Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

 Lectionary: 614

Thrones were set up and the Ancient One took his throne.
     His clothing was bright as snow, and the hair on his head as white as wool;
     his throne was flames of fire, with wheels of burning fire.
     A surging stream of fire flowed out from where he sat;
     Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him, and myriads upon myriads attended him.
     The court was convened and the books were opened.

Daniel's vision of God's majesty, described in today's first reading, recalls the visions of Ezekiel and Isaiah, and the fiery chariot sent to deliver Elijah into heavenly glory. The wheels beneath God's throne are chariot wheels; they signify God's rule over all the kingdoms of the Earth. He goes where he will with none to stop him. If it is a heavenly kingdom whose sovereign authority is yet to be revealed to the feuding, fussing nations, it is nonetheless real. Only a fool would ignore it. 

Daniel's vision is all the more remarkable -- and compelling for believers -- because Daniel was not an emperor; he was only a fictional servant of the Babylonian emperor, Nebuchadnezzar. (The book was written during the time of the Maccabees, when the Jews suffered the first time for their religion under the Seleucid empire.) His predecessor, Ezekiel, like Daniel, was an exile in Babylon, far from God's temple in Jerusalem. And Isaiah, who at least enjoyed the privilege of serving a Jewish king in the autonomous nation of Judah, knew there were far more powerful nations in Asia and Africa. 

For these prophets, as for us, to claim the supreme authority of the LORD over all nations is more an act of faith than a statement of Realpolitik. The Babylonians would have laughed out loud upon hearing of Ezekiel's visions; for they knew their emperor had no rival, and their empire would last forever. Which of us does not hope for the same for our respective governments? 

On this feast of the Transfiguration, we remember the sovereign authority that Jesus has won by his crucifixion and death. We have seen in our liturgical vision the enthronement of Jesus and we have heard the heavenly choir sing:

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing.”

Insofar as we claim allegiance to Jesus, and swear by the authority God has given to him, we must love the truth. We dare not run with a thief, or throw in our lot with adulterers.  

As I have ministered to patients dying of the epidemic and watched the January 6 hearings, I have come to believe they are saved by faith who believe the truth. But no one is saved by faith in lies or deception, in thieves or adulterers. They might recite God's commandments and profess with lying lips God's covenant, but they love deception. Their hope is pitiful; their fate is misery; and the wise can only urge them to give it up. 

On this feast of the Transfiguration, we beg the Lord to direct our political, economic, and social decisions, for we have only one LORD.