The Twilight Zone

TransfigurationSundayC, Sullivan Park Care Center, February 7, 2016 by Annette Fricke

            “There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man.  It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity.  It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge.  This is the dimension of imagination.  It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.”[1] Those of you who were alive when this TV series came out will quickly recognize it as the original theme to the Twilight Zone.  This introduction, along with the pictures, graphics and music were meant to establish a response of fear, intrigue, and suspense in its hearers.  Probably considered by most to be a bit tamer than the Alfred Hitchcock series, it continues as a set of rerun episodes on a station outside the arena of paid cable TV.  Even in black and white, the creative genius of Rod Sterling captured the minds and imagination of many viewers every time it aired.

            This scenario would be how I would describe the phenomenon of what happened in both the Exodus passage and the gospel text assigned to today.  Today is what is termed in the Lutheran, United Methodist, and some Presbyterian Churches as Transfiguration Sunday.  Calvin himself, considered a forerunner of the movement that began Presbyterianism, didn’t care much for the festival at all. It is a funny thing that we have progressed in our Christian unity enough to begin using the same lessons every Sunday, yet there is still more unifying to be done.  For example, the Transfiguration for the Anglican/Episcopal Church and the Roman Catholic Church is on August 6 as decreed by Pope Callixtus III in 1456/7.  Another example would be the celebration of Easter is a different day for Western Christianity as opposed to Eastern Christianity.  Western Christianity’s determination of the timing of Easter still follows a lunar equation, something most history buffs would quickly point out is pagan in origin.  As much as God has pointed out to the Israelites throughout history to not follow the religions around them, the more they kept those practices.  One of those practices was the sacrifice of animals for the forgiveness of sins.  That is something that was continued into Jesus’ day, including on the day of his presentation to the temple, another church feast that is celebrated on February 2 in which Mary and Joseph brought the sacrificial animals of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons as dictated by Jewish law for poor people. As a Christian, I say it was Jewish law although in Luke where I gathered that information, it is clearly denoted twice in the same paragraph as the law of the Lord.

            In all this disunity of church festival practices, I find it interesting that the Episcopal Church, despite the real celebration of the Transfiguration, uses two of the same texts today as for the actual Transfiguration for them which comes later usually on a weekday and likely to be missed as an observance at all. For some Christians, like for John Calvin, this is a minor festival.  For others, it is the transition from Epiphany to Lent.  This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and for those who are uncomfortable with the past memories of the austerity of Ash Wednesday and the ensuing weeks of Lenten discipline, we also have the celebration of Shrove Tuesday otherwise known secularly as Fat Tuesday.

            What do we do with these strange stories of the shining face of Moses who talks to God on the mountain, then later shows up on the mountain with Jesus and his disciples?  Is this a vision or is it real?  Is this something in between, like some sort of twilight zone, possibly a real place but rarely seen or experienced by humanity?  And of course, it once again raises the question as to just who are we in relation to God?  Is there another dimension that many times we choose to ignore?

            Friday night I had an unusual conversation with a resident on our floor.  I had earlier mistaken the identity of the person who went to his room.  You see, he did not have his collar on and I see him as similar in looks to a friend of the man who used to live in 309.  This particular resident is a practicing Christian and has become rather terrified for good reason.  When I was on my days off, he was sent out for more intensive care and death was a real possibility.  He had never really talked with me in depth about anything until now.  As I talked with him, I realized that the person who came to see him was his own priest.  Death can be quite terrifying, especially if you are not ready for it. I think the reason it is so is because it takes us to a place of unfamiliarity.  Seeing Moses and Elijah is one thing, but seeing God is quite another.  We can put it in our rationalization and cognitive processes all we want, but the emotional part remains.  What is it about God that we simply want to ignore or bypass?  Why does there continue to be a part of God that we don’t want to deal with on other than a thinking level?

            Apparently, there was a survey taken that asked the same question of Jews and Christians.  Fill in the blank: God is _______.  Jews overwhelmingly answered that God is holy.  Christians unanimously replied that God is love.  Probably the more accurate answer is that God is both holy and love.  God is both.  In fact, do we love justice enough to fight for it?  Isn’t the justice of God just as important as love and forgiveness of sins?  That would be my conclusion and that is what I see this particular feast to be all about.  God is a God of love and justice.  One of my favorite passages in the entire Bible is found in the Old Testament: Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”  You can’t have one without the other.  We are not called to be merely peacemakers.  People have a tendency at times to only want peace even though several times throughout the New Testament, Jesus was not about peace.  A problem arises when people in congregations only want peace, showing a blind eye to anything resembling justice or the holiness of God.  People want a pastor, but not a prophet.  Anything pointing towards terror and feeling uncomfortable is rejected.  No matter who says it, we tend to think it doesn’t come from God and therefore ought to be rejected.  Already in the book of Micah, the whole system of sacrificing animals is suspect.  Already, God demands more of us.

            There is much more to these stories of Moses and Jesus than first glance.  There is a common thread here, not just in successive revealing of God’s will for God’s children.  They are both in prayer, frequent prayer.  Prayer always precedes action.  Prayer is the catalyst for how we act, how we relate to others. Our conversation with God informs our interactions with others. Love must be tempered with justice.

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[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052520/quotes
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfiguration_of_Jesus
[3] A Concise Dictionary of Theology, Gerald O'Collins, S.J., and Edward G. Farrugia, S.J. Paulist Press, 2000.
[4] An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, Don S. Armentrout, Robert Boak Slocum, Ed., Church Publishing Inc., 2000.