The Light Shined Out of the Darkness

 "For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ."

Transfiguration Sunday or The Transfiguration is celebrated by many Christian Churches and is found after the Epiphany and is the Sunday before the Lenten Season in leading to Holy Week and to Easter Sunday.

In the Creation Epic found in the book of Genesis, written by the Prophet Moses is the recorded decree of the Lord God of “let there be light”. This decree spoken by the Creator is far more than the act of creation of the Sun, Moon and stars and other celestial bodies, it does have reference to God’s act of creation, but it has a far deeper meaning and intention regarding his whole purpose which God has untaken here upon the Earth.

In the Beginning

St. John, drawing upon his Jewish roots, utilizes the well know words of the Creation Epic when he wrote in his Gospel account of the life of Jesus “In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was God”.

“In the Beginning” is used as the “Language of Accommodation”, that is, the Lord God has made an allowance for humanities limited grasp of the meaning of eternal things and eternal truths and so speaks to us in a way in which we can almost understand, and to gives to us a sense of who God is and what his purpose(s) is.

St. John is telling us that from eternity past God has had an eternal purpose for his creation and for us. “let there be light” is introduced, but again, this is not just speaking of the celestial lights which can be viewed in the heavens, but rather St. John is utilizing the creation theme and tells us that light has appeared upon the Earth among humanity amidst the darkness of the world.

 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. “Jhn: 1:1-5

This light of the Word of God and who is God has shined among humanity, not having come to us as something alien and incomprehensible but has come  in a means by which we can look upon it and experience it. This Light of the Word has come and shown the glorious light of the Holy God as one of us.

“and the World became flesh” (14)

The holy divine light of God has come and walked among us in the person of His Holy Son Jesus Christ, radiant in the spiritual darkness of this world. This holy light of God came and revealed the great God to us not just in words but actions and in all interactions with others through Jesus’ life and in his death.

The Word’s incarnation is the true fulfillment of the creation decree of God; “let there be light”. St. John gives depth to this truth in his Christocentric Gospel about the holy light of God shining forth in perfect revelation of who God is even amidst the darkness of this world.

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” Jhn:1:4-5

This has been the purpose of God from “in the beginning” to shine the light of truth among us all so that we might know him. This has and is God’s purpose, that we all look upon the light radiant in Jesus and see the Holy God in his most full, clearest, and perfect revelation, to have that Apocalyptic moment of revelation when we see the radiant light of God shown forth in Jesus and see him for who he is; and has always has been, and have come to know him as the Great God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Mount of Transfiguration

St. Peter wrote of this Apocalyptic moment in his second epistle to the Apostolic Church and recalled seeing the radiant glory of God in the person of Jesus and the divine declaration of the Father regarding his Son Jesus.

…” For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice from the Majestic Glory said to Him, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we ourselves heard this voice from Heaven when we were with him on the Holy Mountain. We also have the message of the prophets, which has been confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to this message, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” 2Pet:1:17-19

There upon that holy mount was the glorious radiance of the Creator God. Here it is being shown forth before the Disciples who witness the Transfiguration of Jesus as he is seen for who he is, the true light of God who brings the glorious truth about the  true Creator God, who brought all things into being, what is being shown forth is what is only hinted at in the Genesis Creation Epic, “let there be light”.

The Transfiguration

St. Mark, who we are told by ancient tradition was a close associate of the Apostle St. Peter, and is believed to have gathered much of his information regarding Jesus from St. Peter’s personal experiences, records in his Gospel the Transfiguration which St. Peter alluded to in his general Epistle to the early Church.

“After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.” Mk: 9:2-9

The Transfiguration is a glorious Apocalyptic moment for the Disciples there with Jesus and for we who see it through the pages of the Holy Scriptures. What the Transfiguration is showing, and the Father is declaring, is that, it is in and through Jesus that the light of truth is being showed forth and dispelling the cloudy darkness of ignorance as to who the Creator God is; “this is my Son”, in other words, “you will know me when you know him”, “let there be light”.

This is what God has always from even the dawn of creation intended for humanity, that we would come to know him, that we all would see in Jesus what the Disciples there on that mount only glimpsed.

Light Out of the Darkness

 The eternal truth of who the true God is and is revealed to humanity through Jesus, and has been witness to in the Scriptures; “And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.”, is the glorious truth which shines forth into the world through the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

When the light of Gospel is proclaimed, it is the very same light which shined forth out of the clouds of primordial darkness at creation. This light of truth reveals to us who God is, the same light which is seen there upon the Mount of Transfiguration radiating forth in the glorious vision of the Transfigured Jesus.

St. Paul in his Epistles to the Christian Church at Corinth Greece reveals the Gospel of Jesus as the self-same light which God declares in the creation Epic.

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”2Cor:4:3-6

St. Paul is telling us that when we hear the Gospel message and we are able to grasp it’s meaning we are then seeing the glory of God being shown forth in an Apocalyptic moment of revelation of who God is.

