Friday, June 12th, 2009

Help for Desperate Christians

Last time we looked at Christ’s Transfiguration in Mark 9:2-13. Here you can see Raphael’s painting depicting that scene.

Raphael was a famous artist, maybe not quite as well-known as Michelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci– unless you grew up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Raphael actually died at the age of 37 before he could finish his work, but the idea he’d already communicated on the canvas made it a masterpiece.

Notice how well he uses light to show the splendor of the Transfiguration. But also the chaos in the valley below. As the nine other disciples fail miserably to cast a demon out of a boy. They’re helpless.

So Jesus leaves for a few hours and returns to a chaotic scene.

Some of you parents know what this is like. You leave your kids in a sparkling house or a freshly picked-up room and return a couple hours later to find what? Chaos. You know, apparently the Cat in the Hat left early.

The title of tonight’s message is “Help for Desperate Christians” because almost everyone in this chaotic scene is desperate.