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Heaven on earth?
What holy wisdom can we discover by looking at, and seeking to reflect, the transfigured face of Christ (Luke 9.29)?
Context and reflection
There is a well-known story about Vladimir, the Prince of Kiev in the 10th century, which (for obvious reasons) I have been reflecting on in the last few weeks. Vladimir, who had spent many years as a pagan, decided that he wanted to discover which was the ‘true faith’. So, he sent envoys to various lands to find out more about the religious practices of each: the Latins of Rome; the Kazar Jewish community and the Muslims of Bulgaria. Each of these envoys reported back, but in each case with qualifications about what they had seen and experienced. In turn Vladimir decided that none of these would be the faith he would adopt.
However, those who were sent to Constantinople (Istanbul) the home of Eastern Orthodox Christianity visited the great church of Haghia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) in the city and were overwhelmed by their experiences. As they put it on their return to Vladimir: ‘Then we went to Constantinople and they led us to the place where they worship their God, and we knew not whether we were in heaven or earth, for on earth there is no such vision nor beauty, and we do not know how to describe it; we only know that God dwells among human beings. We cannot forget that beauty’ (Beauty Will Save the World - Brian Zahnd).
When he heard the report of the envoys to Constantinople Vladimir was so moved that he himself was baptized as a member of the Orthodox Church and, (as was current then) ensured that the lands that he ruled also followed this faith. From this beginning Eastern Orthodoxy travelled eastwards throughout Russia to become the normative faith of the people of that land, and Vladimir became viewed as the founding father of the Russian Orthodox Church. As a result, the city of Kiev itself is seen by many Russian Orthodox Christians as the ‘mother city’ of their faith. In 2019 Patriarch Kirill of Moscow even suggested that for the Russian people Kiev played the role that Jerusalem had for many other Christians (Russian patriarch likens Kiev for Russian Orthodoxy to Jerusalem for global Christianity - Society & Culture - TASS).
I am deeply conflicted about the current situation in Ukraine and the threats that have been made and are now being enacted against the wellbeing of that country. However, I am also sure that the cultural and religious history of Kiev, which is comparatively little known or appreciated in Western Europe must be playing a part in current Russian attitudes. It is not without interest – and may indeed be significant – that Putin’s own first name is Vladimir.
That vision of beauty, of the church as a place where worship happens that bridges the gap between heaven and earth lies at the heart of Eastern Orthodox spirituality. Similarly, the essential vision that the story of the transfiguration of Christ wants to offer us is to affirm that in this special moment of time, in this mountain-top place, heaven has met earth, and earth has welcomed heaven. And nothing can quite be the same ever again. As Dorothy Lee has put it, ‘The transfiguration ‘is the meeting-place between human beings and God, between the temporal and the eternal, between past, present and future, between everyday human life – with all its hopes and fears – and the mystery of God.’ (Dorothy Lee, Transfiguration, Continuum, 2004).
Given these theological resonances, it is perhaps not surprising that ‘transfiguration’, and the celebration of Jesus’ own experience of this, is a concept that is far more cherished among Eastern Orthodox Christians rather than their western brothers and sisters (including us!). That is our loss. Of course, there are exceptions – of which Michael Ramsey (former Archbishop of Canterbury) was one. Ramsey noted: ‘On the holy mountain the Son of Man discloses another world, revealing that no part of created things and no moment of created time is outside the power of the Spirit… to change it from glory to glory’ (Michael Ramsey, The Glory of God and the Transfiguration of Christ, Wipf and Stock, 2009).
How can this theme of ‘transfiguration’ speak to our age? Drawing from my work in interreligious engagement at the World Council of Churches, I am currently writing a book on the subject of religion and violence, reflecting both on violence done in the name of religion, and violence demonstrated against religion. The key thesis that I am exploring is the way that religion as ‘transfiguration’ offers a profound contrast with religion as ‘fundamentalism’. John O’ Donohue describes a healthy spirituality as ‘the art of transfiguration’. An essential aspect of understanding religion through this lens of transfiguration requires us to be willing to experience deep change within ourselves, and it is only in so far as we are prepared to be changed into the image of Christ, that we have the right to expect and encourage change in others. The situation in Ukraine is not precisely an example of religiously motivated violence, but it certainly offers an illustration of the way in which religion can exacerbate conflict which may have originated for other reasons. What might the language of transfiguration mean in this context?
