Friends
I was pretending to be Lindsey Vonn on the ski slopes the other day. Going fast (okay, compared to her, going slow!) and leaning into the turns. I love the videos where it seems her hands on are on the snow next to her. I'm not that flexible, so mine was not even similar to hers, but I had fun.
And then she fell! My heart breaks with her to try so hard at something she is so good at, and to have the circumstances be what makes it impossible to proceed.
I'm feeling this way all the time. The world is disrupting my plans. It's probably always been true, but I really feel it right now.
-Liz
Who Am I?
Now is the time to figure out who we really are.
I didn't preach on the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9) for years. I have a very low Christology, and this transfigured Christ doesn't always fit that. Meaning I have no idea what to say about it. It's weird. I know many stick to preaching about the disciples rather than about Jesus in this story.
But in this season it is really on my mind about how we show how we really are. By "we" here I mean me. How am I showing up as who I really am? Am out there all the time, am I out there when my schedule allows, am I more a writer than a protestor? When this is over, what will be the story about this time and . Am I allowing my activities, my life, my being to be redefined in this moment?
I am inclined to believe that transfiguration is not taking on a new identity, a new personal, but rather is an unmasking. I remember Moses wore a face covering, it was under that his transfigured self was hidden.
So the question is not what we are choosing, or what is new, but rather what about ourselves is being revealed. Somewhere inside of us we have a role that will play in these times times. Who are we?
And by "we" I mean each of us. And I mean our identity as a congregation. And widely, all our identities as churches. Will The Church with capital letters, the church universal, find itself willing to reveal a hidden self that is responsive to the needs of the world? Which of course rolls me right back to myself. Am I willing to look underneath the mask and find out if I am someone who the moment can be transfigured into someone who will respond?
Who am I, deep down in the hidden recesses of my being? What really is the church?
We, the church and I, are already nice. We give direct charity to people in need. We preach the importance of care for our neighbors. Sometimes we get gutsy and speak of love of our enemies. Sometimes we get brave and speak out for people who are discriminated against. Often, we are angry at injustice.
We, the church and I, are already studying hard. We wrestle with the meaning of scripture. We revel in good theologies. We learn about the history, and present, racism of our nation and our church. We learn about sexual orientation and gender identity. We learn about immigrants and refugees and the history of border politics in the United states. We care enough to be knowledgable.
We, the church and I, are already wise with our prayers. We (almost) always remember the wars and famines in the world. We (almost) always remember the poor and the oppressed. We always remember those who are in the news as suffering. We also understand, and talk about, how prayer requires not just our thoughts but also our hands and feet. We have a good theology of prayer as a way to change us, as a way to show up.
Will we find any more than that if the mask is dropped? Are we willing to find out what transfiguration will reveal?
It requires letting Jesus lead us up the high mountain. It demands curiosity and creativity. It is not about specific steps (to protest, to hang a sign, to engage in politics, etc.) but about deciding if we, the church and I, are willing to do more. Is it who we are to be bolder, to be louder, to be quicker to respond. Or is who we are essentially nice, learned, and wise in our prayers?
Imagining transfiguration is risky internally, requiring vulnerability, humility, and a brutal honesty. What is our emotional capacity to consider who we are and who we want to be? What will we do with truthful answers that we are too afraid, too busy, too focused on something else? What will we do with the discovery that we would prefer to stay exactly as we are? Can we live with the possibility that what we are doing now is all that we will ever do?
What do you think about transfiguration?
Has your church found new strength, new visibility, new identity in these times? Reply to this email to let me know what's happening.
James Balwin's Fire. An episode of Throughline, I liked this especially because it emphasizes the opportunities Baldwin had to give in to our cultural norms, and thus to be more successful. But he doesn't. He knows who he is, and chooses to remain strong in who he is. (42 minutes)
This transfiguration commentary by the Rev. Karen Gale suggests we can't know the path ahead, we can't know the whole story. But we can choose the next right step forward.
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