In our gospel reading today, we have the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain. Jesus and three disciples, Peter James and John, ascend the mountain, rising up into the heavens both literally and metaphorically. And Jesus is transformed in their sight, so that his glory is revealed. He is joined by Moses and Elijah, representing the law and the prophets, whom Jesus is unifying in his own person. And you are free to imagine the heavenly choirs of angels singing, for this is a foretaste of the glory of the resurrection: Jesus is revealed in his true nature, the light shining in the darkness.<\/p>\n
Today \u2013 paradoxically \u2013 I would like to begin by saying something about the darkness \u2013 for being exposed to the blinding light of Christ can be painful \u2013 imagine waking up, opening the curtains and having the sun shine straight in your face \u2013 if you\u2019re not expecting it it dazzles, it hurts the eyes. Or even walking along the beach recently, in the middle of a summers day \u2013 brightness hurts the eyes. It\u2019s why we use sunglasses. What I\u2019m trying to get at is something which has been understood within the Christian tradition from the very beginning \u2013 that sometimes the light hurts, and sometimes people turn away from the light.<\/p>\n
So now it is time for the Rector to come out \u2013 this has been growing on me for quite some time as my experience compels me to consider it \u2013 amd now I\u2019m going public \u2013 I believe in hell! But this does need a little unpacking \u2013 two ways in particular:<\/p>\n
The first way that I would like to unpack a little relates to our present choices, for the language of hell can rapidly become a spiritual burden. Sin is not the sun around which the Christian system circles, indeed, for the Christian, sin is always fighting a losing battle.<\/a> More than that, a focus on sin tends to lead to self-obsession, and we presume too much responsibility onto our own shoulders \u2013 Jesus said \u2018come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light\u2019. We never earn our way to salvation \u2013 nothing undermines the truth of God\u2019s grace \u2013 but grace enters in when we recognise the truth that Christ is Lord of heaven and earth \u2013 when we see him transfigured, as both human and divine \u2013 it is the light that sets us free, to concentrate on the promise of the kingdom, of life in all its fullness.<\/p>\n The second thing is that an exclusive concern with \u2018eternal consequences\u2019 is wrong, that is, thinking of hell as something which only kicks in after we die. Hell is part of life in the present as well as life to come \u2013 just as the kingdom is something that is breaking in upon us at this very moment, so too is hell, and some people endure hell in this life – I\u2019m sure you can all think of examples. And it is this very present-day sense which I think Jesus was concerned with, as often as not. Let us not get too distracted with the literal language of fiery furnaces and torments etc. The Inuit have an understanding of hell that sees it as being incredibly cold; whereas middle eastern cultures saw it as incredibly hot \u2013 because in each case what was associated with hell was what destroyed life. It is not the imagery itself that is crucial so much as the underlying reality \u2013 that what we do matters, that it is of eternal significance \u2013 and that the consequences of a wrong life are indeed terrifying and horrible. Jesus uses the language of gehenna<\/a> \u2013 the rubbish tip outside of Jerusalem \u2013 also place of child sacrifice \u2013 represents all that is opposite to God, opposite to kingdom.<\/p>\n The thing is that this language of hell offends against some modern sensibilities \u2013 the idea that we are all victims, so really nobody deserves to go to hell \u2013 in part that\u2019s sentimental nonsense, in part it is simply a biblical insight \u2013 Ps 130 \u201cIf you, LORD, were to note what is done amiss, O Lord, who could stand?\u201d \u2013 we cannot judge where people are, but it is possible to turn away from the light, to refuse the truth \u2013 and the consequences of that are painful, in this life and in the next. That is what I understand hell to be \u2013 and I don\u2019t believe it is possible to believe in the kingdom without also believing in gehenna<\/p>\n For this language does describe the concrete outcomes in our lives \u2013 revelation 20.12: we will be \u2018judged according to our deeds\u2019. Again, this is not about earning salvation \u2013 the point is that salvation is something present and real and shareable within this life \u2013 it is not just pie in the sky when we die \u2013 it is the bearing of fruit that will last. The point about hell is that hell too is present and real and shareable in this life \u2013 and in the life to come \u2013 the righteous works of the faithful, which Revelation refers to, are the working out in them of the light of Christ, in whose image we are made; in other words, the process of sanctification \u2013 when we are transfigured, when we become the creatures of light that is God\u2019s intention for us.<\/p>\n Because that is the positive side \u2013 today talked about the darkness, but only because of the light is that revealed \u2013 God is light and in him there is no darkness at all – the disciples have the windows opened and they see the glory of God revealed in the face of a human being. They are able to see this glory because they have fallen in love with Jesus. That is what makes them disciples \u2013 they love the Lord, they have responded to his call, their hearts are on fire with love for him. They see the truth, and they accept the truth.<\/p>\n That is our calling too. For the miracle of the transfiguration isn\u2019t just that it reveals who Jesus is. The transfiguration is something which happens in us. We are the ones who are transfigured \u2013 if we see the face of Christ revealed then the face of Christ within our deepest selves wakes up and seeks expression too. If we accept the pain of turning towards the light \u2013 if we allow God\u2019s searching light to reach in to our innermost hearts and unearth all the things which disfigure and wound our souls – then God will work with us \u2013 the grace of God will go before us and help us share in his glory. For remember what St Paul writes \u2013 the creation waits with eager longing for the glorious liberty of the children of God. That\u2019s us. That\u2019s you and me here and now. Glory is what we were made for, Glory is what we are called to, Glory is what we most want to be.<\/p>\n We do still have a choice, a freedom to choose between sleep and wakefulness. The world would like us to sleep \u2013 to continue to spend our days working all the hours God sends, to raise the money to pay the bills which keep the wheels in motion. To spend our time consuming \u2013 and that need not involve too much time spent in the shops. To not pay any attention to what comes for free in life. To pay attention to our wants and desires rather than our needs. That is to sleepwalk through this life, to not notice the things that are truly important, to fall into a rut of comfortable habits, safe from the bracing fresh air of reality. To stay within our tents. To not see the light.<\/p>\n This is not the life that God has planned for us. For God sent his Son in order that we might see the light, that we might start to share in the glory that is promised to us on a mountainside, on a hill far away. Then \u2013 and only then – we might start to take responsibility for this glorious world we have inherited, and work to make God\u2019s glory manifest in the world. If we let God do his work, if we don\u2019t try and capture it in forms that we feel comfortable with, if we hold fast to the light that has been revealed to us \u2013 then we shall see God, and we will truly be his children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In our gospel reading today, we have the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain. Jesus and three disciples, Peter James and John, ascend the mountain, rising up into the heavens both literally and metaphorically. And Jesus is transformed in their … Continue reading