March 2, 2025
Indianola Presbyterian Church, Columbus
“Transformed by Retreat"
by Rev. Trip Porch
March 2, 2025 Based on Luke 9:18-23, 29-37
There’s this funny thing that keeps happening whenever my spouse, Brittany, and I manage to get a date night. We rush to get everything ready—feeding the kids, setting them up for the babysitter—it’s a whirlwind of chaos. And then, finally, we get in the car, just the two of us, and without planning it, without even thinking about it, we sit in complete silence for a solid ten minutes. It’s not awkward. It’s not tense. It’s just… needed. Then, inevitably, one of us notices and laughs, breaking the silence with the comment, “Wow, I guess we really needed that.” I know this moment is unique to our stage of life, but silence itself is something that meets us all in different ways.
Sometimes, silence is a relief, a space to breathe when the world is too loud. But other times, silence can feel deafening and lonely. And yet, whether we welcome it or resist it, silence shapes us. It organizes our thoughts, makes space for our inner voice—an inner voice that can so easily be drowned out by the world. More importantly, silence is often the space where God meets us, where God transforms us, where we learn to listen again. We often think the opposite though, that transformation comes in moments of glory, arriving with trumpets, that we are changed in the crescendo of our lives. We think of light breaking forth as something triumphant, something loud, something we must rise to meet. But what if transformation doesn’t come in the way we expect? What if it arrives in moments of withdrawal, in the hush of retreat, what if transformation comes in the dark silence of the night, in the depths of our exhaustion?
It’s the first time I noticed it ever in years of reading this story, but that is exactly the context for our scripture today. Jesus and his disciples have been surrounded by ever growing crowds. The sick, the hungry, the desperate pressing in from every side. They’ve been spending countless hours teaching, healing, walking, constantly giving. And then, Jesus withdraws as is often his rhythm. He takes Peter, James, and John and hikes up a mountain—not for spectacle, but to find some solitude. It’s a moment of retreat. It’s a moment of hush.
The disciples are exhausted. Luke tells us they are barely able to stay awake. Have you ever been that kind of tired? The kind of tired where the thought of transformation doesn’t feel like hope, but like one more thing you don’t have energy for? When even divine radiance feels like too much?
And yet, it is there—on the mountain, in their weariness, shrouded in a cloud that envelopes them—that Jesus is transfigured by God.
His face and even his clothing begin to radiate and shine, and beside him stand Moses and Elijah, speaking with him. But notice this: God does not appear in the blaze of Jesus’ transfiguration. No, God’s voice does not come in the brilliance of the light, but in the overshadowing of the cloud.
"This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"
Listen.
Not do. Not act. Not solve.
Just listen.
The disciples feel like they need an immediate response to this call… like they need to do or say something. Peter blurts out an offer to build shelters, to capture this moment, to make it something productive. But Luke tells us, "he did not know what he was saying." Because this moment is not about doing. This moment is about being. It is about being in the hush, being in the presence, being in the mystery.
How often do we resist this kind of quiet? How often do we, like Peter, try to fill the silence, make plans, build something, grasp for control? And yet, what if God is inviting us into something different? What if God is calling us into the cloud, into the darkness, into the unknowing, into a hush that holds divine presence?
In a blog post titled "Too Tired for Transfiguration," the journalist Gina Ciliberto wrestles with this story. She admits that the idea of being transfigured sounds exhausting. Who has the energy for radiance? She says… Who has the bandwidth for transformation? But she finds comfort in the moment where God speaks—not in light, but in shadow. Not in a blinding, inaccessible brightness, but in the covering of a cloud.
This speaks to the heart of our Lenten journey. Lent is not about striving toward some unachievable transformation. It is not about forcing ourselves into some higher spiritual state. It is about paying attention to God in our midst. It’s about retreat. It is about listening to where God is speaking right now. It is about stepping away from the noise and making space for the mystery of God’s presence. It is about trusting that God is with us—not just in moments of brilliance, but in our weariness, in the hush, in the cloud that overshadows.
We often read this story of the transfiguration and think it’s an invitation to rise above and be as holy and perfected as Jesus… but what if this isn’t the case? What if this story isn’t about achievement or proving ourselves worthy of radiance. What if, like the disciples, it‘s simply about presence. What if the invitation is bear witness to what God is doing, what if is simply about being about stepping into the cloud and listening.
As we begin this Lenten season, I invite you to hush. I invite you to establish a rhythm of retreat. To resist the urge to respond quickly, or act hastily, but instead withdraw inwardly. Instead make space for silence—not as an absence, but as a presence. This Lent we are invited to step away from the noise long enough to listen, to remember who we are and whose we are. Because in the silence, God is still speaking… In the hush, God whispers, shrouded in the clouds... "You are beloved.” May we make space to listen, and let that truth transform us. Amen.
