{"id":3407,"date":"2011-05-01T09:19:00","date_gmt":"2011-05-01T13:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/?p=3407"},"modified":"2020-12-24T09:21:20","modified_gmt":"2020-12-24T14:21:20","slug":"the-power-of-sonlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/the-power-of-sonlight\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Sonlight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Yosemite Worship<\/strong>, May 1, 2011<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sing<\/strong>: Shine, Jesus, Shine<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opening Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scripture<\/strong>: Matthew 17:1-9<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Message: <\/strong>The Power of Sonlight<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sun is the center of our solar system and the source of the power that gives us life. But for most of human history, we haven\u2019t understood it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until fairly recently, we appreciated the sun\u2019s light every morning but didn\u2019t think of it as an energy source. Sunlight therapy helps people out of depression. Sunlight can produce vitamin D in your body system necessary for good health. And now we have solar panels collecting valuable energy for our watt-starving world. The 81 solar panels on top of our church roof are generating over 100% of our electrical needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for thousands of years, we underestimated the size of the sun, thinking it was smaller than the earth. The ancient Greeks thought that the sun was just a few times bigger than Greece. A mathematician estimated that it was just 150 times bigger. It wasn\u2019t until 1672, that two astronomers calculated the true size of the solar system. Today we know that the sun\u2019s volume is 1.3 million times bigger than Earth\u2019s volume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Picture a baseball, approximately three inches in diameter. If Earth is the size of a baseball, the sun is a ball with a diameter of 25 feet. That\u2019s big!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people fail to grasp the effect of the sun on our day-today lives. Flare-ups on the sun can affect Earth\u2019s magnetic field and can mess up power lines and internet connections. The sun indirectly causes global warming when we have thinned the ozone layer and in some places have created holes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bottom line is that the sun is powerful, big and able to affect our day-to-day lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Other Son<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other Son is also powerful, big and able to affect our day-to-day lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus gathers his three disciples\u2014Peter, James, and James\u2019 brother John\u2014and leads them up a high mountain, by themselves. While they\u2019re there, Jesus is transfigured before them; his face shines like the sun, and his clothes become dazzling white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The disciples see the power of Sonlight\u2014the light of the Son of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus the Son is powerful. Being transfigured means that some jar-dropping changes in appearance is happening. Jesus goes through a metamorphosis. From an ordinary Galilean peasant to an extraordinary, \u201cdazzling\u201d figure. The disciples look at him and think, \u201cThis is powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the disciples can handle what was happening to Jesus, Moses and Elijah appeared. These are the Old Testament\u2019s heavy-hitters, representing God\u2019s law and prophecies. Both men worked miracles and were considered to be among the few extraordinary leaders who skipped death and were taken directly to heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The disciples think, \u201cThis is big.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So they wanted to build three dwellings, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While this is thoughtful, is there anyway that something shining with intense brightness of the sun could be contained within a dwelling?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s just too powerful. Too big.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then a bright cloud overshadows them, and from the cloud a voice says, \u201cThis is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!\u201d When the disciples hear this, they fall to the ground, overcome with fear. But Jesus touches them, saying, \u201cGet up and do not be afraid.\u201d And when they look up, they see no one except Jesus himself alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the disciples arise, they think to themselves, \u201cThis Jesus is the Son\u2014the Son of God. He\u2019s powerful, he\u2019s big and God wants us to listen to him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Underestimated the Power of the Son<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For most of Christian history, we have appreciated Jesus but have underestimated his power, size and effect on our lives. We\u2019ve been like the Greek farmers looking up into the sky, ignorant of the fact that the sun is 1.3 million times bigger than the Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the disciples are coming down the mountain after the Transfiguration, Jesus says to them, \u201cTell no one about the vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.\u201d Now that Easter\u2014the Day of Resurrection was last Sunday, we now understand that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christ is a big Christ. He\u2019s cosmic. He\u2019s at creation, and everything that exists was created through him and for him. Every star and planet. Every rock and plant. Every person, culture, nation and religion. Nothing exists outside of Christ\u2019s creative power. Christ created Yosemite and I believe that\u2019s the reason why we are here once a year\u2014to remind us annually that everything exists for Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christ is a powerful force in human life. Christ reconciles life which means that in Christ, peace is possible through the blood of Christ on the cross. Disputes that we have can be resolved. God works through Christ to resolve warring nations, overcome alienation and establish new and peaceful relationships. Whenever and wherever we see peace replacing conflict, we know that the power of Christ is at work. Sometimes, we can even be part of this transformation because God calls all Christians to engage in the ministry of reconciliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, we feel the effect of Christ on our day-to-day lives. Christ has made peace with us through his sacrifice on the cross, giving us forgiveness and new life. He has wiped the slate clean, and now we can stand holy and blameless before him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s like the sun that greets us every morning bright and beautiful, Christ is with us every day offering us forgiveness and new life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Down the Mountain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter, James and John wanted to stay on that mountaintop maybe forever. But Jesus wouldn\u2019t let them build three dwellings up there. And when they finally came down the mountain, Jesus told them that there\u2019s work for them to do. After Jesus\u2019 resurrection, they will be able to tell everybody about the vision that they saw. They\u2019ll be able to tell even more\u2014Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose from the tomb to sit on the throne of God. After we spend our few days high up in the mountain of Yosemite, we too, will need to come down from this mountain to tell the world what we have seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The power of Sonlight, the Son of God is powerful, big, and God wants us to listen to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us pray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you, O God for your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Fill us with your Sonlight so that we are able to chase away the threatening clouds that trouble us. Let your light shine in us so that our faces reflect your light and love to all those who don\u2019t know your saving grace. Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Special Music<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lord\u2019s Supper<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sing<\/strong>: Here I Am, Lord<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benediction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are children of light! Proclaim the mighty acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his glorious light. \u201cOnce you were not a people, but now you are God\u2019s people, once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:9-10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks be to God! Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yosemite Worship, May 1, 2011 Sing: Shine, Jesus, Shine Opening Prayer Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9 Message: The Power of Sonlight The sun is the center of our solar system and theContinue readingThe Power of Sonlight<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-message"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3407"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3408,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3407\/revisions\/3408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}