The Posture of Salvation - Sermon for the Transfiguration of Our Lord

Transfiguration of Our Lord, February 6^th, Year of Our + Lord 2022
Our Savior’s and Our Redeemer Lutheran Churches
Hill City and Custer, South Dakota
The Posture of Salvation - Matthew 17:1-9, 2^nd Peter 1:16-21

     When Peter, James and John heard the Father speaking from the cloud, they fell on their faces, terrified that God Himself was speaking to them.  Their posture reflected the reality of the moment. 

      God Himself comes and speaks to us also, on a weekly and daily basis.  We don’t see a bright light or hear a voice from a cloud, but God is with us.  That’s the reality of our moment.  So, how’s our posture? 

      You doubt that God is really here, speaking to us?  Listen again to what Peter wrote, some decades after his moment on the mountaintop:  For when [Jesus] received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. Then Peter continues, “And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place.”  

     Peter tells the Church, including us, that the Word we gather to hear, in this post-Crucifixion and post-Resurrection world, is even better, more sure than the Word, the voice of the Father he heard on the mountain, when Jesus was transfigured before him.  How is this possible?  It has to do with timing.  Because now the Prophetoc Word tells the completed story of our salvation.  On the shining mountain of Transfiguration, the Cross and Empty Tomb that were still future events.  Now, the great work is finished, and that is the most sure

thing, God’s salvation promise fulfilled in Jesus.  The promises Jesus made to His Apostles, that whoever hears you hears Me, and that wherever two or three gather in my Name, there I am with them, these promises are confirmed by Peter: The victorious Lord Jesus Himself is present whenever His Holy Word is spoken, a lamp of salvation shining in this dark and sinful world.  

      So again I ask:  Considering this reality that Peter has been inspired by the Holy Spirit to describe for us; considering the awesome fact that God comes and speaks to us, right here, today, through His Holy Word, I ask you, “How’s our posture?” 

      We Lutherans are at least known for changing our posture in worship quite a bit.  Stand up, sit down, stand up again.  Kneel, a little bowing here and there...   We sit attentively as His Word is being read.  We speak and sing along when it’s our turn to proclaim.   We stand for the reading of the Holy Gospel, and to recite the Creed, acknowledging the special importance of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, which Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, as well as the Creeds, describe in detail for us.    

    But, given that God comes and meets us here, albeit invisibly, should we be lying prostrate on the ground, like Peter, James and John?  Are we falling down on our job, by failing to fall on our faces?  Is this what God wants from us, better, more holy posture? 

   At minimum, it will be good for us to think about how we adjust our posture in worship, and how the things we do with our bodies can reflect and confess what we believe about the reality of this moment.  Such reflection will be good, for us, and for the world, as we try to communicate to everyone the amazing, wonderful work that God is doing for us through His Word and Sacraments. 

     Now, let me be clear, our posture in worship, the things we do with our bodies, are not the Gospel.  They certainly do not save anybody.  We are saved by faith in the forgiving sacrifice of Jesus, the eternal Son of God.  Our posture is not the Gospel, and neither is it God’s Law.  While in the Bible we hear a lot about how the saints of old positioned their bodies in worship, the New Testament Church is not given a law about posture. 

     Still, our posture is important.  Learning to do certain things with our bodies as we gather around God’s Word to listen and pray can help us, and help our neighbor.  The things we do with our bodies are an opportunity for us to remind ourselves of what God is doing in our midst.  Our various postures are at their best instructional aides, as we seek to teach ourselves, and especially our young people and our visitors, about Christ and His saving Word.  By our actions we can repeat and magnify our confession of faith, helping ourselves and others to hear, understand and trust the Good News, the Gospel of Christ’s free salvation. 

     Our posture is neither God’s Law nor is it the Good News of His saving work for us.  Rather our posture is a response, to both Law and Gospel.  We regularly speak back with our mouths the Truths God has taught us.  So also, with the various ways we move our bodies, we seek to say the same Truths.  For example, in humility we bow our heads or kneel as we confess the sins that still cling to us, and the sad fact that we are still sinners, through and through.  Then, forgiven and restored, we stand to sing thanks and show honor to our Savior and the Word which reveals Him to us.  We fold our hands and bow our heads as a way to focus our thoughts in prayer.  We put away our phones and give our full attention to God’s work among us, acknowledging that something greater than Google is here.  Acolytes, ushers, readers and preachers bow when entering and leaving the chancel, this space here, near around the altar, reminding ourselves and everyone watching that upon this Altar Christ comes to feed us with Himself, for forgiveness, life and salvation.  As we are able, we kneel in worship as we receive the Body and Blood of our Savior, in, with and under the Bread and the Wine.    

