March 1 - 2nd Sunday of Lent

Bellarmine University
“THE EYES HAVE IT:” PART 2, “Hindsight and Foresight”
Rev. Ronald Knott
March 1, 2015
His clothes became dazzling white.
Then Elijah appeared to them along
with Moses, and they were conversing
with Jesus.
MARK 9

“Imagination” Now that’s an amazing human ability. “Imagination” means “to make an image with your mind.” Your mind can look back and make an image of some past event. Likewise, your mind can look forward and make an image of some imaginary event in the future. Amazing still, is that your mind can do all of this while processing information about the here and now. Because we can look back and look forward, we can cope with the reality in front of us. Neither what we look back on, nor what we look forward to, have reality anywhere except in our minds, but being able to do that helps us know where we are in the present.

When all three of these abilities come together, the ability to “imagine” past, present and future at the same time, we experience a powerful blast of insight! Some call it an “ah, ha” experience. Others refer to it as “clicking.” Others say, “One day, it all just fell into place.” Others call it a “conversion” experience. The comics picture it as a “light bulb being turned on.” It’s that insight that comes from knowing “where you’ve been, where you are and where you are going” all at the same time. People who go through an experience like that have a glow about them. It’s almost like they give off light. If you’ve had one of those experiences, you know what I am talking about. If you’ve never had one of those experiences, I hope you will. It’s life changing!

Jesus had one of those experiences in today’s gospel story. It says that Jesus took his closest companions on a mountaintop retreat. While in intense prayer, his clothes turn white, the brightest white you can imagine. What is amazing about that is that those are the same words used about Jesus clothes in appearances after his resurrection. This is a way of telling us, Jesus got a vision of the future, a glimpse of glory and sneak preview of his life to come. While in that state, we are told that Jesus has a discussion with Elijah and Moses. Elijah and Moses helped Jesus realize where he came from, the voice from heaven and the dazzling clothes helped him to see where he was going. In this wonderful story of looking back, Mark presents Jesus as the fulfillment of every prophecy concerning the Messiah. In this wonderful story of looking forward, Mark presents the fulfillment of Jesus’ mission, not through glory, majesty and triumph over foreign nations, but through his death on a cross and, after that, resurrection from the dead.

This Lent we look back and we look forward. By looking back into scripture we get in touch with our history and we get a glimpse of our destiny. By looking into scriptures, we find out who we are today. We are God’s people. Our God has always taken care of us in the past and our God has incredible things waiting for us in the future. Because of that, we can live without worry in the present. We can wait in joyful hope. Our history is not in doubt and neither is our destiny. We are God’s people. We are earthenware jars that hold a great treasure. We are temples of the holy spirit. We are Christ’s body in the world. We are ambassadors for Christ. Knowing where we came from and knowing where he are going, we are free to “wait in joyful hope,” in full confidence, no matter what is happening to us or around us, for the eternal life promised us by our loving God.

This gospel today is not just a report of some long-ago “mountain top experience,” it is an invitation to us, an invitation to go up on our own mountain, look back over our lives and look forward to where we are headed. It is a time to “get back on the path of discipleship,” to remember where we came from and where we are going, to live deliberately, on purpose and with intention as a follower of Jesus.

Students, we have heard a lot about the weakness and sinfulness of the church these past years. It has been painful for me and you. Because of this pain, many of us may have lost our confidence, if not our way. I have tried to remind myself and remind you that just because our church leadership has made mistakes, just because many of our members have given up on the church, that does not mean we are off the hook. We, all of us, are still called to holiness. We are still called to become serious and effective disciples of Jesus. We are still called to carry on some part of Christ’s work. And, yes, we are called to heal the weaknesses of the church, rather than run from them, as if they were somebody else’s responsibility to fix. St. Paul tells us that, together, we are the Body of Christ and when one member suffers, we all suffer. He goes on to tell us that when one part of the body is sick or weak, the whole body works together to heal it.

This time of Lent, this time of looking back and looking forward, is a time to remember who we are, where we came from and where we are going! We were created out of love and, out of love, we have been redeemed. If we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, not on our sins and failures or the sins and failures of others, we can live in joyful hope, even now!