Brief synopsis of the readings: Today we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration; this replaces the ordinary Sunday readings because it is an important commemoration. From Daniel we read as he describes the “Ancient One” whose hair was white as wool and his throne was flames of fire. Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him. Then one “like the Son of man” reached the Ancient One and was presented before him and will receive dominion, glory and kingship. His kingship will not be destroyed. In Matthew’s Gospel we see Peter, James and John joining Jesus on a high mountain. Once there Jesus’ face shone like the sun and he was joined by Moses and Elijah where they conversed. Then a cloud came over them and a voice from the cloud announced: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. Fearful, Peter, James and John fell to the ground but Jesus told them to rise up. Jesus then told them not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.
On June 12, 1963 civil rights leader Medger Evers was murdered in his front yard by Byron De La Beckwith in Jackson, Mississippi. Despite overwhelming evidence two juries failed to convict him; back then it would have been unusual for a white man to be convicted for killing a black man. In his second trial jurors saw Mississippi governor Ross Barnett approach and shake hands with Mr. De La Beckwith. Many believed the governor did this to sway the jury toward acquittal, reasoning that a friend of the governor couldn’t be guilty of murder. By the way it worked until Mr. De La Beckwith was retried and convicted in 1994.
From our childhood we are told that we are often judged by the company we keep; if we spend time with drug users people will assume we use drugs too. Conversely if we head to the library instead of the cafeteria during lunch we will be seen as serious and bookish.
That thought came to mind as I read today’s Gospel. When we think of Jesus, Moses and Elijah speaking together on the top of the high mountain its importance may not register with us. But it did with Peter, James and John. It was only in the previous chapter of Matthew’s Gospel did Jesus reveal himself as the Messiah. Seeing Jesus with Moses and Elijah caused such fear in the three because while they were still coming to understand who Jesus was they knew full well the importance of these two Old Testament giants. At the time Jesus was far from the only person who claimed followers but this encounter set him apart and showed his disciples exactly who he was.
And if the job of Jesus’ disciples was to decide who to follow, well, we’re still doing that today. I need not speak much about how so many people claim to have been sent by God to us. Some are obvious in their crusade for wealth and fame. But others are not so easy to discern. How can we tell the true Christian leaders from the frauds? It’s not as easy as we would like it to be.
If we look back on the characters that started this homily we can see the contrast. Medger Evers preached a gospel of inclusion, that God loves all of us equally and tasks us to treat each other that way. But Byron De La Beckwith was equally strong in his belief that white people were smarter than people of color who needed to be cared for. He and other white supremacists insisted on racial segregation because God insisted on it. Left to their own devices the black men posed a danger to white women and that would lead to the “mongrelization of the races.”
So if both men claimed to be doing God’s will how do we choose? Well, let’s look at who these two men bound themselves to. When Jesus put himself in the presence of Moses and Elijah he put himself in the presence of justice and liberation. Moses liberated the Hebrew slaves from Egypt and Elijah preached worship of God alone instead of false gods.
The civil rights movement, of which Medger Evers belonged, also preached liberation from bondage, not only from slavery but also from segregation. He envisioned a world where all would be equal. It was the path of life
Byron De La Beckwith, on the other hand, preached a world where he and those who looked like him would be protected from “them.” He used fear (and murder) as a way to keep order and found violence an acceptable means to that end. It was the path of death.
It should be obvious that we need to choose the path of life but as I read over this I wish I could announce “Mission Accomplished.” Alas, we are still not there. We read these readings, and indeed commemorate the Transfiguration because it’s a lesson that we continue to need to learn. There’s an old proverb that tells us if we’ve been blessed by God’s generosity we should use those blessings to construct a longer table, not a higher wall.
Today, as always, our attention is pulled in many directions. We can, and often do, feel overwhelmed by the cacophony of voices that reach us through our mailboxes, mass media, and devices. We are regularly promised wealth, beauty and popularity for the low, low price of…. Or we are promised salvation by supporting this or that ministry. All of them claim to have our best interest at heart, but if the path or our best interest leads to the forcible exclusion of others that’s a red flag. If we hear voices that see others not as fellow pilgrims but as competition for what we want, that’s a red flag.
But at the end of the day if we find ourselves surrounded by those who warn us about people who don’t look like us or don’t act like us or don’t love like us, well, it’s good to remember whose company Jesus sought. If we find ourselves surrounded by those who challenge us to love, to include the excluded, and to seek the light, well, that’s a good sign that we are on the right path.
Whoever you are, come along. You are welcome.