Second Sunday of Lent

Lectionary: 25

“Lord, it is good that we are here.

If you wish, I will make three tents here,

one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

You've got to love Saint Peter. He hasn't a clue what's going on but he is ready to do something! Anything! Whatever you want! How about three tents, "one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah?”

How about, Listen?

Right! Right! I can do that!

Peter's instincts are so right even as his impulses can be so misguided. He is caught up in the Holy Spirit but not yet attuned to the Holy Spirit. Eager, willing, alert, able, but nonetheless foolish. Needing instruction. 

Abraham -- he appears annually on this Second Sunday of Lent, even as we hear one of the synoptic versions of the Transfiguration -- also had to learn the Voice of the Spirit. Which perhaps explains why he lived so long. At one hundred years of age his son Isaac was born, the long awaited child of the promise. At the age of one hundred and twelve he demonstrated his ability and willingness to listen to the Voice of God. He readily offered the life of his son in sacrifice to the Lord. 

Where Abraham had the disadvantage of no religious tradition, Peter had well-over a thousand years of religious tradition to teach him to listen to the Lord. He had often heard the scriptures read in the synagogue. And we can suppose the words and phrases of scripture sounded frequently in the daily conversation of the fisherman with his wife, children, neighbors, and workmates. He knew that Abraham, Moses, and David had become extraordinary listeners to the voice of God, especially as the Lord rebuked them for their sins; and as they continually turned back to the Lord when they heard the word of rebuke. 

Peter, too, had been rebuked when the Lord shouted at him, "Get behind me, Satan." Whether he felt shame, remorse, or embarrassment about Jesus' reaction, he wasn't put off by it. He just kept coming back, risking the Lord's anger, admonishment, and insult. So when he saw Jesus transfigured, and speaking with Moses and Elijah, whom he recognized, he spoke out again, "It is good to be here! Is there anything I can do?"

"Yes!" the Lord God the Father replied, "Listen to him!"

We might discuss whether we have the same advantages Peter had, of a long religious tradition. As European settlers moved out of Europe to New England and then across the continent of North America, they carried a few books and, invariably, the King James Bible. When they went to name rivers, mountains and towns, they often found memorable titles in the place names and persons -- both heroes and rogues -- of the Bible. Their children learned to read by the cadences and archaic vocabulary of that Version. 

But the times have changed and even Jeopardy contestants are sadly ignorant of our Judaeo-Christian tradition. Many people do not know Ebeneezer was a sacred rock, not a person, found in 1 Samuel 7:12. Hopefully, many are more familiar with Ebeneezer Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pastored.

If we are ready to practice our faith and the tradition that necessarily accompanies our faith, we begin by listening. Many people search for a church that agrees with their opinions and, finding one, join it. They're not ready to listen. 

We begin by attending a sermon in a church with a living, breathing congregation. (Not by reading a blog, no matter how brilliant it might be! Nor by watching a televised Mass.) 

We continue by listening for inspiration, not agreement. I remember a priest who, I thought, gave abominable sermons. I could hardly bear to listen to him. But invariably his congregation spoke well of his preaching. It had to be the Holy Spirit! They heard what the Lord wanted them to hear. 

They heard because they practiced their faith with daily prayers and material sacrifices. They demonstrated that same eager willingness of Saint Peter. They were members, not consumers, of a church. 

We are now immersed in the Season of Lent. We have begun or renewed our practices of daily prayer with sacrifices of time, talent, and treasure. On this day we hear the command of the Lord, "Listen to him." If we don't throw ourselves prostrate on the floor with Peter, James, and John, we do sit up straight and hear the Word of God.