This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.
Listen to him.
As I mentioned in the bulletin article for this weekend,
I had a great time away on vacation,
hiking around some of the different states.
One of the highlights was Yellowstone National Park.
I had not been there in over 20 years,
and it was just wonderful to see it again.
It has really started to flourish and grow back after so many fires.
One of the highlights was seeing so many young families
all visiting and bundling together and making tons of noise.
And without their cell phones!
It was just wonderful to see they were interacting,
like normal human beings, right?
It was such a grace to witness.
Most all of them were really present to the beauty at the moment.
That became all the more evident
when there was somebody who broke that rule,
and did something that was less harmonious.
Let me explain.
At the center of Yellowstone National Park is
the Old Faithful Geyser and it shoots off on schedule;
that is why she is called Old Faithful,
she blows up every 90 minutes or so.
They have the time published for all to see
and at that time tons of people show up to witness it.
It is a little hectic with the volume of people but beautiful.
But something even more stunning is something called the Grand Prismatic.
It is a big pond that is a melting pot for the geyser
with all sorts of amazing colors.
But to get a good view of it,
you have to climb up two miles to a lookout,
and you look down on it.
It is a stunning and magical view.
This particular day, there was just a ton of people
on this dusty trail getting up to this little perch.
When we reached the lookout, the space was very small,
maybe 10 feet by 15 or something.
It was not intended for the large crowds!
But there we were in a sea of people.
When we arrived, there were these two large families
taking up the whole space, just taking photos.
Now you have to understand they had their back to the Grand Prismatic
and never ever looked at it with their eyes.
Meanwhile everyone else is arriving and just trying to see the view.
They never moved or were not bothered by the mob seeking the view.
They were clueless.
After taking the photos they walked away,
without looking at the pond and only looked at their photos.
They sort of missed the point.
There was a little older lady
who had quite a bit of effort to walk up there.
She was standing to the side with her hand on the railing,
and she was just standing, taking it all in.
It was such a contrast;
she was just absorbing the beauty of this nature
and them just catching it on photos!
It was just such a contrast.
There is such a temptation as to capture everything on video these days.
Even the Pope has gotten irritated and said,
“Will you put down your phones and look at me.”
Everybody seems to want a selfie!
It is a good thing, but it can go too far.
When we somehow forget to be present to the moment.
The irony is that it is been going on a long time!
St. Peter, in today's reading, is on the top of the mountain.
Here are Moses and Elijah and Jesus in this cloud.
And Peter says, ‘Do you want me to put a tent here?”
Let me capture it on video.
He wanted to hold on to the moment, right?
He just wanted it to stop.
But that is not the way it works.
That is not the way life works.
We need to be present to the moment and absorb in the moment,
then remember the importance of the experience just shared.
When Peter did this, the cloud spoke,
God spoke from the cloud and said, basically,
“Peter, stop. That is my beloved son. Listen to him.
Stop trying to do things. Just listen to him.”
We would do well to hear that and absorb that into our own hearts,
that if we could just be present to these glorious moments
that happen all day long,
and then listen to what God is trying to say to us through Christ.
We believe that Christ is here today.
Especially when we gather around this Eucharist the most,
especially in the bread and the wine
that will be become the body and the blood of Christ in a few moments.
Yes. And in the spoken word we have heard.
But Christ is also present in you and me,
and when we leave here, that presence doesn't stop.
That presence continues and we are called to bring
that presence of Christ into the world.
But equally as important is that we are called to recognize
the presence of Christ in everyone we meet this day.
In every single moment, God is talking to us.
Now, it may not be in the top of a mountain
where there is a transfiguration going on,
but God is speaking to us throughout the whole day.
How can we attune ourselves?
How can we really listen to God?
How do we really listen to his beloved son in our midst?
If we could maybe put down the device for a while
and be present to the person who was front of us.
What if we did that at dinner tonight
and we said there are no cell phones at the table.
All the cell phones go in a basket
and there is no television while we have dinner.
And what if we just, we sat and we listened.
And when we started to talk,
that we literally clue in and we are just us.
What if we were able to be that present to each other?
Can you imagine how it would feel
when somebody is talking, and we are really listening.
If we can just put it all down for a moment
and be present to one another, it will change us.
The person in front of me, this person today, is Christ to me.
Now, if we can do that at the kitchen table,
can we be equally as present when we get our cup of coffee later,
that that waiter or that barista who brings the coffee to us
is also the hidden Christ.
Can we be equally as present to them,
say hello, find their name and smile at them,
recognize them as another human being with a soul where Christ resides.
Can we just do it for one day?
I know it is going to be exhausting.
We are going to need a rest.
Can we pay attention and see that Christ is here among us?
And I can believe wholeheartedly,
if we can do that, then we will be transfigured,
we will be transformed into the living body of Christ
that is here today, my friends.
If every single one of us took that as our challenge,
and we just did that just for today,
Then I am convinced that this Los Altos community
will be transfigured to the body of Christ.
This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.
