Meeting God and the Prophets

Church for LGBT - Open Table MCC - Philippines

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking about his exodus, which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep, but as they awoke they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not realizing what he was saying. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

Luke 9:28-36 NRSVUE

Napaka-sakit sa ulo ng week na ito for me sa totoo lang and haggard. Daming ganap at nangyari personally, as a pastor, and bilang Filipino. Habang developing ang pag-aresto kay ex-president ako naman ay nagsasalita sa witness stand as an expert witness for Pura Luka, after that may dalwang kasal dito sa chapel. And then namatay yung tita naming Carmelite nun and then kapatid ko ay kinasal kahapon. Daming ganap at pangyayari at halo-halong emotions. Masakit sa ulot. I had slight migrane nga eh. Thursday na nga ako nakapag-sulat ng sermon and I needed to listen to Gregorian chant para magpagpag at kumalma. Kayo? Kumusta ang week ninyo?

So today is the second Sunday of Lent and our story is about the transfiguration of Jesus which is a synoptic story – meaning it is present in all 3 early gospels, which again means malalim ang inuugat ng kwentong ito and its meaning to the first- and second-generation Christians, and their communities.

Now before we proceed to the actual story of the transfiguration, Jesus and his closest followers already travelled around preaching and also healing people. Bago ang kwento ng transfiguration, nakapaglibot-libot na si Hesus at kanyang mga alagad. Nakapangaral na sila at mangilan-ngilan na ang napagaling sa kanilang mga sakit. Before the story of the transfiguration, nag-preaching on the mount na si Jesus and he has fed 5000 people. Nakapag Milagro na rin sya of calming the storm when they were crossing the lake. Afterwards, he sent out into missions his followers to preach and giving them power to heal. And then after their mission bumalik na ang mga alagad nya to report what they did and experienced. Within the same chapter where the transfiguration story is, it says that Jesus is under the surveillance King Herod Antipas. Within the same chapter also, Peter declares Jesus as the Messiah of God and in response Jesus tells them as a Messiah he is going to be rejected by their temple leaders, and he will suffer and die, but on the 3^rd day he will rise agin. He then challenged them that those who wish to follow him must carry their cross and must also be willing to give their lives the same as he is.

Sufficient to say… sobrang daming nangyari kay Jesus at sa followers nya. By this time also patay na si John the Baptist. Taken, tortured, and murdered by King Herod Antipas for entertainment purposes and to satisfy the revenge of his mistress, the wife of his brother because John the Baptist was criticizing and denouncing Antipas for his inappropriarte relationship with his brother’s wife. And as mentioned after the death of John the Baptist, si Hesus naman ang under surveillance. Ang daming nangyari at nangyayari. Madami na silang pinuntahan at ginawa. The followers were even sent to preach and heal without him. By that point, sobrang marami na rin kinuda at chinika si Jesus. THEN, 8 days after Peter declares and says he is the Messiah of God, he went away taking with him Peter, and brothers James and John, and kanyang inner circle. In the gospels, when Jesus goes out to pray, it also means he goes out to rest and have a quiet time. Sometimes alone. Other times with his inner circle.

With so many things happening and with so much work that Jesus and his followers do under the threat and watchful eye of the false Herodian king, it is still important for them to intentionally step away for a moment, pause, rest, eat, and most importantly, pray in silence and calmness for the well-being of their bodies, their minds (mental health), and their souls. They also needed to do this to re-group, check up on each other, and see their direction and next plans. Kailangan huminga at magpahinga, at kailangan tignan muli ang mga bagay na ating naranasan at ang ating mga susunod na mga gagawin lalo na with the reality of external threats.

With so much happening around us especially this week; with so many things we are doing in our church community kahit na Marso palang, we need a time to step back and pause. – diba Marso pa lang parang ang dami na nating ginawa. And specifically for March 2025, bakit parang gusto lahat gawin ngayong March. End of the world na ba by March 31? Pinagsisiksikan lahat sa March. Maraming paganap ang ibang mga organizations and I have several sunod-sunod na speaking engagements with Ateneo, PUP, and Filipino-German artist, then yung pagwitness ko pa kay Pura and then humahabol pa ang UTS.

