“It wasn’t something we invented”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday, February 19, 2023
2 Peter 1:16-21 (Forward, p. 21) CEV p. 1283
It is sad to say, and rather disturbing as well, that people today see fit to invent facts, to create stories or narratives that little or no basis in what really was said or what really happened. That this happens with famous people, celebrities of various sorts is bad enough, but when it comes to political events, discourses and facts it is even worse. Gullible people, people who don’t know better or who have a particular social or political ‘axe to grind’, can easily fall prey to these lies, these inventions—and act accordingly, with dismal and destructive results!
What is possibly even more disturbing is that people have done this in the spiritual realm as well. They have invented new doctrines, new deities or objects of worship, and new practices. And, as we learned with Jim Jones or with Waco, Texas, this can be quite deadly—literally so.
In today’s passage the apostle Peter wants to assure his readers that this was not the case with him. “When we told you about the power and the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not telling clever stories that someone had made up” (verse 16a).
Peter backs up with assertion with several pieces of compelling evidence:
a) Firstly, there was his own experience on the Mount of the Transfiguration: “With our own eyes we saw his true greatness” (verse 16b);
b) Secondly, there were the words he heard there, words from God Himself: “God, our great and wonderful Father, truly honoured him by saying, ‘This is my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him.’ We were there with Jesus on the holy mountain and heard this voice speak from heaven” (verses 17-18);
c) Thirdly, there is the fact that this experience backs up with the prophets of old had said, prophets who ‘didn’t think of these things on their own, but were guided by the Spirit of God’ (verse 21):
“All this makes us even more certain that what the prophets said is true. So you should pay close attention to their message, as you would to a lamp shining in some dark place. You must keep on paying attention until daylight comes and the morning star rises in your hearts” (verse 19);
d) And finally, by the witness of the church, the corporate church, gathered together: “But you need to realize that no one alone can understand any of the prophecies of the Scriptures” (verse 20). This corporate witness, knowledge and teaching of the church as a whole over the centuries is a wonderful gift, and a wonderful corrective to the vain inventions that certain people have come up with. That is why the Anglican church has long held onto a three-legged chair of authority, the Scriptures, Tradition and Reason. First and foremost are the Scriptures. They are the standard of all faith and practice, that what is not established therein cannot be maintained as authoritative.
Second comes Tradition, the collective teaching and doctrine of the church over the ages. Chances are that if it isn’t there, somewhere, then is of questionable value. God has always spoken to His people, then as well as now, and in this, God never violates or goes against what He has said previously.
And finally, there is Reason. We are allowed to think about our faith, to use our facility of reason, and yes, even to question. We are allowed to ponder and examine the evidence and see where it leaded, and while this will inevitably be limited and limiting, it gives us a good basis and starting point for our faith.
And so, we are greatly privileged. We don’t have to rely upon interesting or beguiling inventions, ‘clever stories made by men’. We have God’s word to go on, leading us on as a lamp that forever shines in the darkness of our world. Praise be to God. Amen.
Forward notes: “First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (verses 20-21).
“I often struggle with knowing the will of God. If I pray and get an answer, is it what God wants, or is it what I want? Does God want me to take graduate school classes, or do I just want to get away from my children for a night? Does God want me to volunteer at the school, or do I want to be in my daughter’s business?
“Does God want this for me? And why? And are you sure? And, seriously, could I please do something else?
“A friend of mine once told me that everything always works out for me. I thought she was crazy because at the time, I could only focus on the bad things. But as she ticked off example after example, I realized she was right. When something is God’s will, it falls into place. If I force my will on anything, it falls apart.”
Moving Forward: “How do you discern God’s will versus your own desires?