     It has always been this way.  The Old and New Testaments frequently describe the posture of God's people 
when they were confronted with His Word and Presence.  Take off your shoes, Moses, for this is holy ground.  So the Lord spoke from the burning bush, and Moses hid his face, afraid to even look at God.  When the Captain of the Lord’s Armies appeared to Joshua, Joshua bowed down before Him.   The Canaanite woman, seeking healing for her daughter, knelt at Jesus feet and rejoiced to call herself a dog, happily feeding from her Master’s crumbs.  The tax collector stood off in the corner of the Temple, face towards the floor, beating his breast, crying out Lord, be merciful to me, the sinner, and he went home justified, declared righteous by God.  Forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to the eleven on the mountain in Galilee, and they worshiped, which means they bowed and kneeled before their resurrected Savior, even as He sent them to every nation, baptizing and teaching.  And in this Resurrection Gospel, the Apostle Paul calls on people everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer.  

    Through the history of the Church, other actions and postures have developed, like bowing our head when we hear or say the Divine Name, the I AM, Yahweh.  Imitating Isaiah, we may bow whenever we hear the Holy-Holy-Holy song of the creatures flying around God’s heavenly throne, or when we speak the Name of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

     Many kneel or bow during the Nicene Creed, from when we say “and He became man,” acknowledging the mystery of the Incarnation and Christ’s suffering in our place.  Then we straighten up in victory with Him as we confess “the third day He rose again from the dead.”   And of course, many trace the sign of the Holy Cross on our bodies as we speak the Name of God, and at other times, to remember how God has loved us, and also that we are baptized into His death and resurrection. 

     Many of us do some or most of these actions.  Others do not.  We do not have a law about posture.  We shouldn’t imagine we are earning any points by these actions.  But still, habits of posture can be very good, if we do them for good reasons, reasons we understand and can explain.  So if you wish to cross yourself, or bow at “He became man,” or kneel when we pray, you are free.  You’re free to try various postures and do them, or not.  Of course, we will be careful not to bind the consciences of others, careful not to make others feel like they are less Christian for not following the same habits.  Posture in worship has its importance.  But it is only your faith in Christ, not your posture in worship, that saves you.

     Your posture in worship doesn’t save you.  But there is one person’s posture which really does matter.  To close today, let’s consider the postures of Jesus.

     Without thinking, in a natural reaction of fear, Peter, James and John fell on their faces when they heard God the Father speak from the cloud that enveloped them.  Then Jesus came to them, in their fear, and He stooped down.  I assume He must have stooped down, because He reached out and touched them, as they lay on their faces. 

     Jesus stooped and touched them and lifted them up with His Word: “Rise, and have no fear.”   This is a pretty good analogy for the entire ministry of Jesus, stooping down, all the way down from His heavenly throne, stooping down, even taking on human flesh, He became man, the man Jesus, God’s Son, stooping down, in order to free us from our fear of God.  

     And our fear of God is right and proper, for we are sinners, and the holiness of God’s presence is dangerous for us.  Dangerous, except for one wonderful thing, the Good News that Jesus says to you, “Fear not, I am here for you.” 

     Jesus stoops and touches and says, fear not, and He can rightly do so, because of what He has done.  Jesus came bring safety to sinners.  Jesus’ mission was and is to make it safe, right and good for sinners to stand in God’s holiness, sinners like Peter, James, John, and you and me.  Jesus can rightly say “fear not,” because He came to take away the cause of our fear, by assuming the posture of love, the posture of salvation.

     Yes, Jesus stooped down and touched and raised Peter, James and John from their fear, and then He led them down the mountain, to complete the postures of salvation.  Jesus came down, and in the weeks that followed the Transfiguration, He assumed the

posture of public enemy, publicly teaching against the scribes and priests and Pharisees, in order to draw their murderous anger against Him.  

    Jesus came down and reclined at table, blessing the bread and wine of the Passover, transforming it to be His last will and testament, written in blood, effective forever, for the forgiveness of sins.  

    Later that night, Jesus knelt, in the garden, as He prayed:  Father, if it is possible, take this cup from me.  And yet not My will, but Thy will be done. 

     Then Jesus stood, arms bound, the posture of a prisoner, a criminal, as Roman soldiers mockingly knelt before Him.  Jesus assumed the posture of a staggering, doomed man, struggling under the weight of His own cross.  

     And finally, Jesus assumed the posture of love, stretching out His arms, nailed to that crossbar, loving us sinners to death, that He might share His life with us.  

   And He has.  And He does, right here, whenever we gather to hear Him, whenever we bring a sinner to the water of life, whenever we confess our sins and hear the Word of forgiveness, whenever we kneel at this altar, eating and drinking the life He has won for us.      

     And so whether in Church we kneel, or stand, or sit, whether we bow, or fall on our faces, we rejoice.  We rejoice because the posture of Jesus is the Gospel, the Good News that He stands for us, so we can stand without fear before the Father in glory.  

     Scripture teaches that Jesus will return in glory, and before Him every knee shall bow, of believers and unbelievers, friends and enemies, everyone in heaven and on earth and under the earth.  All will know and confess the Truth on that Day, for joy, or for unimaginable sorrow.  But fear not.  Jesus’ return is for your joy.  Before our crucified and risen Savior, with all believers who have been transformed by faith, we will kneel in wonder, bathed in His glory, as we enter into rejoicing, forever and ever, Amen.