B. Introduction: TRANSFORMER MOVIE

A few weeks ago, my wife and I went to see a movie and I was captivated by one of the previews. In it, a helicopter hovered in front of a tower, and then all of a sudden, it began to shutter. The rotors folded back, the stabilizing tail folded up, and in a matter of seconds it had changed from a helicopter into a gigantic robot! I could not contain my excitement! I reached out and grabbed my wife’s arm, and blurted out in the middle of the theater…”I know what this is! I can’t believe they made this into a real movie! It’s…’The Transformers!’”

When I was a boy, we played with toys called “Transformers” because they change their form to suit a particular function. Starting as robots, and with a little manipulation of its parts, the toy could be transformed into a car, airplane or helicopter…and then back again. A cartoon series was developed in the 80’s and now, there is a real-life action movie called the “Transformers” about how these robots had come to earth for an epic battle of good and evil. Some of you have no idea what I’m talking about, but some of you…admit it…are as excited as I am!

As I prepared for today’s sermon, I have come to a shocking revelation: We too are Transformers—we are called to change from one form into another to suit a particular function.

This is what today’s scripture means in verse 18 that “we…are being transformed into the image or likeness of [Christ]. In other words, when we look in the mirror and when others see our actions in the world…we are no longer perceptible, but the world actually sees the face of Jesus in our faces; the heart of Christ in our heart; and the transforming grace of the Holy Spirit as we love those whom the world ignores. We are Transformers—called to be transformed and to transform.

C. Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

In today’s scripture, Paul is writing to the church at Corinth where opponents have turned many of Paul’s followers away. Paul is calling the church to stand firm in their role as transformers: to open the eyes of the world to the transforming power of Christ.

1) First, Paul reminds them that in order to be transformed, one must first recognize the need to be transformed. He refers to the story when Moses’ face was transformed with the glory of God as he descended from a meeting with God on Mt. Sinai. The people could literally see the touch of God on the face of Moses. But the people responded with fear, knowing how they sinned against God, and pleaded with Moses to cover his face with a veil. When one encounters the presence of the perfect God, we come face to face with just how imperfect we are—that we are defiant, disobedient, selfish, and broken images of the God who originally created us.

I stopped my kids fighting the other day, and I went to my son Baxter and asked him what happened. 𠇊ll I want is the truth, did you hit your sister?” His reaction was interesting as he was unwilling to look at me in the eyes. Instead he looked off in the distance, and tried to pretend that I was not there. He knew he did something wrong, and did not want to face the truth.

We are really not much different when we encounter God. Like little children, we would rather ignore and hid from the truth of ourselves, instead of facing it. Our selfish desires, our need to be in control, our dark secrets that we hope no one finds out about causes a fear to rise in us that blinds us, putting a veil over our eyes preventing us from seeing the God that loves us despite all our faults. Paul was convinced that it is the ‘unveiling’ or the ‘seeing’ of God that opens our eyes to our own failings which in turn ignites a hunger in us to be made whole. Thus, in order to be transformed, we must first recognize that we are not perfect, that we are broken, and that we need to be transformed by the God who lovingly waits to transform us into something better than we are.

There are many Christians who look Christian on the outside, but not really yet transformed. You may know some of them. You may be one. These Christians do Christian things…come to church when it is convenient (especially on Christmas and Easter), attend SS occasionally, pray publicly, and may even drop a few dollars in the offering plate from time to time. But few people would confuse them as a mirror reflecting the glory of Christ…they still complain about this and that; find fault with everything; put down other Christians and even the church. Life has beaten them up that they search for happiness by manipulating or intimidating others to get what they want out of life; and deep down, they are lonely, unhappy, hurting people waiting to be transformed by the power of God that offers the gift of the joyous life.

An 82-year old man, struggling with the incredible pain of 15 operations from skin cancer that left him with deformed with bodily scars, came across a scripture that he had read hundreds, if not thousands of times before, John 15:11, “I want to give you my joy so that your joy may be complete.” For the first time in his life, the old man realized that joy …the true joy of the Lord; the true joy of life…is actually a gift from God! A gift!

He didn’t know what to do, so he got down on his knees and blurted out one of the most honest prayers he ever said, “Well then, Lord…give it to me.”

Immediately, he felt a transformation so overwhelming and so powerful that he began dancing around his house. He felt so joyful that he could not contain it. So he went down to the local fast food restaurant and got a burger. A lady saw how happy he was, and asked, “How are you doing?”

He said, “Oh, I’m wonderful!”

“Is it your birthday?” she asked.

“No, honey, it’s better than that!”

“Your anniversary?”

“Better than that!”

“Well, what is it?” she asked excitedly.

“I’ve been transformed into the joy of Jesus. Do you know what I’m talking about?”

The lady shrugged and answered, “No, I have to work on Sundays.”

