Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen, our text today is the Gospel lesson just read, especially these words, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to him.” Thus far our text.
Dear friends in Christ. In all three of our texts today, we have heaven on earth. In our Old Testament lesson, we have heaven with God’s presence as His people eat and drink covered in blood on Mt. Sinai. In the Epistle, St. Peter tells you that the account of the transfiguration really happened, that Jesus really truly revealed his divinity on top of the mount of transfiguration. And then in our sermon text, the Gospel, we see Jesus transfigured, and the divinity that was hidden in our own human flesh flooded forth from the very Son of God, to whom we are to listen. Heaven comes to Earth, and we sinners see a picture of what it will be like.
In our text, Jesus reveals who he really is, in case you haven’t gotten it yet. Jesus who has proved He is God by miracles, by healing the sick, by raising the dead, wants to make sure that you get it. In our text, Jesus was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. Transfigured means that His divine nature, hidden with His human flesh, leaks out for the whole world to see. When you see Jesus on the mount of Transfiguration, you see the same Jesus you will one day see in heaven. Jesus the God. Jesus the Almighty. Jesus the creator and redeemer of the world. It is a beautiful picture, heaven on earth, heaven where real men, Peter, James and John may experience it. Its heaven, because they are in the presence of the revealed God.
Peter knows what must happen. Peter knows, they must build a temple to house this majesty and glory, just like the one in Jerusalem. They must build a temple for Jesus, and his two helpers, Moses and Elijah who long ago led the people of Israel. Peter wants to capture this heaven on Earth for himself, to keep it with him always. To lock it up, and keep it hidden so that God will always be revealed among his people. Peter wants heaven now, without the events Jesus has promised, of Good Friday, of Golgotha, of crucifixion and of death.
“Lord, it is good that we are here.” Peter says. In other words, “Let’s always stay here! Let’s leave the horrid world behind, and enjoy heaven.” And who can blame him, for we all know that Heaven is better than this sinful world that we live in. But no sooner than Peter says these words, then God speaks, “This is my Son” and then the heavenly picture is gone. And as they go down the mountain, Jesus’ road to the cross continues.
Dear friends, don’t you want heaven? Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a little piece of heaven right here of our very own. Something we could hold and touch. Something we could look at and see, something that would magically take away all the struggles and sin of this world? But it seems like that is a dream, just a faded idea in our minds, isn’t it. I mean this world is definitely not heaven on earth. This world has struggles and sin. This world is a dangerous, evil place.
Be honest, what is your world like? What do you face each day as you rise from your beds? Do you face another day of toiling and toiling, but still not sure if you have enough money at the end of the day to support yourself and your family? Do you face stress of wondering if you are good enough, or if you are liked, or if anyone cares about you? Do you face another day of fighting with a loved one, despising their nagging, hating the way they seem lazy or more? Will you run and hide in alcohol and drugs, or maybe hide in hours of television where you don’t have to interact with anyone?
When you arise, do you face illness of a loved one, or even of yourself. Do you wonder how you are going to pay the doctor’s bills, or how on earth healing might come? Do you feel guilt, guilt over not seeing a grandma one last time, or guilt over past sins that you know are so bad that no one can ever forgive you, so you hide them away within yourself.
Friends, it seems like this world is often as far from heaven as you could possibly get, because these things just scratch the surface of each person’s individual sin. You are guilty. You fall short. You are a sinner. On your own, you don’t deserve heaven, but you deserve death, destruction and hell.
But still, heaven comes to you. Just as Peter, James and John experienced heaven so too do you, and you are right now. You enter heaven covered in blood. You experience heaven here on this earth because you are covered in blood, just as in our Old Testament lesson, where Moses sprinkled the people with blood so that they might experenece heaven on earth. You are sprinkled in blood shed from Jesus Christ. Blood that poured out from his body as he suffered hell for you on the cross, giving up his own life. In the waters of Baptism that blood covers you, and because of that blood, you may now enter heaven.
And here, in this building, you experience heaven on earth. Here you come face to face with Jesus. Here you receive his gifts. Here Jesus is with you in the fullness of God. And you participate in the heavenly feast, the sacrificial feast of the very body and blood of Jesus. Friends, that is the heavenly meal, because in this meal all your sin, all your sorrow, all your pain, all you suffering is taken and killed by Jesus. Instead, in it you receive Life, Healing, Comfort, Peace and Hope from God himself.
Friends it is good for us to be here, in the presence of Jesus, the one who God says in our text, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Listen to him as He himself tells you, “Take and Eat, this is my Body given for you! Take and Drink, this is my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Listen to Jesus as he says, “These are my gifts for you, gifts I earned by my own suffering and dying, Receive them and be my Holy possession, be my brothers and sisters, and experience here in my house heaven.”
Friends, this world often times seems like hell, and truly it is as close to hell as you will ever get in faith. But even here, even in the midst of tears and sorrow, we have a little piece of heaven, because we have the presence of God with us, and for us. Heaven on Earth is wherever Jesus is, and friends He is here for you. Amen.