Prayers for Ukraine
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
- Luke’s account of Jesus’ transfiguration focuses more than do Matthew and Mark specifically on the face of Jesus. ‘The appearance of his face changed’ (Luke 9.29). Indeed the face of God in Jesus is a theme that is especially powerful in Luke: ‘In Luke’s stories the face of God shines out on us in the man Jesus. If we look at this picture, we will be changed by it. Redemption comes about by reading the story. If I read it with all my senses, if – as Martin Luther puts it – 'I creep into the text, I will emerge from the text transformed. I have encountered the figure of Jesus, and this now shapes my figure.’ (Anselm Grun). In other words Luke is inviting us to be ‘transfigured’ so that our faces more closely resemble Jesus’ own face.
- You might want to show some examples of Jesus’ face (pictures from different cultures are widely available on the internet) and invite people to reflect on what each of them says to us. Biblical spirituality also encourages us to see the face of Jesus in our brothers and sisters – I hope that the following meditation and prayer may remind us of the importance of doing this:
Loving Father in heaven
Emmanuel, God with us,
Of your goodness
you have given us yourself,
The richest gift of all.
You invite us to seek for you,
In the face of your Son,
Where you have imprinted your likeness,
Made glorious with the wounds
Of suffering and passion.
Grant us a spirit of generosity,
So that we may be enabled also to discern your features
In the changing kaleidoscope of this world’s need. Amen.
The shouts are too loud
they so often deafen my ears.
War, famine, destruction, death –
the sufferings of the world glide past my soul.
I have heard too much to care.
But then you, O God,
you stand in the midst of the world's woe,
and the shapes of those who suffer are no longer faceless,
for you have bequeathed to them your own face,
their pain is etched with the lines of your passion.
And I shall proclaim:
I had heard, but now I see.
The people are too many,
They blur together in my imagination,
Races, colours, faiths and languages -
their shifting kaleidoscope dazzles my vision
I am made giddy by their infinite variety.
But then you, O God,
you are the still point round which all revolves,
in you both light and shadow find an equilibrium:
you paint into life our many-peopled world,
your love refracts us into a rainbow of hope:
And I shall proclaim:
I had heard but now I see.
Questions for discussion
- The website Global Christian Worship has a glorious collection of images of the transfiguration of Jesus from many different cultures and contexts. The link Global Christian Worship - The Transfiguration in Modern Art & As Exodus (tumblr.com) is a starting point which will then lead you to other examples. Which images do you like? Which dislike? Do any speak to you especially powerfully? Why?
- In 2 Corinthians 3.18 it is not quite sure whether the meaning of the text is that we are transformed (transfigured) by ‘seeing’ the glory of the Lord, or by ‘reflecting’ the glory of the Lord. The NRSV hedges its bets by reading ‘seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror’. Which translation do you prefer? Is the passage trying to say that we cannot really ‘see’ Christ’s glory unless we are also prepared to ‘reflect’ it?
Dr Clare Amos is Honorary Director for Lay Discipleship in the Diocese in Europe and runs the diocesan internship programme for young adults exploring the possibility of ministry, and administers and often writes for a blog on behalf of the diocese at https://faithineurope.net. Until her retirement from full time work in 2018 Clare was head of the interreligious office of the World Council and Churches, and remains interested and involved in the WCC’s work in various fields.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
This week there have been outpourings of grief in newspapers and on social media over the untimely death of Jamal Edwards. Highly respected in the music industry, where he supported many artists and helped Ed Sheeran to launch his career, Jamal was also known for his work supporting charities including the Princes Trust. Even if we didn’t know Jamal, we may feel a range of responses and emotions to the death of such a talented and caring individual, just like the disciples’ experience in this week’s Gospel passage. Of course, this has not been the only moment of change over the last few days. Soon, Covid-19 restrictions will begin disappearing in the UK, and meanwhile the world looks at Russia and Ukraine wondering what will happen next.
With so much uncertainty causing so many emotions, how do we move forward? Speaking with those we trust always helps. Maybe you can speak with friends, family, people at home, or perhaps your teachers at school, or leaders at church. Conversations can help make sense of the changes going on around us. But most of all, don’t be afraid to say a prayer and put your faith in Jesus. The transfiguration shows Jesus to be a companion and a guide, as well as someone marked out from humanity and to be trusted. To put your trust in Jesus while confusing and difficult events happen around us, is to respond faithfully and bravely to moments of change.
Joe Allen is studying for an MA in Theology at the University of Exeter, having graduated with a BA in Theology and Religion in 2021. The son of an Army Chaplain, he was born in Lancashire and has lived across the UK.
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