WE GATHER IN AWE AND PRAISE
PRELUDE “Sometimes a Light Surprises” arr. Jeremy Yowell
INTROIT “With Joy, With Praise, With Love, With Peace” Emma Lou Diemer
WELCOME Rev. Trip Porch
One: This is the day that the Lord has made
All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
*CALL TO WORSHP
Leader: Come away from the crowds and the noise.
People: We come seeking quiet, seeking God.
Leader: In stillness, Christ is revealed.
People: In silence, God meets us here.
Leader: Let us worship the One who shines in the darkness.
People: Let us worship in wonder, in hush, and in hope.
*HYMN 505 “The Trumpets Sound, the Angels Sing” THE FEAST IS READY
*PRAYER OF CONFESSION Jim Legg
Holy and merciful God, we confess that we do not always seek Your presence in the stillness. We fill our lives with noise and distraction, afraid of what we might hear in the quiet. We are weary but unwilling to rest, longing for transformation but resistant to change. Forgive us, O God. Draw us near, hush our restless hearts, and speak Your love over us once more. Amen
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON
*RESPONSE OF PRAISE 583 “Gloria, Gloria” GLORIA (Taize)
*PASSING OF THE PEACE
One: The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all,
All: And also with you.
WE LISTEN FOR GOD’S WORD
ANTHEM “Ave Verum Corpus” Edward Elgar
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE Marie Boozer
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
SCRIPTURE Luke 9:18-23, 29-37 The Voice
Once Jesus was praying in solitude. The disciples were nearby, and He came to them with a question: “What are the people saying about Me?” The Disciples replied “Some people think You’re John the Baptist. Others say You’re the prophet Elijah, or else one of the other ancient prophets who has come back from the dead.”
“Ah, but what about you? Who do you say that I am?”
“The Anointed one, the Messiah, the Liberating King.”
“Don’t tell anyone this. The Son of Man must suffer intensely. He must be rejected by the religious establishment—the elders, the chief priests, the religious scholars. Then He will be killed. And then, on the third day He will be raised. If any of you want to walk My path, you’re going to have to deny yourself. You’ll have to take up your cross every day and follow Me…”
Those words had about eight days to settle in with the disciples. Then, once again, Jesus went away to pray. This time He took along only Peter, John, and James. They climbed a mountainside and came to a place of solitude.
Jesus began to pray, and the disciples tried to stay awake, but their eyes grew heavier and heavier and finally they all fell asleep. When they awakened, they looked over at Jesus and saw something inexplicable happening. Jesus was changing before their eyes, beginning with His face. It seemed to glow. The glow spread, and even His clothing took on a blinding whiteness. Then, two figures appeared in the glorious radiance emanating from Jesus. The three disciples somehow knew that these figures were Moses and Elijah. Peter, James, and John overheard the conversation that took place among Jesus, Moses, and Elijah—a conversation that centered on Jesus’ “departure” and how He would accomplish this departure from the capital city, Jerusalem.
The glow began to fade, and it was clear that Moses and Elijah were about to disappear.
Peter spoke up, “Please, Master, it is good for us to be here and see this. Can we make three structures—one to honor You, one to honor Moses, and one to honor Elijah, to try to capture what’s happening here?”
…Peter had no idea what he was saying.
While he spoke a cloud descended, and they were enveloped in it, and fear fell on them. Then a voice came out of everywhere and nowhere at once. “This is My Son! This is the One I have chosen! Listen to Him!” Then the voice was silent, the cloud disappeared, and Moses and Elijah were gone. Peter, James, and John were left speechless, stunned, staring at Jesus who now stood before them alone. For a long time, they did not say a word about this whole experience.
They came down the mountain, and the next day the huge crowds were back gathering around Jesus.
Holy Wisdom, Holy Word
Thanks be to God
SERMON Rev. Trip Porch
WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD
*HYMN 800 “Sometimes a Light Surprises” SALLEY GARDENS
TIME OF OFFERING online giving is available at www. indianolapres.org/give
OFFERTORY “Let Us Break Bread Together” arr. Sharon Wilson
COMMUNION
INVITATION TO THE TABLE
GREAT PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
SHARING OF BREAD AND CUP 525 “Let Us Break Bread Together” LET US BREAK BREAD
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
God of the quiet, still small voice, we give You thanks for meeting us in this holy meal. May it sustain us in our journey, quiet our restless hearts, and strengthen us to follow Christ in faith and love. Amen.
*HYMN 853 “We Are Marching in the Light of God” SIYAHAMBA
TIME OF COMMUNITY SHARING
CHARGE & BENEDICTION
CHORAL RESPONSE “We Take the Love of God” Emma Lou Diemer
POSTLUDE “Streaks of Light” Gary Girouard
Acknowledgments: Unless otherwise indicated, all texts and music are printed and broadcast under OneLicense.net license #A-702452