We have seen the light of truth which reveals the true God the creator of all things.

In Jesus the Creator God shows the truth about himself to us. When the truth is seen and comprehend, then Jesus is, in the eyes of our hearts, becomes Transfigured. We see the glory of God in Jesus; we now know him to be the Son of God. It is as if his face is radiant in the divine light of God piercing the thick clouds of darkness and ignorance as to who God is.

 Jesus is the one of whom the Scriptures spoke of, the one, who has come and shows us the truth which illuminates to us just who the Creator God is and what he wants for us all. 

The light declared in the Creation Epic has come to us in the person of Jesus and is shining even now to us, showing us who God is and his desire for us to know him. This is what the Transfiguration of Jesus is declaring to us all there upon the holy mountain.

Benediction: May we each and all see the light which shown forth there upon the Holy Mount of Transfiguration, the same light which shines forth into the darkness of the world through the Gospel, as the light shined forth at Creation and still shines forth through Jesus Christ today, tomorrow and forever more. Amen.

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor

Topinabee Community Church

Topinabee Michigan

If You Would Like to Know More About or to Support the Ministry of Topinabee Community Church You Can go to Our Web Site.

https://topinabeechurch.org/index.html

You Can Follow Topinabee Community Church on Face Book 

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                       “If Its Not About Jesus, Its Not About Anything!”  

The Mount of Transfiguration:

  "Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them" Matthew: 17:1

Mountains, in the pages of the Holy Bible are places of great significance They are seen as places where humanity encounters the Great God: The Place where people meet their God.

In the Book of Genesis: 22:1-18, God "tested" the Patriarch Abraham upon a mountain, asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Issacs; to whom God had assured Abraham would be the heir of great promises that would impact not only Abraham's descendants, but all humanity.

God reached out to Moses upon Mt. Sinai in the burning bush, Exodus:3, and the again God spoke from the top of Mt. Sinai Exodus19 & 20, manifesting His glory in fire, smoke and the shaking of the Earth. 

After the presentation of the Covenant Moses and 70 elders of Israel ascend Mt. Sinai and met their God and "ate and drank" with Him. Exodus: 24:9-11

We can read throughout the Psalms of Mt. Zion, that place where God and His people came together, where God reveals Himself and meets His people. These are just some of the examples how God uses mountains showing us that to meet Him to know Him is the highest thing. Knowing our God is the summit of existence, to know the great God, to experience His divine self-disclosure to each of us in the person of his Holy Son Jesus Christ.

Mountains are that place of meeting between God and each of us.

Mount of Transfiguration

In 2Peter: 1:16-17, the Apostle St. Peter recounts to Christians of his day, and to all of us throughout the ages when he, St. James and St. John saw the glory that is revealed in Jesus there upon the "holy mountain" ,that is , when they saw Jesus Christ Transfigured, and they heard the conformation out of the Heavens that this "is My beloved Son" . 

 "After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and  his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground, terrified But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus." Matthew: 17:1-8

The Transfiguration is, that moment when we see this truth, that Jesus is the Son of the living God. It is the summit of our lives when we see that Jesus is the One by Whom the Great God reveals Himself, that is, we see Jesus in a way that we might never had thought of before. He is then transfigured in our hearts and minds. He is seen as much more than just a philosopher or historical personality, we see, that He is the Son of the Living God.

He Takes Us Up

As it says:  "Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them" Matthew: 17:1

It is Jesus Himself who leads each of us to the high mountain of revaluation. It is a moment for all of us, when the notions and views which we once held are rolled back and we see the glory of God in Jesus. We grasp that truth , that all Scripture was written for this moment, to tell us about Jesus and all that He accomplishes for each of us and, that is:

"Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus." Matthew: 17:3

 All the law, symbolized by Moses and the Prophets, symbolized by Elijah speak of the Great God meeting us in the person of Jesus. Jesus is the point of it all. It is all about Jesus. All the Bible itself points us to Him.

 "Search the scriptures, for you think in them to have life everlasting; and the same are they that give testimony of me "John:5:39

 There is nothing higher, nothing greater. God has given us His Son, and in His Son, He gives us Himself. Jesus' mission was to reveal the Father, the Great God.

" I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one comes unto the father, but by me." John: 14:6

Some may ask "how have we seen God?" ...Jesus answers them in the same way He answers the Apostle St. Phillip:

 "From now on, you do know him and have seen him. Philip said, “Lord, show us the father and that will be enough for us. ” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. 

How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father." John:14:8-13

If we see Jesus, we are seeing the Great God. It is , as if we are there on that high mountain with Jesus and the glory of God is seen in Him, when we see this we can have but one response that is to worship in deep reverence. that is what is being acted out , even in the Apostles as as they are overwhelmed by the glory of that moment and they fall prostrate, it symbolized the response of any who see the glory of God and come top grasp that Jesus is the Son of God.

