"Are We Listening?" - Mark 9:2-9 - February 26, 2006

An older gentleman by the name of Jack, feared his wife, Becky, was getting hard of hearing. So Jack called her doctor to make an appointment to have her hearing checked. The doctor made an appointment for a hearing test in two weeks and meanwhile he told Jack there was a simple informal test that he could give. That way the doctor would have some idea of the state of her problem.

"Here's what you do," said the doctor. "Start out about 40 feet away from your wife, and in a normal conversational speaking tone, see if she hears you. If not, move 10 feet closer and moving closer until you get a response." That evening, Jack's wife was in the kitchen, cooking dinner. Jack was in the living room, about 40 feet away. "Let's see what happens," he muttered to himself. Then in a normal tone he said, "Honey, what's for dinner?" No response. So, Jack moved 10 feet closer. "Honey, what's for dinner?" again Jack asked. No response. Then Jack moved into the dining room, another 10 feet closer. "Honey, what's for dinner?" Still no response. So Jack walked to the kitchen door, only a few feet away. "Honey, what's for supper?" But still, no response. Finally Jack walked up right behind Becky and said, "Honey, what's for dinner?" Finally he heard Becky say, "For Pete's sake, Jack, for the 5th time…chicken!"

Like Jack, some of us are just hard of hearing. Or perhaps worse, we simply don't listen. For others our ability to hear may in fact be impaired. And then there are those who may not be tuned in or are distracted by other sounds and noises.

When Jesus and his disciples were on top of the mountain the voice of the Lord said, "Listen to him!" But, just exactly what God expected them to hear is a bit mysterious. For sure, it is a moment of high drama, since Jesus was just transfigured while in the company of Moses and Elijah. Notice that it is after the disappearance of these two giants of the faith that God speaks. Could it be that God wanted the disciples to listen to Jesus and not the voices of those in the past?

One could make a case that Moses and Elijah were certainly God's voices of the past and it was essential for the faith community to listen to them and follow them in order to stay connected to God. Now, Jesus is God's voice. His message, as he said, "fulfills the voice of the law and the prophets." But, what about the message of Jesus is different? What does God want us to hear from Jesus?

First of all, I believe that God wants us always to remember that we are never alone. Jesus went up the mountain in the company of his disciples. What the disciples witness is Jesus in the company of Moses and Elijah. Jesus had been teaching the disciples all along that they would never be alone. God will always be with them whatever they face. Therefore, what we need to hear more than anything is that we are never alone.

How often do you hear someone say, "I just can't do this. There is no one that can help me. I am all alone?" To be alone is a scary thing. You may have a problem that no one can help you with. Perhaps you have no close friends and no relatives. Perhaps you are in the midst of a struggle and have no one t lean on.

For both Elijah and Moses there were times when they were alone. In I Kings 19:4-15, Elijah was feeling overwhelmed. He was the prophetic leader of the people of faith but things were not going well. He was feeling unworthy, and very alone. So much so that at one point, he said to God, "take away my life." To cope with his feelings of inadequacy, Elijah found his way to a cave. Perhaps he believed that there he could hide from God. Or perhaps he was afraid. God tried to get him to come out of hiding, but neither wind, nor earthquake or even fire could shake him loose. He was despondent, unable to continue on. Finally, God succeeded in bringing him around. Amazingly he got Elijah's attention with silence. God deals with Elijah's feelings of loneliness by removing all the noise in his life and providing an opportunity for Elijah to listen.

There were times when Moses felt alone too. In Exodus 17:1-7, the Israelites were complaining about not having enough water to drink. The people grumbled and blamed Moses for their predicament. In a panic, Moses cried out to the Lord for help. At that moment they were about to stone him. The Lord then instructed Moses to get some help. He told him to take some of the elders with him and go to the rock of Horeb. Moses then struck the rock and water appeared.

Elijah needed reassurance that he was not alone. But, that didn't happen until he started listening. Moses, on the other hand, needed additional help so he called upon the elders. This past week I was recovering from an illness and I got word that a woman in the church was in the hospital. My colleague who normally covers for me was out of town. I called one of the church elders and she covered for me. She even gave me a full report. We are never alone since God is always with us. We are never alone since there are always others to help us. To truly listen to Jesus is to hear that we are never alone.

Secondly, God wants us to hear and experience humility. The story of Jesus and his disciples is a mountain top experience. It is on the top of the mountain where they see him with Moses and Elijah. It is where they witness Jesus being transfigured. And, ultimately they hear God's voice. What a wonderful feeling it must have been to experience such a close connection to God.

When we have a mountain top experience it is usually when we reach some milestone or something miraculously happens. I believe, however that being on the mountain top teaches us humility. When I climbed the "Chimneys" in the Smokies with the last confirmation class I remember how humbling it was. When you are on top of a mountain you can see God's creation for miles. It reminds you how small you are in relation to the almighty.

We can't listen to God when we are so filled with ourselves. When we consider ourselves the soul master of our fate we are negating the power of God. We hear Paul's words, "By faith we are saved through grace," but yet we live as individualists, striving to be self- sufficient, believing that we don't need the help of others. God wants us to be humbled. God wants us to remember that God is still in charge. When we are willing to recognize that God has something to do with our mountain top experiences, we are beginning to open our ears.

Third, God wants us to hear that Jesus, Moses and Elijah were God's servants. The time for Jesus and the disciples on top of the mountain was short. Jesus told them to keep silent about what they had experienced. It was a glorious moment but life takes place in the valleys below. There is still more ministry to do and people need to continue to hear the word of God. The disciples needed to return to the valley and attend to those with needs. Ironically the next person in their journey who needs help is a man who cannot speak.

The story is told of a small dog that was struck by a car and tossed to the edge of the road. A veterinarian just happened to be driving by and noticed the dog was still alive. He stopped and picked up the dog and took him home with him. He attended to his cuts and abrasions, fed him, and then placed him in the garage in a temporary bed. As he began to lay him down the dog wriggled out of his arms and ran off. "What an ungrateful dog," he muttered to himself. He was glad that he recovered so quickly but he was miffed that the dog didn't show any appreciation. The veterinarian went about his work and later that evening there was a scratching at the door. When he opened the door he found the little dog he had treated. At his side was another injured dog. (from; God's Little Devotional Book for Teens, Honor Books)

When God told the disciples to listen to Jesus, God was also reminding them of their call as servants, making sacrifices and loving others. Those words would ultimately insure them a place in God's kingdom.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio