Unveiled

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

2Corinthians 3:17-18

As I pray with the epistle lesson for Transfiguration Sunday I appreciate the beauty of being exposed. But that appreciation isn't the first thing that came to mind...

That word, "exposed" generates some thoughts about experiences most of us share that aren't necessarily "beautiful". Think about what happens when our ego (our distorted sense of who we are) has the predominant voice.

Have you ever walked in on somebody in the bathroom or opened a door to a "compromised" position? What more can you say but "oops!" or "Sorry!" Both exposer and exposee are caught in a situation where the ego races forward to cover up and regain composure.

Then there is that recurring dream... both humorous and terrifying. Many of my colleagues say they have the same dream about preaching to the congregation and realizing that they are standing before them "exposed". Sometimes that vulnerability appears as being totally unprepared...unable to find one's sermon notes. Other times it is partial nakedness, like realizing that your pants are split up the back or your fly is down. And then there is the one where you are, literally, stark naked.

It is amazing to me how frequently I have had that type of dream, especially when I am on the brink of delivering a sermon. Sometimes I awaken with amusement, chuckling at the absurdity of the vision. At other times I wake up in a state of panic...and then breathe a sigh of relief: "Whew....thank God that was only a dream".

So here's the good news, again...

Whenever we linger before God's Word, you and I are exposed! God's voice overpowers the voice of our ego. Our egoic "image" and all that "human sinful stuff" we take on (or that is imposed upon us) dissolves. The center of our faith, Christ, removes the veil of illusion and we are clothed in Christ. We are beautiful, because we are filled with God's beauty.

Through Christ, we are empowered to serve others in ways that reflect God's invitation to be freed from sin. Through Christ that message won't be distorted by our ego or obscured by human interests. We can communicate the freedom of God's gentleness and mercy rather than the world's judgement or shame.

When we present ourselves stripped clean of human trappings we stand as confident, yes, even beautiful and bold statements of God's love for all people.


We are exposed...unveiled.