It's probably not too surprising 

if I told you 

that I don’t follow professional Football. 

I also had never listened to any songs by Bad Bunny,the stage name of Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio.

But there I was last Sunday, with millions of others, 

catching the Super Bowl Half Time Show,

Probably the biggest annual musical spectacle in the world.

I can’t say I’m passionate or know much

about his style of music, 

but it was an awesome show, 

and an event that has been dissected and discussed 

A lot this past week in the media.

I am in awe of the Half Time Show for three reasons:

As a violinist, I have a lot of respect for the high level of artistry 

shown by all the musicians and by the star himself, 

whom I had never seen perform before. The dancing, the stunts, and the theatrics 

were performed with excellence.

As someone who’s passionate about process, 

I have respect for the planning and logistics 

that went on behind the scenes to put on this 12 minute concert. 

The choreography, the camera shots, 

the hundreds of extras, many in costumes of tall grass, 

palm trees, and sugar cane,

the record-breaking fireworks, sets and props, 

the surprise guests, the actual wedding, 

and it seemed to go off flawlessly. 

All live in one take!

I was truly amazed and I wondered in awe: 

how did they do that?Even more astounding was that they assembled 

the entire performance space in under 8 minutes.

As someone whose job revolves around meaning-making, 

I can appreciate how many have described this show as historic. 

There were many levels of meaning being presented: from deliberately singing and speaking only in Spanish,

The visuals of an everyday streetscape of Puerto Rican life,

to the mottos and slogans: The only thing more powerful than hate is love.

Dance without fear, love without fear.

Bad Bunny also spoke directly into the camera: "If I'm here today... it's because I never stopped believing in myself. You should also believe in yourself. You're worth more than you think.” he said in Spanish.

The positive words of encouragement resonated with a lot of people (but of course not with all).

…

Bad Bunny is extremely popular in Latin America and among Latino communities in North America.

He is a potent symbol esp. in the wake of the immigration crackdowns against people of Latin American descent by ICE, and his criticism of current American leadership.

And the show highlighted his pride in the Latino and especially Puerto Rican heritage, culture, language and music.

The show demonstrated how music is a universal language and while presenting a history lesson and musical theatre at the highest level, 

It gave a “beautiful and uplifting message to humanity 

at a time when the world truly needs it.”

Now, you may be wondering to yourselves, what does the Super Bowl Half Time Show have to do with Transfiguration Sunday?

I think there are a few interesting links:

The Transfiguration was one of the biggest moments in Jesus’ life, he was seen with the most important superstars of the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah.

The Half Time show was perhaps the biggest moment of Bad Bunny’s life: he was seen with Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, huge pop stars.

Jesus’ transfiguration took place on a high mountain, with a tiny audience, but a message from on high that still resonates millennia later: Jesus is God’s Son.

Bad Bunny’s experience happened in a very public venue with a huge audience of over 100 million people, and the show made a great impact on culture and news.

Now the word transfiguration: means to change into another form, to transform.

And the transformation that occurred for Bad Bunny was that he:

By being the first solo Latin musician to headline the Half Time Show, had a groundbreaking achievement for his community,

Overnight he become even more famous beyond the Spanish speaking communities that had supported him,

With new groups who had never heard of him before,and new audiences gaining appreciation for his performance.

Jesus’ transfiguration is described in a similar way 

as to what happened to Moses on Mount Sinai: (Ex 24:9-18)He was transfigured before them, 

his face shone like the sun, clothes bright as light.

 

The other link I’d like to explore here is related to the word awe.

A definition of the word Awe is 

“a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.”

Which is different than the word Aw

Spelled AWW or AW: which is an exclamation used to express mild protest or sympathy, like in “aww you poor thing”.

But awe, spelled AWE 

evokes a mixture of feelings; astonishment, high regard, 

but also fear.

Now in our Gospel reading todayafter the voice booms out from the bright cloud saying “this is my Son”

the disciples hear it 

and they fall to the ground overcome with fear!

Now most of the English translations say something to the same effect, that Peter, James, and John were very afraid, 

or as the King James puts it 

“they were sore afraid”, 

and this probably is the best translation, 

as the Greek word is related to a word we know of in English: 

phobia: or fear of something.

But a few versions, translate it as:

They fell on their faces and were filled with 

awe (RSV&CEB).

Or it was an “awe-some” experience, 

an experience full of awe (for them).

Now fear is common for people in the Bible 

who come face to face with the divine.

But awe is a more interesting interpretation,

Because it points to the amazement and respect 

the disciples have for what is happening in front of their eyes.

Similar to when the disciples witnessed Jesus stilling the wind and waves out on the boat, or when he walked on the water,

They were filled with awe.

It is unexpected, it is amazing, 

memorable, it defies expectations,

When they fall with their faces to the ground, 

they are acknowledging the high regard they feel for Jesus and God.

In a similar way, I myself and millions of others, 

especially from the Latin communities,

felt a sense of awe when watching the performance, 

that somehow we were witnessing something historic and groundbreaking. It was awe-some, and even if you’re not a big fan of the music, 

it’s pretty easy to respect and admire what transpired.

When the disciples fall with their faces to the ground, 

Jesus then asks them to rise and have no fear,

And I think that is a great message for us.

I think we need to remember that God is an awesome God,

God is awe-inspiring and deserves our respect and wonder.

We should be in awe when praying to God, 

and when contemplating the divine.

But we also need not fear!

God means us no harm. 

God is a loving God who loves us and everybody.

So the proper posture is one of awe and not fear.

It’s OK to have high regard and respect and amazement 

when spending time with God.

This is a fitting way to worship, 

whether personally, or gathered in community.

As our Season of Epiphany comes to a close,

We remember the frame of the Season,

The words we heard at Jesus’ Baptism in the voice from heaven: You are my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.

These words are again repeated today,

And serve to remind us as we turn our hearts to the Season of Lent,

That Jesus is God’s Son from the beginning, 

right to the end and beyond.

Amen.

*Hymn of the Day 653 WOV “Jesus on the Mountain Peak”