 "When the disciples heard this, they fell face-down to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus" Matthew:17:6-8 

 He Touches Us

When we see this there on that mountain of our lives, that place where Jesus is transfigured before us and we see who He is we can have no the response in deep reverence but to worship. It is at that moment of worship that Jesus comes to us, as He did to the overwhelmed disciples and touches us clamming our fears as He did theirs' .We raise our eyes to see Him alone. None but Jesus. It is Jesus alone that makes this moment of Transfiguration what it is.

He is the One that God shows us Himself in, it is that High Place of seeing the Glory of God in His Son. This is the mountain of He invites to ascend and meet Him in Jesus. There is no higher mountain than that of the Mount of Transfiguration

Benediction: May we each and all ascend the Holy Mountain ,as did the Apostles, and see our Lord Jesus Christ Transfigured , Today, Tomorrow and Forevermore ... Amen.

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor

Topinabee Community Church

Topinabee Michigan

If You Would Like to Know More About or to Support the Ministry of Topinabee Community Church You Can go to Our Web Site.

https://topinabeechurch.org/index.html

You Can Follow Topinabee Community Church on Face Book 

https://www.facebook.com/Topinabeecommunitychurch

                       “If Its Not About Jesus, Its Not About Anything!”  

Water into Wine

 While Jesus and His disciples were attending a wedding feast in the Galilean town of Cana He performed His first recorded miracle, that of turning ordinary water into wine.

The Wine Runs Out

Wine was always an important part of any celebration but here in Cana, unbeknown to the guest at large, it was, during the festivities discovered that the wine had run out. When Mary, the mother of Jesus, became aware of the need she approached her Son instinctively knowing that He would solve the problem.

"On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” Jhn:2:1-3

It seems that, at first Jesus is a little reluctant to act, yet His mother acts none the less, seemingly with the faith that Jesus would do whatever is needed in the situation.

" Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Jhn:2:4-5

 Stone Ritual Jars

 Now, there was on hand six stone ceremonial washing pots for the purification rituals which the Jews were careful to observe. These stone vessels could hold up as much as twenty or thirty gallons of water. 

 "Jesus said to them, Fill the water pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim" Jhn: 2:7

 The servants followed Jesus' instructions and filled jars full. He then tells them to draw some of the water out and take it to the Master of the feast. When they draw it out, they find that it is no longer ordinary water but wine, and not just wine but the best of wine.

"Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he  called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” Jhn: 2:8-10

 Transformed

What now filled the jars, was more than what anyone could have thought or even hoped. These jars were no longer vessels of a ritualistic uses, but rather had become, through the word of Jesus, receptacles of His grace and power. It was not just water to quench a thirst, but wine to gladden the heart and reflect the blessing and joy of God.

"So shall your barns be filled with plenty, and your presses shall burst out with new wine" Pro:3:10

 "And wine that makes glad the heart of man" Ps: 104:15a

 What Jesus is showing through this miracle, is, that He is the one Who transforms us , brings us out of the stone dead ritualistic religion symbolized by the stone jars, into a new and joyful relationship of being vessels of His grace , filled with the new wine of a new life that is better than the old.. "but you have saved the best till now."

 This speaks of new life we have in Christ, this relationship in which we are transformed, is far above any religion, which was as the Old Covenant. He has done this for us, making us vessels of His mercy and grace.

 "And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had before prepared to glory," Rm:9:23

The wine used at the start of the Cana wedding which ran out, that is, it will not last, this world and any and all that it offers is only temporary and will fade away, that is, it will run out.

 Fermentation

 Wine naturally is the result of a process, which is known as fermentation, it makes mere juice, wine. This new life is the result of process of the Holy Spirit changing us into new creations. It is this water into wine miracle that is presented in the Gospel of John at the very beginning as foretaste of the entire mission of Jesus, He came to bring humanity new life, now and forever more, a life that is transformed and new. He is inaugurating a spiritual fermentation for us. 

This speaks to us that this is not just a past miracle, at Cana alone but an ongoing one in the lives of any and all who will but freely receive it.

 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."2Cor:5:17

 Wedding Supper to Come

  We are filled with this new life, this new wine, which is cause for us to be filled with His Joy, looking forward with anticipation of Eternal Celebration of the Wedding Supper, that all weddings even the one at Cana is but a faint copy at best.

 "And he said to me, Write, Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God." Rev: 19:9

 This is the one that we all will rejoice in for all eternity in the eternal life in Jesus. That is a message of Jesus turning water into wine.

Benediction: May we each and all be transformed into vessels of God's grace through the world of Jesus, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor

Topinabee Community Church

Topinabee Michigan

If You Would Like to Know More About or to Support the Ministry of Topinabee Community Church You Can go to Our Web Site.

https://topinabeechurch.org/index.html

You Can Follow Topinabee Community Church on Face Book 

https://www.facebook.com/Topinabeecommunitychurch

                       “If Its Not About Jesus, Its Not About Anything!”