Scripture Passage
2 Peter 1:16-21
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Sermon Script
It has been just over 9 years since I came to St. Tim’s. I started here on January 1, 2017.
I can’t believe it has already been that long. These 9 years passed by in a blink of an eye!
Coming here, there was one thing that stood out to me right away. It was the Bible study.
There were so many Bible studies going on during the week. Whether it was KSM or ESM, every group had a Bible study.
Even the first of the four mission statements was about being a Prophetic Community that shares and lives by the truth of God’s word.
Of course, even before I came here, I enjoyed reading the Bible. But this kind of strong emphasis on exploring the Bible deeply and on a regular basis wasn’t something I was used to. Whereas for you, you’ve been with me long enough and you are more or less used to it.
So, I wondered why that was the case.
Then it clicked one day.
From participating in different Bible studies in the church, I began to see a whole new world of Scripture I did not see before. I started seeing how much depth, beauty, and truth were contained in God’s word.
I felt this immense power that totally transformed how I looked at life and faith. That epiphany sparked my love for preaching (and teaching) the word of God – which still is the case to this day.
Why do we believe in the words of Scripture? Is it because we have researched and verified all the things that it mentions?
Not really. That would take us forever.
Is it because what we read in it sounds clear-cut and logical?
It’s not that either. If anything, much of what we encounter in the Bible are either confusing or don’t make much sense.
Then what is it?
We believe in the Bible because God’s word has power.
Power that strengthens discouraged and weary hearts. Power that breaks open rigid and limited minds. Power that raises up dead and lifeless souls.
It is the power that brings LIGHT into our darkness. I’m sure some of you experienced this at one point.
John said this when he was describing the Word—
In him [the Word] was life, and that life was the light of all humankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:4, 5)
Peter says something similar in today’s passage. This verse particularly stands out to me.
We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. (2 Peter 1:19)
He gives us this image of a light shining in a dark place. The light that will never go out. It will keep burning until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts.
In other words, Peter is speaking about the power of God’s word. He himself once caught a glimpse what this power is like.
That’s why he said in the beginning:
For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. (2 Peter 1:16)
Here, Peter is referring to the event of Jesus’ transfiguration. The story can be found in Matthew, Mark and Luke.
Along with James and John, he witnessed Jesus shining like the sun, in his glory, right before his eyes. The experience was so unexpected and indescribable that he became afraid.
The significance of the Transfiguration was more than just what Peter saw with his own eyes. It was at Jesus’ transfiguration that Peter felt the power of Christ – the Word that became flesh. What he experienced that very day stayed with him. He never forgot it.
Yes – he was the same Peter that went on to deny Jesus later.
But despite his failures and shortcomings, he continued to see the power of God’s word at work in his life. That power shaped him into the rock that Jesus said he would be.
To his death, Peter remembered and held onto God’s word. He also reminded those being led astray by false teachings to do the same.
Listen again to what he says—
We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. (2 Peter 1:19)
Pay attention to God’s word. That is Peter’s message in a nutshell.
Be attentive. Attentiveness is what we need the most in our life.
Experiencing the power of God’s word is one thing. Being attentive to it is another.
Power is the effect. Attentiveness is the posture and process. It is attentiveness that draws out the hidden power of God’s word.
Without being attentive, it is impossible to experience the power of God’s word coming alive in our life. As Jesus taught us, God’s word will become like the seed falling on rocky ground or among the thorns:
The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. (Matthew 13:20-22)
If there is anything that best describes us human beings, it is that we are easily distracted. It is not just you guys. It is everyone – the adults are just the same.
We are easily led astray by the next thing that catches our eye and demands our attention. That is how the world runs today. It did not take long for Adam and Eve to listen to the serpent and forget what God had told them just moments before.
In this attention-deficit society, we human beings have lost our capacity to focus on anything in a lasting and meaningful way. We have become people who are everywhere and nowhere at the same time. That has also spilled into the way we engage with our faith.
If your eye wants to see all things, your ear wants to hear all things and your heart wants to remember all things, then, truly, your soul will become scattered among all these things. (Meister Eckhart)
In that sense, being attentive is a spiritual practice. We should not expect it to come naturally to us.
Being attentive is an intentional, thoughtful decision. You choose what to look at and what to turn away from.
What you give your attention to exercises its power over you.
When much of what we see around us is darkness that overwhelms us, it is easy to focus on that. It is easy to dwell in our hopelessness and powerlessness. It is easy to make our life all about our problems.
But let us not forget.
There is always a glimmer of light shining in that darkness. That light is the word of God planted within you.
If we just learn how to be silent and still, we will recognize it. We will experience its power, quietly and steadily at work in us.
Prophet Isaiah boldly proclaimed:
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever. (Isaiah 40:8)
Today is Transfiguration Sunday. It is the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of our Lenten season.
The Lenten journey is a journey of being attentive to God’s word. That was what Jesus did while he was in the wilderness. For 40 days, he held onto God’s word.
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘One does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)
Cherish God’s word. Meditate on it daily. Keep doing the daily readings of John.
We are also starting Winter Fridays soon. We will be reflecting on the “I Am” statements of Jesus. We have our March retreat coming up as well.
You have so many different avenues and opportunities. You are so blessed!
Allow God’s word to blossom and bear fruit in your heart. That is what it means to be attentive to his word.
God’s word is God’s promise to us. It is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.
We can walk even in darkness because of his word. We can go through the wilderness because of his word.
What seems like a faint light in the distance will grow into the morning star in your hearts. The GLORY of Christ will fill your heart and your life.
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