Sermon Notes on Matthew 17:1-9

Jesus is the one to whom we should be listening.

We all like to believe that we have free will, but if we are honest we spend most of our lives choosing from among the thousands of things other people are telling us to do. I’m sure you’ve noticed that there are a whole lot of people who REALLY want you to listen to them. There are lots of people who REALLY want you to do what they say.

If you are anywhere near a TV, radio, or internet connection you know that Mitt, John, Mike, Hillary, Barack, and a whole bunch of other candidates want your attention. They all want you to listen to them and to believe what they are trying to tell you. In fact they all want to influence what you will do next November.

When you go to get your mail this week you will no doubt notice that there are a whole host of organizations that would like you to listen to them. Some are trying to get you to take better care of the planet. Some are trying to get you to pay more attention to the crisis in Darfur or in some other ravaged part of the world. Some are trying to persuade you to help them build homes for the homeless or feed the hungry right here at home.

Then, of course, there are those people who are working very hard to get you to listen to their pitch about the products that they are selling. They REALLY want you to believe that they are selling something that will make your life better so that you will act and buy their product.

And let’s not forget our own family members. Don’t each of us have parents or children or in-laws or siblings who are trying to get us to pay attention to them? Doesn’t your mother want you to follow her advice? Doesn’t your dad wish that you would finally pay attention to him? Don’t your kids hope that you will see things their way and give them what they want?

And then there are those people to whom we are required to pay some attention. Kids, aren’t you supposed to listen to your teachers and do what they say? For those of you who have bosses, you are supposed to pay attention to them, right?

To be perfectly honest, I hope that you listen to me. I hope that what I say in these sermons has some influence on how you behave. I guess churches are right there in line with those who want to tell you what to do.

Probably at the top of the list of things that are screaming for your attention would be your own mind and body. When I walk into the kitchen, and I see those home-made cookies sitting there on the counter, my body definitely has an opinion about what my next move should be. When I have some free time, my mind could keep it filled from one end to the other with all kinds of things, some good and some bad.

I don’t know how all of this effects you, but sometimes I find it absolutely maddening. Some days it feels like I’m losing a boxing match and just going from one punch to another. Do you ever feel like a tumbleweed being blown around by the strongest wind that happens to be blowing through. I don’t like it, but sometimes it feels completely beyond my control.

In Christian history there have been all kinds of approaches to dealing with this constant chatter of voices trying to influence our lives. Some thought the answer was to escape the voices. They hid themselves away in monasteries and only allowed themselves to be exposed to the voices of scripture, devotion, and worship. Although I think we could all benefit from times like this in our lives, trying to escape from the noise runs the risk of hiding the witness of the Gospel behind the walls of a fortress.

Unfortunately, the most common way of dealing with the constant pull on our souls these days is to just set up some boundaries within which we won’t feel too guilty, and then let the winds of our world blow us to wherever we feel the least resistance.

I think our text for today offers a life-giving alternative to either of these extremes.

The truth is, there isn’t a single one of the voices of our time that is worthy of being the final voice of authority in our lives. There isn’t a single person, politician, or organization that can bring you life as God wants you to have it. Even your pastor is just another struggling person, on the journey with you.

When Peter, James, and John joined Jesus on the mountain that day, when they saw Jesus transformed before them, they heard the most important thing they would ever hear. They heard the voice of God telling them that this One who had been transfigured before them was the One they could trust. He was the One who had the authority. He was the one to whom they needed to listen. He was the One who would lead them into the life that God longed for them to have.

I thank God that the words, the actions, the truth, and the heart of Jesus, the Son of God have been preserved for us, by the Holy Spirit, in this book. I thank God that as we make the words, the actions, the truth, and the heart of Jesus the center of our lives, they will put into order all of the chaos that is around us.

Jesus came that we might have life in all of its fullness. It is only when his words order our life, our time, and our hearts that we can find the light and the life that God longs for us to have.

God said it best, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him!” Jesus is the only one who can sort out the chatter and keep our lives, our thoughts and our actions at the center of God’s will. Everything that comes at us, yes, even the words of your pastor, are suspect until they have been set alongside the truth that God has revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

So, how are you going to see to it that your mind and your heart are filled and empowered by the words of Jesus? How are you going to make sure that you are equipped with Christ’s truth to handle the chatter that is pulling you in every direction?

God’s only Son, the one who lived as God’s presence among us, spoke and revealed God’s truth to us, died on the cross to save us, and rose again to fill us with hope is ready to walk with you and guide you every step of the way.

God has said, “…listen to him!” This week, ask yourself, “How am I going to make sure that is happening in my life?”  Amen