I not sure if I have officially announced yet or not, but for those of you who don’t know, I’m getting married on December 16.

Since Shelley is in Greenwood and I am here in Calhoun Falls, it’s taking us some time to get things ready for the wedding.

We only have nine months left before the big day and there are a lot of things that must be done.

But, there are a couple of things that I’m glad are taking their time, like having to pick out a China pattern and the lettering on the napkins and other things that the groom has absolutely no say-so in.

And like all couples who are getting ready for the wedding day, we are getting ready to consolidate our bank accounts and insurance policies and all the necessary and legal things that must be done.

Shelley is buying all of the wedding magazines and watching the shows on television about weddings. She has gone to some of the bridal fairs and looked for her wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses.

And since my major role is to show up and pay for everything, I’ve been doing my own preparation for the big day.

I’ve been talking to Rufus, Billy Frank, Harold, Herman, Tim, and all of the other men who know first hand about marriage.

And they have been more than happy to tell me all about women and all the things that I can expect after December 16.

They have given me valuable insight into married life; the good, the bad, and the ugly.

They all have many different things to say, but there is one thing that the all agree on wholeheartedly; and that is my life will never be the same the second I lift away the her veil and say I do.

They haven’t told me if that is good or bad, but nevertheless, life will never be the same.

You know, I’ve never really thought about it before, but there are a lot of things that happen, there are a lot of changes, when veils are lifted.

Not all of these changes are as happy as lifted the bridal veil and saying I do, but as just as life changing.

Yesterday I spoke at a memorial service, and I took note of how we act at funerals and services where we honor the life of someone who has passed on, what we say, how we say, and even what we wear.

Have you ever noticed that many widows and mothers wear veils to the funerals of their husbands and sons and daughters?

I have. And I think about what life will be like for them once they leave the service, once they leave the comfort of their friends and family and go home and take off that veil and have to face life.

I think about how much things will change once they have to remove the veil, stop the mourning, and try to start living again, without their husband or child.

So much happens when we take off the veil.

Little Dorothy was able to find her way back to Kansas when she threw back the veil that hid the Wizard of Oz.

The Phantom that haunted the Opera was able to accept true love when he took off his veil that covered his scars.

I will live in a completely different world once a lift up the veil on December 16, or at least I’m told.

The lady at the funeral yesterday started her new life when she took off her veil.

When we take off veils, something will change. It may be our surroundings, our environment. Or it may be our thoughts and perceptions. Or our behavior may change when we take off veils.

But you don’t have to believe me, just ask Saint Peter, Saint John, and Saint James.

Peter, John, and James and the rest of the disciples were going through a rough time in their life. Jesus had just told them that soon he was going to suffer and die.

The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Things were going well for them, thousands of people were coming hear Jesus and many more were being healed and cleansed.

Jesus couldn’t die soon. And they couldn’t imagine the thought of him suffering. In fact, this bothered Peter so much that he rebuked his master

But Jesus assured Peter that his suffering and death was in accordance with God’s will.

Eight days later, Jesus took Peter, John, and James to a mountain to pray.

Jesus often would go off and pray and the disciples would join him, but they could not have any idea of what was about to happen.

While Jesus was praying, his veil was lifted.

Now granted, lifting a veil during a wedding and taking off a veil after a funeral are all major events, with life changing repercussions, but nothing could compare to the veil that Christ lifted.

For about thirty years, Jesus was a peasant. He never wore fine clothes or jewelry. His skin never escaped the burn of the hot sun, his hands were never free of splinters and calluses. He was a carpenter as was his father.

He didn’t possess a formal education, although he knew the Law, and knew it well.

He grew up as a good, working class man in a good working class family in Nazareth.

But on that mountain, his veil was lifted and the clothes that carried the dust from walking and his tanned face from the sun became as bright as a flash of lightning.

And then Moses, who was the greatest Law giver and Elijah, who was the greatest of all the prophets appeared beside him.

