Are We Listening?
October 1, 2009
“Are We Listening?” – William G. Gepford, American-Arab Relations
As some of you know, I have been sorting through my files to determine which would be valuable to retain in the archives of a university. Believe me it has not been easy to sort through 30 years of files. To date I have read through close to the equivalent of sixty reams of paper!
Many good friends have resurfaced and reminded me of the struggles we experienced together in the 1980’s and 1990’s to promote understanding, reconciliation and peace in the context of our Middle East neighborhood. I hold them in highest esteem and respect.
In the process I have discovered something about faith: It has little relevance except in the context of community. I ran across the report of a trip I made in 1992 (my youngest grandchildren think that was in the Neanderthal Age) when I traveled through ten states visiting family and speaking about reconciliation and peace.
In my conversations with participants, I learned that they were looking for something dramatic to happen so they could follow it or worship it, and feel that they alone had had a private experience. Some believed that the more private and personal the experience, the more validity they gave to it. I was shocked by how many people thought of faith as having no relevance for the larger community.
The Gospel, as event, is not private, it is the “opening” event of all life and, as some believe, of all time. It is not to be kept but to be shared. This was made clear in the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus that took place on the top of a mountain.
According to the Gospel of Luke (chapter 9), the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus challenged the concept of the three disciples who were with Jesus at the time. They wanted to do three things: 1) They wanted to stay on the mountain 2) build booths (tents), and 3) they wanted to bask, as it were, in his glory. They liked having this privileged, private, personal experience of his new integrity and changed countenance, and in their minds believed that they now really knew who Jesus was (…the disciples kept quiet about all this and told no one… 9:36) But they were in for a surprise. The next day Jesus took them back down the mountain and continued his ministry of healing.
What they learned was that transfiguration has meaning only as it opens our lives to others and brings them and us new life in community. During their experience on the mountain a voice said, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen—listen to him.” Only by listening can we be open, always learning. Some one once said that learning is not only a life-long process, but also a long life process. And so it is.
This new, and healthy, life is not just for the wealthy, privileged or successful, but ultimately for all of God’s people. It is not just for a particular place on the globe, but for all of God’s creation. It is not prosperity for a particular nation, but for all the nations. The story of the Transfiguration tells us something about God and how God relates to God’s people. May we listen with open minds and open hearts.
