“Dazzling white!” This image must have held a meaning for first century listeners that we can only begin to imagine. Consider how much help we have when we want to make something “dazzling white.” We start with detergent, and then, if white is our goal, bleach is a must. TV ads convince me that’s not nearly enough. I need Shout, and maybe one of its competitor products, just to be safe. And then there’s my current favorite: Oxiclean!! Even after all this, my white things rarely dazzle. In the first century all they had to work with was olive oil mixed with lye, so the going had to be a lot rougher. The thought of something truly dazzling white could have only meant one thing to them—an experience beyond anything this world can offer, a transformation of heavenly proportions. That’s what today’s Scripture readings promise. They promise that the Glory of God made known to Moses was made accessible to us through Jesus Christ and that we may claim transformation from one degree of glory to the next.
I can tell from your eyes that you don’t feel fully transformed yet. I can tell from your eyes that in the recent past you have known moments, hours, days, weeks, maybe even months or years that feel anything but transformed. We need help figuring out how to get from here to there, and I don’t think it is going to come from any of these wonder products. There is somebody at the center of this Gospel in addition to Jesus who might be able to offer us some help. It’s good ole Peter, whose impulsiveness so often puts him at the center of the story: the one who eagerly jumped out of the boat to meet Jesus on the water. Jesus transformed Peter from 1st among cowards on the night of Jesus’ arrest to first in the church, the “rock” who preached the power of Jesus’ name fearlessly. Now notice something very important about that transformation: Jesus did not say, “Peter, I could make something good out of you if you would just stop being so impulsive. Have you noticed how the other disciples make fun of you for always being the first to raise your hand with the answer?” He used Peter’s impulsiveness to make him bold for God. He claimed Peter’s impulsiveness for heavenly good.
Impulsiveness may not be the trait that keeps you from feeling transformed, although many of us do feel a close kinship with Peter. For you, it might be something else. Maybe you feel weighed down by procrastination, or shyness, or poor house-keeping, or physical maladies, or anger, or … you fill in the blank. The message Peter has to share with us is simple: Stop cursing yourself! God can make use of anyone. Invite God to claim your trait and put it to heavenly use. Invite transformative hope. God made something dazzling out of Peter, and God can make something dazzling out of us too.
Moses stands with Peter not only on the mountain, but also in testifying that this is so. Do you remember his story? He hesitated to offer himself because of his halting speech. Our ever-creative God turned him into a prophet. Only an endlessly creative God could envision that result. That is dazzling!
And I can add my testimony to that of Peter and Moses. Do you know what has caused me more sadness than anything else in my adult life? I have a voice impairment. It’s neurological, and I can’t always make my vocal chords vibrate when I want them to. Sometimes the nerve signal blocks the vibration. It’s frustrating. And what has been the reply of our endlessly creative God? God made me a preacher. That was not within my imagining. Where we see no way, God sees a way. This is a dazzling truth. When we open ourselves to experience this truth, we open ourselves to a transformation of heavenly proportions.
Lent is upon us. It is a perfect time to take stock of all that is holding back our full enjoyment of the life God intends for us. What trait leaves you cursing yourself? Hand it over to the Master Creator and invite God to surprise you with something dazzling.