St. John’s United Church

SWIMMING WITH THE SHARKS
Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain, where they could be alone. There, in front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed.
And his clothes became much whiter than any bleach on earth could make them.
Mark 9:2-3

How many of you have fish for pets? What kinds of fish do you have?

When we lived in Seeley’s Bay, my daughter, Laurie, received an aquarium as a Christmas gift. It was something she “just had to have” as she wanted some “pets” to keep in her room.

Now, I must admit, fish are not my first choice for a pet. I’m more a “dog” or “cat” person myself - I like to “play” with the animal, to have a “hands on” relationship. That’s a little tricky to do with fish - they don’t like to be handled too much, let alone chase a ball, curl up on your lap, or go for a walk.

But fish can be fascinating. In fact, one of the things I’ve really come to appreciate about fish is their ability to calm one down. It’s amazing how just a few moments watching fish swimming about, gliding in and out between the plants, or hiding in the shells and driftwood, allows one to forget about the cares and worries of the day and to begin to unwind.

Over the years, Laurie has had many different kinds of fish - goldfish, mollies, guppies, tetras, neons, loaches, head-and-tail-lights, Siames fighting fish, angelfish, plecostamus, and coryadoras. Some died early on (were eaten), others lived much longer, growing, and providing hours of watching pleasure.

But the ones I liked the most are the sharks. The shark, strangely enough, is one of the most popular fish for aquariums. The reason for this is that sharks adapt to theft environment. Sharks only grow as large as their surroundings permit. If you catch a small shark and confine it, it will stay a size proportionate to the aquarium in which it lives. Sharks can be six inches long and fully mature. But turn them loose in the ocean and they will grow to their normal size. (Hoover - when bought about 1”, grew to 5” in 10 gallon tank, would have grown to 12” in bigger tank.)

I’ve noticed the same phenomenon with regard to followers of Jesus Christ. If we are challenged to live heroic lives for Christ, we have that capability. Left unchallenged, however, most of us will stay where we are with an underdeveloped understanding of faith and a nominal commitment to Christ.

The gospel lesson for today contains one of those growing, stretching experiences that came from time to time for Jesus’ disciples. Jesus leads his disciples up a mountain. There, he is transfigured - changed - right before their eyes. Mark attempts to describe that change by depicting a change in Jesus’ clothing. His clothes were shining, glistening white. In fact, in the Greek, the words are “whiter than white!” Sounds like an ad for a new bleach or detergent, doesn’t it? Obviously, words fail at such moments. But something is happening, be sure of that! But what is happening strains the ability of our language to describe it. The dazzling radiance of the transfiguration is beyond description.

Christ was transfigured - and the disciples were terrified. Why? Because they were dealing with something outside their experience. Here was Christ in all his glory. Here was Someone whose life shone with a beauty and an integrity that the disciples did not have. Here was One whose dazzling white robe indicated his holiness, his purity, his uniqueness - and they were but ordinary mortals. Being in Christ’s presence made them aware of their inadequacies and imperfections. They were sinners in the presence of One who was sinless. No wonder they were terrified. It reminds me of how, in the box office hit movie, Phenomenon, friends and neighbours are afraid of a peace-loving man who, after seeing a blinding light, is able to predict earth quakes, read at incredible speed, make inanimate objects move without touching them, and cause mirrors to shatter by looking at them.

While many people of Jesus’ day - and, perhaps, some of us gathered here today - may be suspicious of the disciples’ report, we cannot doubt that it changed their lives forever. This experience, as well as many other experiences they had with Jesus, transformed them radically. You and I, some 2,000 years removed, can make light of their experience, but it was so very real to them that they gave their lives for Christ, literally!

Transformation rarely happens all at once. Don’t let anyone mislead you. Few people are genuinely converted completely all in one night. The experience on the Mount of Transfiguration was but one stop on the disciples’ pilgrimage to becoming apostles - teachers - of Jesus Christ. They would share many other important experiences with Christ. All the time, though, something real and important was happening inside them. They were becoming more like the Master. They were becoming more committed to him and to one another. Their faith - which was not even as large as a mustard seed - was growing. Yes, there were times that they would stumble and lose hold of it, but they would always come back to it and it would blossom into a mighty faith that would shake the Roman empire. These men would move from being terrified to being terrific. Their faith would grow from being easily intimidated to being almost invincible.

And the same thing can happen to us. Like the disciples we, too, can be terrified in Christ’s presence because we are imperfect. But, then, we soon discover that we are not without value or hope. Because Christ loves us, change is possible. Growth is possible. Swimming with the sharks becomes a reality!

Like Hoover the shark, we, too, with God’s help, can adapt to the changes in our environment. And as we do, our hearts and minds will be stretched with love and compassion, enabling us to reach out in response to the needs of God’s world. In short, we, like the disciples, will be transformed, and changed forever. And for that we can say, “Thanks be to God!” Amen.

Acknowledgements:
Dynamic Preaching 1997; Myra
A meditation preached by the Rev. Myra Garvin at St. John’s United Church, Brockville
Sunday February 26, 2006 – Transfiguration - Year B (Scouting Sunday)