Change.

Last week we talked about seeing and understanding God. This week we are going to talk about the change that God shows in our lives.

My friend Lena grew up in a communist home. There was no mention of religion at home as her parents were party members. Her grandmother was a Christian, but she was a very strict and severe woman. Once Lena stole an egg before Easter and her grandmother told her that God would cut off her ear for her sin. Lena was terrified of this God - and she slept with her hand over her ear even until she was an adult. When she was a teenager her grandfather told her a story about a warrior.

A long time ago, a strong Ukrainian warrior was leading his people; his soldiers and their wives and children. He was leading a group of several thousand people through a very thick forest to a village where they would be safe. They had been traveling for many days and all of their food, water, and torches were gone. They had nothing left to light and it was getting dark. The warrior knew that they were very close to the new village where he was taking his people. But, after a very long journey the people were losing confidence in their leader. It grew dark in the forest. The forest grew wild with strange noises and the people became terrified.

They were in the dark. They were scared. And they didn't know if they wanted to keep following the warrior.

But this warrior loved his people very much. He knew that once they got to the new village they would be safe forever. So the warrior took one last heroic breath and dug his hand into his chest. He ripped out his heart and he lit it on fire. He held it up as a final torch for his people. He walked with his people the final steps into their new village. And as the people began to celebrate the arrival of their new home the brave warrior collapsed and died.

Lena decided that if she ever encountered such a warrior she would follow him anywhere. As an adult she began to read the Bible. As she read the story of Jesus she couldn't stop thinking about this story. She realized that she had found the great warrior. She understood that the God who cuts off the ears of thieving children wasn't real ... but that the God who is willing to die for his people - that God is real.

She had finally seen God for who he really was. She had seen the transfiguration.

[Read Matthew 17:1-8]

This is a story of change.

Jesus goes up on the mountain, just like any other day and takes a few of his disciples with him.

And on the mountain that day they saw Jesus Christ for who he really is. They saw the glory of God surround him. We typically think that on that mountain Jesus transformed from simple old Jesus of Nazareth into something much greater. But this is a wrong understanding. Jesus had always been this way. Jesus had always glowed with the glory of God. Jesus had always been the great warrior with his heart on fire. On the mountain that day, with Moses and Elijah, the disciples saw Jesus for who he really was.

The real transfiguration took place 30 years before in a simple stable in Bethlehem. Humanity was changed forever when a tiny baby was born in a manger. At the transfiguration the disciples finally see the truth - that the baby born in Bethlehem was God.


Sometimes people need to see a story of change. They need to see OUR story of change.

The transfiguration is a model for us. Sometimes people need to see that God really lives inside of us.

The world needs to see a transfiguration - and they need to see it from us.

People need to see a radical change. So how do we show people the change that God has accomplished in our lives?

I'm going to offer two ideas to show the transformation in your heart.

Forgive those who have hurt you.
Ask forgiveness of those who have hurt you.


When we forgive others, people see the radical transformation God has accomplished in our lives. When we apologize to others for the times we have hurt them people will see that our lives are changed.



One of my personal heroes is Corrie ten Boom. Corrie was a very ordinary dutch citizen. While she had been in love many times, she never married and in her forties she was considered an old maid. Her family was deeply religious and in the 1930s they had opened their house to many poor people who needed a warm meal. When Holland was captured by the Nazis, Jews began disappearing. Soon Corrie's family was wrapped up in the resistance movement. They were hiding Jews in their house and helping Jewish families escape to other countries.

One night the Nazi's caught on to their plan and showed up to search their house. Corrie in her forties, her sister Betsie, also single and in her forties, and their father - and old man in his 70s - were arrested for hiding Jews.

When the guards processed them, they looked at the father and one guard said, "You're an old man. If we let you go home, you'll behave yourself - won't you?" To which Mr. ten Boom said, "If you let me go today, I will open my home to anyone who needs it tomorrow." He died in prison a few days later.

Over the next few months Corrie and her sister endured unimaginable horror. They were shipped from one concentration camp to another. Ravensbruck was the worst of all. And one guard there was worse than any other guard. One time Betsie fell over while working in the fields. This despicable guard raised his whip and slashed a fifty year old woman across the face.

Betsie died shortly after.

Corrie survived to the end of the war. She decided that she should tell her story. She was a strong Christian and she wanted people to know that God was with her and her family - even in the darkness of the concentration camps. She preached a message of forgiveness. She showed radical love.

One day after she finished up a sermon on forgiveness a man approached her. He said, "The forgiveness of God is a truly wonderful thing." She looked into his eyes and instantly recognized the SS guard who had been feared most at Ravensbruck. She immediately knew that it was the man who had slashed Betsie's face. She shook his hand - and in her heart she forgave him - and said, "Yes. It truly is wonderful."

The world needs to see a transfiguration. They need to see that God lives within us.


Now, the point of this story is the forgiveness. Don't think for a minute that your forgiveness won't be as powerful just because you haven't faced major obstacles like Corrie ten Boom. When you forgive others and ask for their forgiveness it will be a powerful moment for you and for them.

It doesn't have to be a huge transgression for forgiveness to be powerful. It's still hard to forgive roomates who eat our food and friends who leave us out of their plans. Forgiving them is equally powerful.


A few weeks ago the students of L'viv protested in the streets. Now David and Shannon and I all agreed that if we had an opportunity that we would join you in protest. We support you and agree that some of the new policies are unfair to students. So, I found myself marching in the streets with Ukrainian University students.

We marched through the streets to protest unfair policy. We chanted "Glory to Ukraine" and "Glory to the heroes." And I was on board. Then a voice from the back shouted out "death to our enemies."

"Death to our enemies."

What if we marched through the streets chanting, "Forgiveness to our enemies."?

"Love to our enemies."

If you want to see a transformation - real change in this world - then take to the streets. Let your enemies know that they are forgiven. Ask for their forgiveness - but don't expect or demand it.

This might be the hardest thing you'll ever do. But, it will be worth more than you can ever imagine.

We take as our example Jesus - who showed taht he was fully God - and yet willingly died for our sins ... and forgave those who killed him. Look to Corrie ten Boom who forgave the cruelest man in a cruel system that killed her family. Look into your heart and search out the forgiveness that you need to share and ask for.

If you look deep within yourself - you'll find that God is there.

And God is ready to show the world a transfiguration.

And God is ready to use you to do it.

During our prayer time - if there is someone in this room who has hurt you, or whom you have hurt - I urge you to reach out to him or her and pray together. Forgive one another.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.