Sermon below preached in February/March 2003
A LIFE WELL LIVED
Sermon on Transfiguration Sunday 2003
By Dave Sonnenberg
Senior Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
www.goodshepherdonline.org
Fred Rogers died the other day. In case you need another spark, Fred Rogers was the host the PBS show, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood from the late 60’s until last year. He was an amazing man. One said it very well- “there are countless children’s shows build around some fictitious character. Mr. Rogers was the only show that was about a real person. When you met him in real life, you saw that he was just the same as he was on TV.”
His death is fascinating as well because all of a sudden you hear people speaking about the impact he has had on their life- in a sense, how he’s been a friend and a leader in their life. I grew up watching Fred Rogers. Having been born in Pittsburgh, I also had the chance to meet him one time. I hadn’t really thought much about him in years and all of a sudden I found myself on his web site last night listening to all his old songs- “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and “It’s Such a Good Feeling” and “You’re Growing”. Those songs are burned in my memory and in the memory of millions. (massive email from many of you- tribute)
The outpouring of support is a nice break from so much of the news. Consider this note that was posted on PBS’s site last night honoring Mr. Rogers. It was one of thousands upon thousands. I read it to you b/c it comes from a man named Lief in Silver Spring. Lief writes:
“As an adult, in my mid-30's I had just moved to a new city and was extremely frustrated and depressed because the job I thought I was moving for fell through. After a couple of months, I was getting really depressed and hopeless. Then I came home one day and switched on the TV. Mr. Rogers was on. I sat, watched the show, listened to him reassure me that, even after all those years, I'm still special. I cried and cried. Well, I'm crying again today. I'm terribly sad. But I can hear Mr. Roger's voice, and I can remember his soothing presence. He was and is, a very special man.”
There were many cartoons drawn in his honor during the last week. Any of you see any of them? I would say the common theme of all of them shows Fred Rogers at the steps of heaven with the words from St. Peter or from God himself, “won’t you be my neighbor.” Or “I’ve always wanted a neighbor like you.” There were the cartoons of him handing in his coat and dress shoes and entering heaven in his sneakers and trademark cardigan. The thing that was so neat- there was and is the sense that what he did in life was connected to the holy, the divine.
In the Gospel today, the 3 closest followers of Jesus are led up the mountain- apart from the crowds that had continually surrounded them. The purpose of climbing the mountain wasn’t given, but on that mountain something happened that is not easy to explain. The text says that Jesus was transfigured or transformed before them. Talks about dazzling white and light that the 3 had never seen. It talks about a vision of seeing Moses and the Prophet Elijah. I don’t get bogged down in the details, but what I see in the Gospel is that they had an overwhelming vision that they were connected to the divine. It was scary and they didn’t know what to say. . . .
All of a sudden a cloud overshadowed them and the voice from heaven declares “this is my beloved Son, listen to him!”
The cloud that was mentioned here was not the kind of cloud that we pass through on an airplane. The cloud in the Gospel is a symbol of divine presence and leadership. In Exodus, the cloud of pillar and fire was what led the Israelites. It was the way in which they knew where to go. It was a gift- a symbol of the divine presence of God in their lives. What I love about the cloud in this story is that there is no mention of the cloud ever lifting. As they come down the hill, the point is made- “the ongoing presence of God and his leadership is with us at all times.” We must listen to that voice.
You can tell someone is listening to that voice by the way they respond, by the way they live their life. Fred Rogers listened to that voice of God. As a kid, he was left out a lot and excluded. Being left out is a tough experience, but in his case it was a formative teaching experience. Thus, as a kid, he spent many hours alone daydreaming and brainstorming and using his imagination and making puppets. Isn’t it interesting how imagination and puppetry and music got incorporated into his show. Isn’t it also amazing how the excluded child radiated care in his adult life. His core message remained the same over 33 years- You’re his friend and he cared. He emphasized play and he understood your feelings. Your neighbors are and were important. Each day is a special day. He’s proud of us as we grow and he’s proud of us as we are. He encouraged us to be creative and do our best. He spoke about the importance of family and the people you meet along the way. Sounds like someone who listened to their life experience.
One of the things I didn’t realize until just a year or two ago was that Mr. Rogers was an ordained minister. When I heard that, I wondered, “why didn’t he go into the parish.” My first assumption was that he left the ministry. That was the assumption of the interviewer on Fresh Air in 2000. She asked, why didn’t you pursue that career in ministry? Rogers quickly corrected her in a nice, polite fashion. .. “When I was ordained in the church, the ordination read like this- you are to continue your work for families and children through the mass media. . . what better to have these differ identities and wrap them in the service of children and their families. That’s when I really knew who I was!!!. I loved drama, music and puppetry and I liked tv and I like philosophy and religion . .but, the moment I realized all of those could be used in the service of children and their families . . that’s when I really knew who I was!” pray. …
Notice the key thing he emphasized there. He emphasized service (servanthood) in the name of God, every day, all day. They say that he rose every day at 5:30 and began the day by reading scripture and praying. Countless people would ask him to pray for them and he honored their request. In a nutshell, his public life was his way of listening to God and serving the world. His lifestyle was an inspiration to others.
You will here it time and time again from me- Christianity is not about brief moments of inspiration. It’s a daily lifestyle. Like Fred Rogers, we show that we are listening to God when we identify our mission in life as serving! We may not have the public spotlight, the TV screen, or the mass following- but we certainly should know that we are beloved by God, gifted in a unique way. Know for sure that when we go into the world and serve- we are responding, listening, and indeed making God proud
End with theme song from “the neighborhood”