The veil of the carpenter from Nazareth who was a gifted teacher was now lifted and the glory of the Son of God radiated from the top of that mountain.

When the veil that surrounded the nature of Christ was lifted, something life changing definitely followed.

The conversation that Peter had with Christ about his suffering and death must have been going through his mind over and over even eight days after it had happened.

And not only in Peter’s mind, but in the minds of John and James as well.

But when the clothes and face of Christ were transfigured into a flash of glorious brilliance, that is, when the veil was lifted, Peter, John, and James were awake.

Not just physically awake due to the brightness of Christ, but spiritually awake.

They were awake to the divinity of Christ; they were awake to the glory that shone before them and the glory that would come in his death and resurrection; and they were awake to the future that lay ahead.

The veil that surrounded the mystery of Christ was lifted and his true nature was revealed.

The lives that were changed that day were not only Peter, James, and John’s but everyone.

The glory that the disciples witnessed gave them the hope and encouragement to spread the good news of the life of Christ and his saving sacrifice to the entire world.

Good news that has survived wars and famines, the collapsing of empires and nations, corruption, greed, and hate.

Good news that finds us here today.

Good news that awakens us from our sleepiness.

I seriously doubt if Peter, James, and John forgot that moment on the mountain. How could they?

We may wonder how the disciples endured so much pain and persecution. We may wonder what drove their faith so much, even to terrible deaths.

Peter was crucified like Jesus, except Peter chose to be upside down.

Surely they had days when they thought they couldn’t go on; days where their faith failed them.

I know I do, and I’m willing to bet that we all have days just like that.

What kept them going; what fueled them to change the world?

I bet it was that moment on the mountain.

I believe it was that moment standing in the sheer glory of Christ that never left their minds that kept them going.

It was the moment that the veil was removed.

On Wednesday we mark a very special season. Wednesday is Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of the season of Lent, which are the forty days before Easter Sunday.

When many of us think of Lent, we think of giving up something, we think of abstaining from chocolate of television.

Our Catholic friends abstain from meat of Fridays and many of us will choose a time to fast of give up something.

I had a friend who was so frustrated with her dating life that for Lent she gave up not dating so that maybe she could find a boyfriend during Lent.

But during this season of Lent, lets give up more than television or chocolate.

This season of Lent, lets give up our veils.

As we contemplate the road that Christ walked before his crucifixion, lets remove the veils that hide us from God.

Let us remove the veil that covers our heart. And as we think about the love of Christ, the love that was demonstrated in his death, let us show our love too. To the people in the grocery store, to the person in the car in front of us, to the cashiers in Wal-Mart, to teachers in our schools, to the people in our church, and to the people who live under our roof.

Let us remove the veil that covers our peace. As we remember the peace that faith in Christ gives us, let us promote and sustain peace as well. Let’s live in harmony with one another; let’s work on our friendships and relationships.

Let’s call our moms and dads, brothers and sisters and work out any problems we have;

And when we are done, let’s tell ‘em we love ‘em.

And let us remove the veil that covers our faith.

Our faith is the most precious thing that we have. Our faith, when all is said and done, is all that we have.

Times will change and people will pass away but our faith in God will never fail us.

Sure we will have times when we have doubts, even serious doubts, but all of us have them, even the disciples.

But we can have the same vision that Peter, James, and John had on that mountain, we can awake and see the glory of Christ and have hope.

Our hope comes in the fact that no matter how bad things may seem, and there will be times when things seem pretty bad, but no matter how bad things are, we have the assurance that we too will someday shine like Christ.

Even when we suffer persecutions and face death, we will be raised in glory.

So let’s renew our faith and during this season of lent, remove the veils that hide us from being what God wants us to be.

Let’s think about the good news of Christ and the love, hope, and peace that we find in him, when we have faith.

Let us lift up the veils. Because I can promise you, every time a veil is lifted, a life is changed.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.