(the text is not “exactly” what was preached – hear the audio above! Alan)
Sermon preached at Trinity Church, Newport, RI, Sunday June 5th 2016
The Reverend Alan Neale, “Transformers, not in disguise”
In 1985 I spent a ten day silent retreat at the Convent of the Sisters of the Love of God in Hertforshire, UK; I was housed in the “prophet’s chamber” eponymously named after Elijah’s apartment in today’s first reading. The retreat was the most grueling, tortuous, soul-stripping retreat I have ever endured… at least, thus far.
At the end of the retreat Sister Edmee, bless her, asked me about the retreat. “It was tough, very tough”. And Edmee responded with laconic but loving acerbity, “Good!” She was right… as a result of that retreat I made decisions that transformed the rest of my life (and, inevitably, the lives of many others).
Transformation and the “prophet’s chamber” – it all came together for me as I reflected on Elijah’s story. But then each of our readings, and Psalm, presents transformation and radical transformation at that!
In I Kings 17 a dire situation that concerns a child’s death and accusations against God and His prophet is… transformed.
In Galatians 1 a febrile, vitriolic and merciless persecutor is… transformed.
And in Luke 7 a wretchedly poor and bereft widow is… transformed.
It has been said, “I don’t like change, and I don’t like things the way they are” – here is our ambivalent approach to transformation yet… I believe we all yearn for transformation; I believe we are all faced with situations and relationships that we ache to be subject to transformation and I believe at heart (maybe in primal psychic depths) we yearn for a transformation within ourselves. It is not unknown for addicts to try “geographic cures” to their disease; if only the geography can be transformed… so will we… forgetting of course the adage “that wherever we go, there we are”.
Bishop Claude Payton described authentic church as “a community of miraculous expectation and glorious transformation” – I have said this before and I say it again; we need to be transformed into believing our authentic vocation.
Today’s Scriptures present before us the alluring, attractive, authentic process of transformation which is the Creator’s will for his creatures, the Mother’s will for her children. And transformation will involve an honest appraisal, a total surrender and a glorious gratitude.
An honest appraisal.
The mother in Kings holds back no punches. She is profound in her grief and violent in her denunciation. “Why did you ever show up here in the first place—a holy man barging in, exposing my sins, and killing my son?” Having sacrificially supplied the prophet with sustenance and accommodation, her son becomes sick as to have “no breath left in him.” Even Elijah becomes affected, infected by her visceral attitude and reproaches God on her behalf.
There are times when we find Paul’s writings convoluted, labyrinthine – full of phrases, almost void of full stops/periods. But when he appraises his situation before Damascus he is as clear as a bell “I violently persecuted the church of God; I was systematically destroying it.”
And when Jesus honestly appraises the widow’s condition (left alone, left penniless) he cannot but be moved with compassion… when he saw her. “Saw her” – studied, serious seeing even of the most vile and wretched should move us to compassion as well as rush to condemnation.
But then a total surrender.
Some have opined that in Kings we see the first example of mouth to mouth resuscitation even of pounding the heart with one’s body to revive the one without breath. I am not persuaded but I do see here a total surrender to the situation using a practice unknown, unsure and untested. No wonder he takes the boy to his upper chamber… alone.
St. Paul surrenders himself to isolation and then to the community which he had once viciously, incessantly hunted.
And Jesus surrenders to the Father’s will… moves beyond the crowd, touches the very carrier of death and speaks the word. They all, Elijah and Paul and Jesus, surrender to God’s will.
Transformation is taking place sped along, facilitated by honest appraisal and total surrender… but there’s more to come.
Each of the Scripture passages ends with an identical theme – glorious gratitude.
So the woman is transformed as she praises Elijah and the God whom he serves.
Paul recognizes that because of his transformation the church is now “glorifying God.
And the word about Jesus spreads with alacrity and intensity to all the surrounding peoples.
Friends, it is not uncommon for talk of transformation to be directed at others… if only they would change it would be better. And subtly our fingers metaphorically begin to point at others at home, at school, at office… even in box pew. But authentic and effective transformation begins with us; thus God wants it so that we may be healed by him rather than exacting transformation from others.
Honestly appraise, totally surrender and gloriously give thanks.
Hear though, this transformation (this side of the grave) is a process. As Bill Wilson wrote in Alcoholics Anonymous “our program is one of spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection”. We will doubtless be faced by relapses but honest appraisal and total surrender and glorious gratitude will pick us up and so we resume – “wailing transformed to dancing, sack-cloth transformed to joy’ (Psalm 30:12).
When I was a parent of young children, the toys “Transformers in Disguise” was a big thing; recently there was a revival of interest.
God is no transformer in disguise and He calls His church and His people neither to be disguised but acknowledged, revealed and visible, happily infected carriers of transformation. Let it be. Amen.