Jesus' Coming Out

Below is a sermon I preached at First Lutheran Church on Transfiguration Sunday, February 19, 2023. The gospel for the day was Matthew 17:1-9

Grace, peace, and mercy be to you from God our creator, redeemer, and sustainer.  

We are on the tail end of Epiphany, a season that has been focused and celebrating the various manifestations of Jesus in his ministry, there is healing and teaching, there is a constant revealing of who Jesus is, there’s taking note of who God is in Christ and what it means for the world. Today we witness, experience, ponder a manifestation of Jesus that is different, we see Jesus in full radiance, we witness his Transfiguration, his coming out. 

 

Transfiguration is not the same as transformation, transfiguration is a complete change of form or appearance, in Jesus' case, he went from the drab of generic clothing and likely wild hair to dazzling white, something that no one would ever be able to match even with all the bleach in the world. This transfiguration, this coming out, is revealing to James, Peter, John, and us, that who Jesus is on the inside, that he is fully God and fully human is now revealed in an undeniable way. There is no longer a question of who Jesus is, he has come out and declared loudly on the mountaintop that from the very beginning, this is who I am, and you are now ready to understand what that means for you. 

 

It would have been enough for Jesus to have this transfiguration experience; it would have put that little bug in the disciples that it is time to wake up and take notice as something big is going to happen. It would of answered the disciples questions and given them proof that who Jesus says he is, is the truth. The appearance of Moses and Elijah helped solidify that Jesus is not just some man born to a virgin mother, but that Jesus is indeed God embodied, God incarnate, and the one who is coming to provide the ultimate sacrifice. The words that are proclaimed on the mountain top are not words meant for Jesus, he knows who he is and what is coming, the words that God proclaims are for us and for the disciples, “This is my Son, my beloved…” In the instances prior to this mountain top experience, the message has been directed at Jesus. In the Jordan River, as the Spirit embodied as a dove descended, we hear God beaming with pride at Jesus, declaring this pride out loud, “You are my Son, my Beloved…” 

 

These words remind me of the promises that are made at baptism, near the end of the rite of baptism, after the water has been poured and promises have been made, the pastor marks the sign of the cross on the baptized and says, “Child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.” It is in these words and in the sacrament that we are being called God’s beloved, that we are sealed and marked with Christ’s love, grace, and forgiveness no matter what. It is not something that we deserve but it is something that has been freely given to us as a glorious gift. 

 

This gift, this grace, that God has poured out onto us invites us to live as God has created us to be, beloved, whole. Over the last several years I have reflected deeply on who I am, who I am called to be as a person, as a son, as a pastor, and as a child of God. In my wonderings and discovery, I live fully into a quote by Queer Saint, Joel Workin, a man who would have made an amazing body but was denied ordination in our church body because he refused to hide who he was as a gay man. He writes, “We celebrate God’s gracious gifts. We proclaim the love, the life, and the grace of God at work within us and our community. The most precious grace God gives us is the grace to be ourselves. And now it is time to let grace abound.”

 

On that mountaintop, Jesus gives us the chance to live into the grace that has been poured out, Jesus has given us a chance to come out, to live fully into the grace that has been given to us, the grace to be ourselves. The journey to the mountaintop is not an easy one to reach, it’s difficult to unlearn systems that are created to force you into a box. 

 

My journey to the mountaintop, to my coming out was long and windy. Growing up I was considered a tomboy, cargo shorts, t-shirts, and hats were part of my daily outfit, and I threw fits when I had to wear a dress or dress feminine. Even when I played on the lacrosse team, I was the only one on the field wearing shorts under my kilt. It wasn’t until I was in my final year of college that I realized maybe I am hiding who I truly am, maybe I don’t know who I am. 

 

I remember watching Boys Don’t Cry with a couple of friends, it was probably not the first time I had heard the word transgender, but it hit differently that night. I saw myself on that screen, I saw myself with the same struggles and the feeling I got when someone misgendered me at that time. It was as if watching that movie, seeing someone wrestle with who they are and find joy in coming out, was my first step to the mountaintop. 

 

In the weeks, months, and years following, I leaned more fully into Joel’s writing and found the courage, and the grace to accept who God created me to be, to fully live as who I am today. When I hear the Transfiguration story and the reactions of the disciples present, I am brought back to my college advisor’s office, the day I finally uttered the words that I was transgender to someone other than myself. There were no dazzling white clothes, I didn’t start glowing, and there was no loud voice proclaiming who I was but there was love, there were tears, and there was relief in not having to hide anymore. That moment, my mountaintop experience in my advisor’s office was short-lived, but it was the catalyst of a new life, it was what has given this Sunday, these texts new meaning in my life. 

 

One of the most powerful things about Transfiguration Sunday is that we are able to see Jesus fully embodied in who he is, and who God created him to be. We witness Jesus’ appearance being transfigured to match his divinity, to have his outward appearance reflect who he is on the inside. We are being called to love the downtrodden, to forgive, to feed, and be fed, we are called to allow our insides to be shown to the world through our appearance, through our actions, and through our word. This mountaintop experience, this coming out not only serves as a reminder of who Jesus is, who God is, but it also marks the changing of seasons. We are ending the season of epiphany, a season of acknowledging who God is, of celebrating God’s coming out into the world through Jesus’ teaching and healing.  We are moving into a season of lament, of self-reflection, a season of discovery of who we are and who God is. 

 

Our journey takes us from this mountaintop to the feet of the cross, to the grave, and to the depth of death. It is in this movement we rely even more on the grace that God has poured out on us, the promise that God has made through Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection. The mountaintop is not the end of the story, we are unfinished in our baptismal journey, and we are living in the not yet of discovering God’s call in our lives, and community. 

 

From the mountaintop, we bury the alleluias and turn to a season of reflection on who we are, who God is calling us to be, and what God is doing in the here and now. As we journey to the cross we are reminded that no matter what, no matter what someone else says, we are reminded of who Jesus is and what Jesus came do, to save us, to give us the grace to be ourselves and be proud in that. 

 

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it. From dust we are created, from ashes, beautiful things are born, we are God’s beloved children, and we are given the grace to live as we were created. Amen.