Sa dami ng nangyayari at struggles sa ating mga personal na buhay at dito sa ating MCC Community, sa LGBTQIA+ network, sa paparating na eleksyon, this recent national teleserye between team kasamaan and team kadiliman at sa iba pang ganap sa buong mundo… in the midst of all the chaos and mga bardahan at bardagulan, like Jesus and his followers we need to pause and step away from all the chaos kahit sandali lang. We need to silence our hearts and minds, and calm our souls and look inside us if our part in all this chaos is still true to the gospel message, and the principles and values we claim to offer and live by?

Like the reactionary and emotional Peter, and the ambitious James and John, Jesus invites us to go up the mountain with him to breathe and calm our raging hearts. We are his followers and after nya tayong sinugo sa ating misyon bilang individual Christians and bilang Open Table, he is inviting us to go up the mountain to step away, pause, and reflect SO THAT we may ask, where is God in all of these chaos? Where can we hear God’s voice and what is God telling us? Jesus is inviting us to reflectively remember whom we serve and follow, and why we serve in a faith community within the context of all these socio-political upheavals. Jesus invites us to learn from him to step away and pray, at wag magbabad sa social media, and doing so masumpungan mulit natin ang Diyos sa lahat ng ating mga ginagawa at sa lahat ng kaguluhan sa ating paligid.

Stepping away from people and all the social problems – Peter, James, and John witnessed something remarkable. They saw Jesus become luminescent and then there appeared the prophet’s Moses and Elijah – Moses representing the Covenant & the priesthood, and Elijah representing the prophets and the prophetic tradition. What is the heart of the covenant? Love. To love God and loving neighbor as one’s self. What is the prophetic tradition? It is a call for justice and compassion as the expression of the covenant among the people and AS the people. Jesus transfiguring, representing the fulfilment and embodiment of the covenant – love becoming flesh – and the continuation of the prophetic tradition – Jesus as the source and standard of redemptive justice.

When we intentionally take the time and space to step away – kahit sandali lang – from all the chaos and also to examine our own hearts and minds, the hope is that we will encounter the transfigured Jesus and to be reminded that our mission and our spirituality go back to the covenant of love and to the roots of redemptive justice held together by our living example, the same Jesus Christ – who teaches us not only to love our neighbor as ourselves, but also love our enemies. To pray for those who hurt us and who have different political, ideological, and theological perspectives from us. Jesus who flips the tables of the powerful and the greedy, and not the tables of the poor and oppressed who sadly, many of them have put their trust in false saviors in the person of politicians. Jesus who tells us that the front and center of our mission and evangelization are the poor, oppressed, and the victims of violence – which includes EJK victims and their families, the drug addicts themselves, and also the victims of crimes of those who are under the influence of drugs. Kaya mahirap maging mabuting Kristiyano kasi lahat talaga bitbit natin. Walang iwan. Walang tapon. Even as we set boundaries and clear ethical lines, our love must include the followers of both team kasamaan and team kadiliman, many of which are also from the oppressed sectors. God’s love and redemptive justice includes all. Mahirap maging progressive na Kristiyano dahil in our wokeness and sense of goodness – having understanding about human rights, social analysis, and liberation theology, sometimes we are also easily pushed towards gloating and to respond with equal ideological violence and vitriol. And understandably so. Sobrang pagod natin sa ating mga ginagawa sa buhay, sa simbahan, at sa advocacy. Sobrang pagod receiving insult upon insult from team kadiliman and team kasamaan followers. And it seems that this week is our vindication and the opportune time to let out all our frustration in the form of insult, sarcasm, or even outright attack thinking we are being aligned and staying true with our values and principles, BUT in truth, it is simply the enjoyment and the satisfaction of our own human vindictiveness to which all of us including myself are guilty of. May nagchika nga sa akin, pastor pagbigyan mo na. Well, wala naman akong pinagbawal o pinagalitan. Ako naman ay nagpapaalala lang then and now in this preaching.

Sabi ng nanay nyo… “nauunawaan ko ang frustration nyo pero mas radikal ang magmahal. Madali makipagdebate pero mas epektibo ang magmahal.”

