Clothed With Christ
1 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 He was transfigured in front of them, and his face shone like the sun; his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here. If you want, I will set up three shelters here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown and were terrified.
7 Jesus came up, touched them, and said, “Get up; don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up they saw no one except Jesus alone.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
Matthew 17:1–9 [CSB]
This is what it means to be CLOTHED WITH CHRIST.
What does? All of this….all of what happened…all of what He did…all of what He says.
This seems abstract. This seems poetical. This seems mystical.
It is…all of that and more…but that does not mean that it is not all practical and something we can have and be a part of…be in…
Just like Peter, James and John were wrapped in that Cloud of the Father’s Glory on the mountain with Jesus.
It is not like they understood what was going on…
It is not like they planned it…or could ever prepare for that! Never that!
And never us, either. They and we couldn’t!
Here’s the thing: it is like life. You get born into where ever and whatever you get born into.
And while in it–your life…you learn, experience…do…and be…as you live your life…
And so too, being born into God’s family– born from above…born again…into His eternal life…
Which is given to us….
We, while in it…we also learn, experience…do…and be…as we live our lives in Christ.
And do you know what? Just because we cannot see the CLOUD OF HIS PRESENCE doesn’t mean it is not–that He is not still there.
It and He are right here this day. Wherever two or three have been gathered by Him, in His Name, there He is in the midst of them…
In the midst Of us today.
And besides… we just heard His voice. No, not me…Him.
Inspired does not mean a past event that allowed the Bible just to be written. It was, but that inspiration never ended. It is still inspired—the Holy Spirit never left—never leaves His Word.
It would cease to be His Word if He did leave.
Let me see if I can give you an idea of what all of this is about.
God not only does things outwardly, but inwardly—through and through… as some would put it.
We are clothed with Christ at our Baptism… and it is the Word that does this, which is Christ– the Word made flesh…
With the water… flowing… alive… always moving…
Lots of hints there too…
The Word goes on us also, and into us…and then out again…
But not out and away to leave…but as a flowing river from God…coming always….washing always…removing sin always…soaking our very being to the core…and then flowing up and out…
Yes, by it… others get wet too.
St. Paul calls it being washed by the Water of the Word. Again, this is not a one-time thing…but a constant thing…being CLOTHED BY CHRIST…into the cloud…
This is like that cloud in the desert that was with the Israelites…
And they were baptized by it, into Moses…
but it only followed them…
Moses and several others got a bit more…
And like John’s baptism it was not the fullness of the Spirit imbued event that was to come… that was to come to us…
They had but a shadow… a taste… we now are immersed and live in it.
And to say more…
This is also the rock in the desert that burst forth water…that rock that we stand on…that we live on…and the gates of hell cannot do a thing against it– as it is what the church was built on…what we are built on…IT IS CHRIST…IT IS THE WORD…
Notice all these images come and move and turn…repeat and weave into and go out and come back?
That is because they are the same things even as they are different…
But they are also simple things so that we can participate in them and have them.
Simple, as they are also just Words, and just Water, Bead and Wine too….
…and then again, they are not JUST ANY OF THESE THINGS…WHEN GOD ENVELOPES THEM…WHEN HE USES THEM…WHEN HE PERMEATES THEM…
Yes, we add the Lord’s Supper…and all of those images into this mix as well.
Because we drink and eat…Him…Christ Jesus…
Then wear and hear and think…and confess this truth…Him…and experience…all of it…Him….
YES, we live it. This is what He has begotten us into.
He has put us here. He has recreated us in the midst of all of this…to live and move and have our being in Him. This is the life lived in Christ. This is the faith we live. This is the truth we walk in. This is the way we walk…in Him.
THAT IS BEING ENVELOPED IN HIM…THAT CLOUD…THAT IS WHAT HE HAS PUT ON US… AND IN US.
And still all of this is simple…
But then…also deep as eternity…full as infinity… never ending…because it is the Life of God Himself…
And YOU have been brought into all!
Even still… it is as simple and small and gentle enough that an infant can have it…and be in it…
And at the same time as overwhelmingly complex and intricate a flood that the greatest mind ever born can get lost in…and never get bored in….or lose interest in…or ever find its end…
But its end is just Jesus…as He told His disciples: It is only me.
And then to Philip at another time when Philip asks to see the Father, Jesus says: “Philip, if you see me, you see the Father“…as St. Paul tells us that the entire God-head dwells in Christ bodily.
Yes, a simple man from Nazareth who is also the infinite and eternal God who created everything.
So then…as the Father said, Listen to Him!
Yes, we are to let His Words…which is the whole Bible…let these Words of Christ dwell in us richly. We put on Christ by living and being and doing in all that He is there…in His Word…there for us…revealing His mind…and His Will…for us. We then make His Word our Words. We then make His thoughts our thoughts and His ways our ways.
This is hard, but not because it isn’t simple and as regular as regular life. It is hard because of sin–our sinfulness…and the worst of it is in doubting all of this…and simply not doing any or much of this living in Him as we go about our lives.
It is as simple as being in Church as much as humanly possible. It is as simple as reading His Word regularly—that is… daily.
Yes…it is as simple as asking Mom what’s for dinner or for help with your homework. And so… this too is a simple asking God the Father in Jesus—as we can ask because we are in Him…in the CLOUD WITH HIM…
We are to ask Him everything. We are to lean on His strength…that captain of innumerable hosts of Heaven. That is What the GOD OF SABAOTH means. It is not Sabbath spelled differently. It is SABAOTH! A host of armored warriors that go rank upon rank out into the distance.
Jesus is this God who leads…this host of heaven. He commands this vast army of beings that even a single one of them could snuff out a star and demolish a planet.
So… if this is He… who is for you, who could stand against you? So, ask Him for help. He promises He will–always…as that is what His entire reason for all of this is for. It is for us…
Yes, it is simple. So do…and move and live…and have your being in Him all your days. Let Him worry about the rest—the understanding—He will teach us. Let him build us up. Let Him change us. Let Him…
And He will show us…He will lead us into the deeps of all that—of His—unfathomable love and joy….
But yes… make no mistake here… it does all happens… by simple Words, Water, Bread and Wine.
Truly. Trust Him in this. Yes, listen to Him.
It is all true even if we cannot see it…because of the cloud. But He keeps that there for our sake.
Yet one day, there will no longer be need for a cloud…as we will see Him and be with Him face to face…and this always.
Amen.
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