February 11, 2018             Veiled and UnVeiled                              

One of the experiences I shared in my clergy profile, was an experience I had on a mountain top in Ecuador. I was in Ecuador, because I served for a week as chaplain of a group of UCC youth who had gone to build Habitat for Humanity houses there. On the final day of our two week trip, we were in the city of Quito. Now the city of Quito, Ecuador sits on a mountain shelf about 8,000 ft above see level. And just below the summit of the mountain it sits on, there is a cable car that will take you almost to the top. So, on that final afternoon, we took the cable car up 4,000 feet to another shelf, and then climbed the last 1,000 ft to a place just below the summit.

Now I had never been that far above see level in my life, and one of the things that struck me was what it was like to look down on the clouds, and just how brilliantly white they were from above. They weren’t just white like we see from below, above them they directly reflected the sunshine and they glowed white! And at the time, it reminded me of the story of Jesus transfiguration.

Anyway, just below, we sat down in the grass in a circle and we talked about the experiences the kids had during their two weeks. They talked about how they had worked to get here, doing rummage sales, cookie sales, car washes and etc. They talked about not knowing what to expect when they got there, and about not knowing so many of the others in the group – because they were from so many other churches. They talked about the poverty of the people, and the lack of technology that they had access to. They talked about the faith of the people of Ecuador, how it was a part of their daily lives. They talked about how hard the people worked, and how happy they were with so little. And they talked about realizing, that so much of the stuff we have in our lives, is really a distraction from what is most important. The work we do, and the relationships in life that we have.

And I think that may have been a little bit of what was happening on that mountain top with Jesus so long ago. Like these youth, the disciples had responded to Jesus call to leave their world behind, and to be a part of a new community of Jesus disciples. There on the mountain top, above the clouds, their eyes were open to what life was all about. It’s about faith in the one who loves us beyond measure, it’s about faith in our loving one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, it’s about being that community of this love that seeks to create a world in which the hungry are fed, the sick are healed and comforted, and in which no one is alone or left out.

In Jesus day, there was just as much injustice, prejudice, apathy and fear as there is today. And while there may not have been as much technology in Jesus day, there was still just as many things that people allowed to get in the way of being the people god calls us to be. The struggle is for us to not allow that to happen, and more importantly to share that good news, when we go down the mountain, to those who have not seen it yet.

Since I have returned from Quito, I was friended on facebook by all of the kids who went on the trip, and I get to watch their news feeds, and I get to see their posts. What a wonderful group of kids, they are getting married, having kids, serving in their churches, and doing a variety of Christian mission. They have really developed a maturity in Christ that is amazing! 

Now some of you may say, that’s wonderful for them Pastor Ted, but we don’t all have a chance to go to Ecuador or some other country to have these mountain top experiences. And to that I would say, you don’t have to go anywhere. You have this wonderful church, you do such wonderful missions, you care about each and every one in this congregation. It is so easy to take for granted all the great things that you do, because you believe in Christ your Savior. And because of this faith, your eyes are not veiled, but unveiled to what life is all about, and God is present with you here, every bit as much as if you were on the mountain top.  And that’s the good news of Jesus Christ. Amen.