“Sabi rin ng kanyang former running mate: Naiintindihan ko ang frustrations ng mga ilan sa hanay natn pero sana hindi ito dinadaan sag alit o pangungutya. Gentle reminder. We need to persuade and convince. We do not need to ridicule and insult. Kailangan natin makipag-usap at makinig. Hindi itong magmagaling, mang-insulto, at makipag-away.”

While this was said during the 2022 campaign, the request of Kiko and Leni remains true and relevant. Ang ating pangungumbinsi at pagpapanday ng mas maayos na bansa sa pamamagitan ng radikal na pagmamahal ay hindi natapos o natalo nung 2022. Ito ay nagpapatuloy.

This is the hard truth – dahil nakalimutan natin ang radikal na pagmamahal or meron tayong resistance dito maski nung mismong 2022 kampanya pa, pwede ba nating iconsider na tayo rin ay naging bahagi at may ambag sa ating pagkatalo sa mga pagkakataong hinayaan natin ang ating mga sarili na hilahin tayo sa kagustuhan nung iba na makipagbardagulan at bardahan? Did we shoot ourselves, figuratively, when we gave into the enemies desire for conflict between our people? Now, we find ourselves again in the same conflict and this time thinking that we have the upper moral ascendency, we again lash out and make fun of others while your nanay actually remains unbothered and resist getting pulled back into the conflict. We have said each of our pieces sa sari-sarili nating social media and we have already had a laugh sa social media at sa mga chatrooms. All of us including myself. Now is the time to step back, pause, and reflect if the way we are behaving expresses the radikal na pagmamahal not only of Nanay Leni but of Jesus of Nazareth?

Using Leni’s video and quoting Kiko is not an endorsement of them but a reminder and an appeal for all of us. Afterall yung pakiusap nilang radikal na pagmamahal ay walang kulay o politika. It applies to all ano man ang political affiliation mo. While at the same time, paalala yan sa atin since aminin naman natin na while this church will never have any official political endorsement, the members and leaders of this church are 95% ot 98% kakampink at mahalagang paalalahan kayo mula sa salita mismo ng nanay nyo.

In the story of the transfiguration, a voice was heard – This is my beloved son, listen to him.

Despite our best efforts and best intentions as followers of Jesus and as kakampinks of Leni, talagang hindi rin tayo nasunod at nakinig sa kanila. Sometimes, like the disciples of Jesus we even get frustrated with Jesus and with Leni, and we could not understand their message of radical love.

The story of transfiguration for this second Sunday of Lent, after this chaotic week, reminds us to step away for a moment, pause, pray, and reflect. Be reminded of who we follow. Be reminded of the values and teachings we claim to believe and practice. Ang radikal na pagmamahal ay hindi gagawin kung nanalo siya at hindi ihihinto dahil natalo sya. It is a movement and a way of life beyond elections. Radically incluysive love is in our UFMCC statement of faith, but it stretches all the way back to Jesus of Nazareth. We are reminded that the struggle and work is not over and it continues.

Peter said to Jesus, that it is well and good that they are there and they should stay there on top of the mountain together with Moses and Elijah. They will make 3 tents for them. But after the spectacular experience Jesus tells them that they should go down the mountain and continue their service and ministry for the people. And what was the first thing Jesus did – Jesus healed and liberated someone from a convulsing spirit with him being frustrated kahit kabababa lang nung mountain. Sabi ni Jesus, How long will I have to be with you? But even with his frustration, he nonetheless, freed someone from a demonic possession that causes convulsion – Pinalaya niya sa pagkakagapos ang isang taong may espirito ng pagwawala.

After we step away and meet Jesus and the prophets, and hear the voice of God telling us to listen to Jesus, and after honestly checking ourselves, tayo ay babalik sa kaguluhan nitong bansa natin at ng mundo. Tayo ay makikipag-sapalaran muli bilang Kristyano at bilang simbahan at sa pangalan ni Hesus tayo ay magppaalaya sa mga ginagapos ng espirito ng pagwawala hindi sa pamamagitan ng pagsali sa kanilang pagwawala at bardahan – bagkus sa pamamagitan ng radikal na pagmamahal.

Sa pangalan ni Hesus na wala naman talagang kulay o partido pero pinapanigan ang mga api at lahat nfg biktima ng kaharasan, magmahal tayong muli.

The post Meeting God and the Prophets appeared first on Open Table Metropolitan Community Church.