Isn’t that the way it is? We’ve placed a veil over our eyes hiding the transforming power of God from ourselves. Yet this man was living proof that transformation can produce a joy that spreads out over all the days of our lives, during any season, or any circumstance of life. All we have to do is open our eyes and hearts to ‘see’ God!

For the program at the 2002 Garden City Beach Retreat, I referred often to Robert Barron’s book, “And Now I See…” In the first paragraph, he writes: 𠇌hristianity is, above all, a way of seeing. Everything else in Christian life flows from and circles around the transformation of vision. Christians see differently, and that is why their prayer, their worship, their action, their whole way of being in the world have a distinct accent and flavor.”

Barron’s definition of transformation as a new way of seeing summarizes every major story in the New Testament, from the healing of the man born blind, to the Prodigal Son realizing a father’s love, to Peter’s confession of the Christ, to Thomas’ overcoming his doubts of the resurrection, to the blinding and healing of Saul on the Road of Damascus…and the examples keep coming with a singular theme: 𠇊ll I know, is that I was blind, but now I see.”

2) But seeing is only the beginning of transformation. It also takes a turning to God to be transformed. In today’s passage Paul also seems to refer to the story of Jesus’ transfiguration in Luke 9. Jesus is praying with Peter, James, and John on a mountain when suddenly Jesus’ appearance changes--his face begins to radiate and his clothes became dazzling bright. Moses and Elijah appear, and a voice from heaven exclaims, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”

For Paul, Jesus’ transfiguration lifted the veil hiding Jesus’ true identity. There can be no doubt now…The disciples are now able to fully ‘see’ that Jesus is more than a man…he is the Son of God; that Jesus is more than a great teacher…He is the Christ; that Jesus will be more than a martyr…He has come to redeem humankind. The veil of the old covenant with Moses has been lifted to reveal the new covenant in Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ transfiguration is at the epicenter of our own transformation. As it says in verse 16, whenever anyone turns to the Lord with faith, the veil that hides the truth of Jesus is lifted. When we turn to the Lord, Jesus is transfigured right before our eyes as the God who loves us so much that he became flesh, dwelt among us, died for our sins, and rose again for our eternal life. When we turn to the Lord, Jesus becomes the Christ, our Savior, our Redeemer. As a result, when the veil of ignorance is lifted from our faces AND we turn to the lord, we are being transformed into the likeness of Christ, reflecting God’s glory in the world. Many of us have certainly recognized God in our lives, but have we truly turned to the Lord?

3) In the end, our transformation calls us mainly to become transformers. Paul explains in verse 4:1 that our ministry as transformed Christians is to transform the world into the kingdom of God.

June 9, 2007 is the date that my transformation into an ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church becomes complete. It took me a lifetime to get this point, and it all began with God removing the veil of my own ignorance to realize first that I am a transformed person of God and called to be a Transformer for God as an ordained deacon.

I started out as a teenager who cared less about faith, and even less about being a follower of God. I got into serious trouble in high school, avoided God, and pursued a career in Engineering so that I could find the so-called ‘easy life’ of money, status and success. A self-imposed veil covered the presence of God in my own life.

But God never gave up on me. I found myself spending summers attending mission projects, working at church camps, and even serving as a part-time youth minister just to make ends meet. The veil was finally lifted from my eyes one brisk evening at a mission camp. My team was working on the home of an elderly man, living alone, who cared more about us visiting than about us repairing his sewage infested home. He told us that he had been looking forward all summer to our coming because he so rarely sees anyone…even family and neighbors.

That night back at the camp during sharing time, I will never forget what I said to the crowd of over 100 youth and adults, “When I left his house today, I realized I was never going to see that man again. It made me wonder, ‘who will visit this man again?’ We think so highly of ourselves coming out here for one week out of the summer and do nice things so that we can go home feeling good about ourselves as we go on with our lives. But what will that old man do for the other 51 weeks of the year? Who will care about him? Who will visit him?” With tears in my eyes I sat down, a transformed man called to transform the world.

We may not all be called to ordained ministry, but clearly each of us is called to a ministry that leads to the transformation of the world. When we see God, we cannot help but see the world differently—and we are compelled to do something about it in our own way—and people notice the difference. If we have to tell people we are Christian, then our transformation is not complete. When people look upon our faces, they should be able see the very face of Christ. When people see the joy in our lives, even in the midst of tragedy and suffering, they should see the glory of God. When people see the way we love by the way we give our money, time, and ourselves, they should see the sacrifice of the cross. When people see the hope that drives us into a world full of despair, war, famine, disease, they should see the coming Kingdom of God.

We are transformers. God transforms us so that we can help transform the world. But, is the veil still over your eyes? Do you not see that you are a transformer too…and I am not talking about some silly movie about some imagined robots….I am talking about the most important thing that each of us will ever encounter—the love of God that accepts as we are, but loves us enough not to leave us that way.