Feb. 3, 2008

Communion Meditation

The Rev. A. Thomas Carlson

Scriptures: Exodus 24:12-18

Matthew 17:1-9

This morning I'm going to refer to both mystery and the mystical. When I use mystery it will not be in the sense of "Who done it on the Dinner Train" or a detective mystery. But rather, a sense of God's presence, not fully understood. Thus, there is probably a fine line between mystery and mystical.

For a growing segment faith without the mystical is no faith at all. Many folks, inside and outside the church, hunger for some experience of the supernatural. While churchmanships appear to be on the decline, spirituality is considered a prize sought after by many. There is an upswing of interest in the existence of angels, of near-death experiences, and yes, the dark side—a longing to go beyond the merely rational.

Recently I witnessed this desire in an interfaith setting. I don't know if I could put a label on all those in attendance. I thought to myself, if these folks are so taken with the mystical, why should I be so hesitant about the mystery surrounding the stories of my own faith?

Then, I thought how many nondenominational, nontraditional, independent Christian churches are growing. One reason is that they are not timid. They point to us mainliners and say we mainliners are too cerebral and not celebrative—too much emphasis on the head and not enough on the heart.

Today's readings tell us that both mystery and mystical are a part of our Judeo-Christian tradition. These two mountain-top experiences are prime examples. Moses spends six days on a mountain and on the seventh day he hears God speak. Jesus and three of His disciples go up on a mountain and the disciples awaken to see Jesus arraigned in a dazzling white garment and they hear a voice from heaven, "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased." Something very strange happened on the Mount of Transfiguration—something out of ordinary experience. And, it impacted those disciples: giving them unusual power, unusual confidence, unusual authority to proclaim the newborn Christian faith. It was an experience outside the realm of rational experience!

If time permitted, several could share stories we've heard about Christians, even in our era, who have reported mystical encounters. Do we dismiss these stories as wishful dreaming, as mere superstition? Or do we listen and see within them some authenticity, something very real?

I came across some guidelines that might help:

1. When you approach the mystical, be careful. The human brain is tricky. It can see things that do not exist.

The classic examples are when, as one writer puts it: referring to both Elvis and Jesus—"Both of their figures are discerned in billboards, refrigerator rust stains, (and) strangely shaped vegetables." We do hear these strange reports that pop up from time to time of apparitions of Mary, of Jesus, even of Elvis.

There are reasons why we put our emphases on being true to the historic faith, or even apply Wesley's test of scripture, tradition, reason, as well as experience to some of these rather subjective experiences.

2. But be tolerant. We don't know how God may choose to work in individual lives. When you stop and think about it, it is the height of arrogance for any one of us to declare that God can only work in one way or another—that God can be found in only one group or another.

The best thing you and I can do is be respectful of someone who claims experiences that seem foreign to us. At the same time, if ours is only a calm assurance of God's presence, then that may be all we need!

But be tolerant.

3. Be fruitful. The real test of faith is not experience but bearing fruit. Does your experience of the divine mystery make you more loving, more trusting, more humble? That's what really counts in the end, that is why we have these experiences of God in the first place.

I could have preached a traditional sermon on the Transfiguration focusing on ascending into God's presence (going up the mountain) and descending into the valley with new energy to do God's will. Perhaps this is what needs to be said. But let's not skip over what so many outside the church are clamoring for and even claiming, an experience of the mystical, within the church itself, experiences of the living God are happening and the test of their authenticity is seen in more loving, more trusting, more humble folks! People experience God in different ways. This experience is authentic, is valid when we bear fruit!

As we come to the Lord's Table, I see within the bread and cup real mystery. And the mystery is that in tasting the elements we really do connect with God, as forgiven, we experience the real presence of Christ. And the fruit of this mystery is that we become the body of Christ, continuing His work here on planet Earth. So, I invite you to come and share in the mystery of His Table. Amen.