“Light and Shadow”
A Sermon by Rev. Patrice Ficken
Luke 9:28-36
Sanbornton Congregational Church, UCC
February 18, 2007
(Please do not re-print or re-use without permission of the author)
Jesus brings the three disciples – Peter, James and John to the mountain for a prayer intensive – you might say a kind of leadership training event.
The scripture doesn’t make it entirely clear what Jesus is trying to develop in the three but it’s not going well. The disciples are falling asleep, having trouble keeping their focus. (And for those of us in the prayer and meditation group who are aiming to practice 20 minutes at the start and end of day – we can sympathize with them!)
The disciples may have been slumbering but they awaken just in time to see quite a transformation in Jesus. His face is illuminated; his clothes are a dazzling white; he appears to be speaking with Moses and Elijah. As the disciples wipe the sleep from their eyes, they are unsure if this is a dream or reality. But no matter – they know that what they see before them is a powerful, life-transforming vision.
In witnessing Jesus’ external transformation they are quick to conclude that this is the reason Jesus brought them. Peter suggests to Jesus that they build a memorial of the event, a physical representation to allow them to hold onto and bask in this mountaintop experience forever.
By grasping for the external reality they experienced, they stumble into a common pitfall of leadership. The pitfall, according to Parker Palmer, author and teacher, in his thoughtful essay, “Leading from Within,” is “believing in the external world much more deeply than we believe in the internal world.” (Leading from Within, Reflections on Spirituality and Leadership, by Parker J. Palmer, p.3)
What is a leader? And what kind of leadership was Jesus trying to develop in Peter, James and John?
Parker Palmer defines a leader as “a person who has an unusual degree of power to project on other people his or her shadow, or his or her light….A leader is a person who must take special responsibility for what’s going on inside him or her self, inside his or her consciousness, lest the act of leadership create more harm than good.” (Leading from Within , p.5)
He says we instinctively know – when we walk into a classroom, a business office, or a church whether the leader is projecting light or projecting a “huge and ominous shadow.”
And yet most leaders in positions of power are not aware of their ability to project light or project shadow. This is because leaders usually rise to positions of authority through mastery of their external world, excelling in technical competencies that give them the credentials to manage and lead. As Palmer writes,
“I have met many leaders whose confidence in the external world is so high that they regard the inner life as illusory, as a waste of time, as a magical fantasy trip into a region that doesn’t even exist.” (Leading from Within , p.6)
Jesus obviously knew the value of his inner world, his inner journey. Throughout the Gospels we are told that Jesus took time aside from his demanding ministry to pray. It is clear this was a discipline he wanted his disciples to adapt as well. No doubt that Jesus’ ability to project light the way he did – not just on the mountaintop – but down below in the valleys of every day ministry – was through his prayer life, his willingness to explore his shadow side.
And this points to a paradox in this passage. The paradox is that as the disciples are busy figuring out how to build the memorials to Moses, Elijah and Jesus, a cloud passes over, casting shadows of its own. Through the cloud the voice of God speaks, “This is my Beloved, the
This Epiphany Season we have been basking in the light of Jesus – we have followed his star, listened to his teachings, witnessed his remarkable capacity to project light into the shadow places of life. In a way, we have been with the disciples there on the mountaintop. And perhaps, we too have been tempted to consider how we can build our own comfortable dwelling place to bask in this light always.
Yet unless we turn our focus inward we are avoiding the spiritual journey. The journey Annie Dillard describes as downward and inward. Our tendency is to want to reflect the light outward – to shine the light in other people’s closets and problems rather than to examine our own.
The season of Lent invites us to go down and in and through – to explore the shadow places and bring them to the light – to give as much attention to our inner work as we do our outer work.
How do we do this?
By making a commitment to our spiritual path.
By setting aside time each day for prayer, meditation, writing, Bible study, walking – however we connect to our selves and to God.
By finding spiritual companions – guides who support us in our journey. Pema Chodron speaks about how being in the presence of a teacher who knows some of the twists and turns in the road can be helpful. Our commitment, our growth can be enhanced by having such a guide.
Finally, it’s about staying awake. A wise spiritual teacher was once asked, “What is Enlightenment?” He answered, “Enlightenment is smelling tobacco for the first time.” Which is to say – to be so present to the moment, all of our senses are right there on the spot – taking life in deeply, being fully there for ourselves, for each other – mindful in action, word and deed. (From Pema Chodron recording, Bodhisattva Mind, Sounds True Recordings)
Why do all this? To become aware of the light or the shadow we cast – in our homes, in our places of work, and worship and volunteering.
Which do we want to be – more light or more shadow?
Let us pray,
God of the wind, the fire, the cloud…
God of the chaos and stillness and silence.
Touch us, hear us, mold us.
Help us to stay alert for your still, small voice within.
Give us courage to walk in your light always. Amen.
