"They Shall All Be Taught by God"

Aloha! This seems to be a busy week, what with school starting for our keiki, the Olympics continuing (and concluding this Sunday), a political season heating up, and all sorts of to-dos on our calendars to check off. But I hope you didn’t miss what happened on Tuesday—it was the day the Church observes the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ. (See Luke 9:28-36 or Matthew 17:1-8.)

At this point in the gospel story, Jesus had been seen by thousands as he taught and
ministered. But there’s always been a mystery about Jesus—we never really get a clear
image of who he was. Even his closest friends, his disciples, had so many questions
about him. Jesus spoke with authority and healed many. But who was he? The
Transfiguration gives us a glimmer of light on that question. Jesus takes three of his
closest friends, Peter, James, and John, to the mountain top, and there it is revealed to
them who he is. They witness Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus as one whom they
knew. And the Father proclaims: “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well
pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Jesus’ face shone with a glorious light, and the three
disciples fell on their faces and worshiped. Even with this firsthand experience,
however, they still understood very little of what Jesus was about. I don’t know about
you, but I can identify with them! Perhaps our mission in life is to seek the face of Jesus
ourselves, to do all we can to see the brightness of his glory—even in the faces of those
around us. So try spending some time this week on that mountain with the disciples and
see where Jesus calls you to follow.

"The Transfiguration," an 1885 painting by Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834-1890) 

Last Sunday, we considered how the prophet Nathan confronted King David over
his sin, and how David responded (2 Samuel 11:26—12:13a). David had committed a
whole bunch of grievous sins and, in a powerful “gotcha moment,” Nathan tells him the
story of a beloved pet lamb taken from its devoted owner by a rich man who wanted to
serve a lamb supper to a guest! David was angry and wanted to know who would do
such a thing. “You are the man!” Nathan tells him. Gotcha! And while David could
have deflected or denied the charges, or claimed royal immunity, he owned up to his sin
and confessed to God (and Psalm 51 records his confession). Now, while we may never
sin as grievously as David, we still must deal with the hurts we cause by confession and
seeking forgiveness—knowing that God’s “gotcha covered.” God never gives up on us.
God’s got a hold of us forever!

This Sunday, we’ll turn our focus to the gospel lesson, John 6:35, 41-51. Jesus
continues explaining to his disciples that he is the bread of life, and whoever comes to
him will never be hungry. The religious hypocrites question Jesus about this, and he
explains further, noting that the prophets say, “They shall all be taught by God.” What
does that mean, to be taught by God? We’ll explore that on Sunday!

Now look at those three bold-faced, underlined quotes above. From the
Transfiguration, we see who Jesus is: the Son, the Beloved of God. From last week’s
text, we see who David was: the man who sinned so grievously. And in the gospel for
this Sunday, we see who we can be: devoted students of God, learning the way of
Jesus. We too are beloved by God, we too sin and are forgiven, and we too are called
to follow Jesus closely. Something to think about this week!

On Sunday we’ll also continue our “Ministry Minutes” during the announcement
time. As you know, this summer our ministry leaders have been sharing the various
ministries that help make St. Timothy’s the loving and worshipful church that it is. We do
this to honor those who serve, and to encourage you to pray about ways you might
serve here in the days to come. So far, we’ve learned about the Outreach ministry, the
Welcoming Hearts Team, our Sunday School for keiki, the Eucharistic Ministers/
Eucharistic Visitors/ Lectors ministry, the Bishop’s Committee, the Altar Guild,
STEAM (St. Timothy’s Episcopal Audio/visual Ministry), and last Sunday we heard
about our Music Ministry. This Sunday we’ll hear about our Daughters of the King
chapter and the many ways they serve all of us at St. Tim’s. All these ministries need
more volunteers and participants, so please think about them prayerfully! I’m so grateful
for those of you who have stepped up in recent weeks to volunteer, and for all who
serve, often in many more ways than one. Mahalo!

I look forward to seeing you in church or on Facebook Live on Sunday at 9 a.m.! I
am praying for you, dear sisters and brothers, and I ask for your prayers for St.
Timothy’s Church, for our dedicated staff and our devoted lay leaders, and for your
vicar. May God bless you all. 

Aloha Ke Akua!
Fr. Pete+