I find transfiguration Sunday increasingly difficult to
preach, almost as difficult as the baptism of Jesus. First, I want to post some
thoughts on the OT passage, I 2 Kings 2.
The transformation theme could be placed on the changes
wrought by leadership. Why does Elisha want a double share of charismatic
gifts? To what degree should the church ape business models of leadership? To
what extent can we be transactional or transformational leaders?
Why a chariot fire? It appears to be part of the arsenal of
the heavenly host, but this time it is for life and not death. (messengers?)
Picture of a god traversing the heavens in a chariot/sun disc image. The
defeater of Baal’s prophet is brought to god’s abode in Baal’s vehicle is
possible. it could be a way of connecting his new dimension with the circuit of
the sun, often pictured as moving as a heavenly chariot.
One could go with the transformations of grief. The slow
steady beat of saying goodbye marks the narrative here, as does the cry of
Elisha at the end.
The assumption into heaven of Elijah could be a way to
speculate on the transformation of heaven for us. I recall a lady in the
nursing home saying that we needed to speak of heaven at times other than
funerals as she was too upset to hear a that time.
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