In David Brooks new book “How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen” he speaks about the process of illumination – how someone can so totally see another person so that the viewer glimpses the light that shines within the one at whom they are gazing. He talks too about people who are naturally, or who have learned to be, “illuminators” who, by the ability to see the other cause them to become greater than they were.

As I was reflecting and praying on this week’s Gospel, the story of the Transfiguration, the traditional ending to the Season of Epiphany, where Jesus in his heavenly glory is made manifest to some of the disciples, I was struck by the connection between it and Brook’s book. There is a fundamental difference of course. In the Gospel Jesus is revealed, not by the actions of his disciples but by the Cloud of God’s glory. But the idea of seeing the light that is in another person, even if it is veiled to most is a form or a type of transfiguration too.

Brooks writes to help others learn to see people as God sees them, full of light and beloved. And that’s a fine thing for anyone in a church to learn how to do. But I think we can go further with the idea and think about how congregations can see the communities for who they are – and by loving them, allow them to reveal the light that is present in that community because of God’s presence among them. That’s the main point of the sermon below.

You can go directly to the sermon using this link.