Transfiguration to Lent: Rooted in Peace and Light

And today, we hold both these truths together. We remember the glory because it tells us who Jesus is and we trust the word because it tells us how to live. That we get to be salt that melts what is frozen. That we get to be light that shines without fear. We get to be people who are rooted deeply in the practice of peace. Not just talk about it, but be rooted deeply in the practice of peace. [00:50:44] (35 seconds)  #RootedInPeace

When Jesus ascended, he promised to be with us always in the power of your word and holy spirit. On the night, Jesus gave himself up for us. Jesus took bread. Bread that was on the table. After he had been hanging out with his best friends. And he took that bread and he gave thanks to god for it and then he broke that bread. And he gave it to his friends and said, take and eat. This is me given for you. [00:54:58] (30 seconds)  #TakeAndEat

You see, being rooted, knowing that our roots are deep. Anybody ever tried to pull up a weed that has really deep roots? I mean, it is hellacious to try to get that thing all the way. I mean, get all the roots up. Well, y'all, we are called to be rooted like that. We are called for our roots to be so deep that you can pull and pull and pull and pull and and you know what? Our roots are still in there. That's the kind of roots. That's the kind of roots we are supposed to have in our faith, in our god. [00:46:46] (53 seconds)  #DeepRootsFaith

Let's go back down the mountain where the people are. Let's go back down the mountain where the darkness is. Let's go back down the mountain where where real life is happening. Jesus led them back into suffering, back into into to the real world, into suffering, and into love lived out all the way. And that's where Lent takes us to. From glory to grounding, from brilliance to faithfulness, from the mountain to the work of love, justice, and mercy in this world. [00:50:01] (43 seconds)  #FromGloryToGrounding

And that's where we pick up our scripture in second Peter where he's talking about having been someone who went up on the mountain with god, who went up on the mountain with Jesus, who went up, and who witnessed what happened. Peter is writing this years later. He's writing this years later to people who weren't there, to people who didn't get to see the glow, who didn't get to hear the voice, who didn't stand on the mountain with him. [00:38:58] (29 seconds)  #PetersWitness

And as we move into this season of Lent into this season we're about to step into. It's about learning how to live grounded. How to live grounded and rooted in Jesus, in god. In having our faith, have deep roots that we are grounded in peace, that we are grounded in love, and that we are grounded in mercy and justice. It's about being rooted and grounded deep enough that we hold steady when the world shakes. Because y'all, the world is gonna shake. And yet we are called to be rooted in that. [00:43:22] (56 seconds)  #GroundedInFaith

It's this wow, breathtaking because mountain moments are breathtaking. Mountain moments are moments that just are amazing in life. But then comes the question, when the light fades, we have to go back down the mountain. What then? What happens when we have to go back to the valley? When we have to stop being on this high spot of our lives? Because, y'all, none of us live in the high spot of our lives. Lives go like this. Right? Up and down. High points, low points, everywhere in between. [00:38:03] (55 seconds)  #MountaintopsAndValleys

and then, he took a cup. A cup that was on the table and he gave thanks to god for it and he gave it to his friends and he said, this is a new covenant that I make with you. For the forgiveness of sins for you and for the many. Y'all the many is us. Forgiveness of sin in a cup. [00:55:32] (23 seconds)  #NewCovenantCup