When you see it, how does it make you feel? How does it encountering Jesus’ majesty and glory change your life? And how are you going to live differently as a result?
I remember one time when I was a teenager listening to the Isaac Watts hymn, When I Survey, as the good Southampton boy that I am, and I was moved so powerfully by the words of the hymn. I put it on repeat and knelt down to pray. As I listened to the words of the hymns again and again, I found myself prostrate on my bedroom floor and I was crying in my prayer as I was singing the words over and over because I was overwhelmed by the glory of God’s presence in these words and in this time of prayer. I was there for an hour overwhelmed by the love and power of what Jesus did on the cross. As a result of this time of prayer and encounter with God’s presence, I wanted to live for God with my whole heart and life because Jesus had given his whole love and life for me on the cross. This was one of my eyewitness moments of Jesus’ majesty and glory.
I pray this week that you will recognise your eyewitness moments of Jesus’ majesty and glory, and that you will have new moments this week. And I hope that in seeing the majesty and glory of Jesus, that your life will never be the same as a result. As Peter said, ‘We have been eyewitnesses of his majesty.’
Amen.
[1] Daniel 7:14 [NRSV].
[2] 2 Peter 1:16-19 [NRSV].
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