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Service of Word
and Prayer for the Transfiguration of Our Lord |
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The grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with you all. And also with you. |
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Psalm 50: 1-6 (today’s Responsorial Psalm) The
mighty one, God the Lord, 3 Our
God comes and does not keep silence, |
Opening Prayer for the Transfiguration of Our Lord
Almighty God, the resplendent light of your truth shines from the mountain-top into our hearts. Transfigure us by your Beloved Son, and illumine our world with your image, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Gospel Reading: Mark 9:2-9
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led
them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before
them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such
as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And
there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then
Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three
dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He
did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then
a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my
Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8 Suddenly
when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered
them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had
risen from the dead.
Sermon
(added at the end of the document)
Thanks and Offertory
The
Prayers of Church:
Guided by
Christ made known to the nations, let us offer our prayers for the church, the
world, and all people in need.
·
For continued progress in the
distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine and treatments, let us pray. Have
mercy, O God.
·
for our bishops, Susan and Michael and
all in authority in the church, let us pray. Have mercy, O God.
·
For Retired Rostered leaders (not
serving congregations): Jack Dressler, Jim Garey, Tom Ristine, Jo von
Schmeling, Glen Sellick, Bob Zimmerman,
Paul Sodtke, let us pray. Have mercy, O God.
·
For your continued
healing presence to those who are ill today.
We pray for those around us who need restoration, named in silent
prayer. [Long silence] Let us pray. Have mercy, O God.
Merciful God, hear the prayers of your people, spoken or silent, for the
sake of the one who dwells among us, your Son, Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
The
Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
Our
Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven.
Give
us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against
us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For
thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the
glory, forever and ever. Amen.
2
Corinthians 4: 3-6
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are
perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has
blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the
gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For
we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as
your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who said,
“Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Benediction and Sending
The Lord bless us and keep us.
The Lord make his face shine on us and
be gracious to us.
The Lord look upon us with favor and
give us peace.
Amen.
Go in peace. Share the Good News. Thanks be to God
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First Reading: 2 Kings 2: 1-12
Now when
the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah
and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah
said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as
Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself
live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 The
company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to
him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from
you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for
the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As
the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So
they came to Jericho. 5 The company of
prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you
know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he
answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.”
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for
the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As
the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So
the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the company
of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both
were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his
mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one
side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell
me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let
me inherit a double share of your spirit.” 10 He
responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken
from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” 11 As
they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire
separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into
heaven. 12 Elisha kept watching and crying out,
“Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no
longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter
and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And
he was transfigured before them
·
Jesus is “transfigured” in the Gospel passage we
read today. His clothes became bright white, brighter than any earthly bleach
could make them. He was literally glowing when Moses and Elijah appeared and
began to converse with him. Finally a cloud covered them all and a voice
proclaimed “This is my Son, the
Beloved; listen to him!” Then… suddenly, back to normal.
Nobody expected that!
·
That’s a lot to take in at one bite. So here’s a few
smaller bites. Moses (the law-giver) and Elijah (the prophet of prophets) are
present. The Hebrews were promised a prophet like Moses. Later Elijah was swept
up to heaven in a fiery chariot and was to return to prepare for the Messiah.
So both “the Law” and “the prophets” bear witness to Jesus.
·
Jesus himself is “transformed” to blinding light.
The original Greek compares him to the brightness of snow, something all
of us know about. (Ever been “snow-blind”?) Finally the voice of the Father
comes out of a cloud, much like the cloud that covered the Tent of Meeting of
the Hebrews in their desert wanderings, the Tent that housed the Ark of the
Covenant. God was known to be present when the bright cloud covered the tent. We
might also be reminded of the voice from heaven at Jesus’ baptism in the
Jordan. There are more references than just these.
·
So does the Transfiguration event reveal the “real”
Jesus as the Son of God bathed in light? I think that this event shows Jesus as
just who he is, before, during, and after the mountaintop event. Jesus is not
God masquerading and pretending to be a human nor is Jesus only a human with a
really, really special and very unique relationship with the God of Israel.
·
Indeed, both are true. Jesus is the Son of God,
abiding in unapproachable light AND he is the man who proclaimed the Kingdom, called
disciples, ate with sinners, and wept over the death of a friend. What we see
here in this event on the mountaintop might be called an “intersection” of the
heavenly and earthly realities, as we find in Jesus. We’ve been told that heaven
and earth don’t come together. Jesus changed that. His teachings were and are
in line with the best of the prophetic words of Israel and Judah’s prophets.
What makes the difference is not so much the words he uttered as much as the
Word he was and is. As at the Crucifixion where the curtain of the Sanctuary
was torn, in Jesus, what appeared to be separate is now made one.
·
In Jesus, we say that the Kingdom of Heaven is made
present and in his words and actions we know that Kingdom to be made real… and
present. This is a theme we keep coming back to and a theme we need consistent
reminders of. The mountaintop experience of Peter, James, and John is part of
this Kingdom and teachers have said this event was a reminder to them before
Jesus traveled to Jerusalem to face his passion and crucifixion, an event so
traumatic that the disciples needed the Transfiguration event to help make
sense of everything up to and including the Resurrection.
·
When we have the Gospels tell us of Jesus with his
disciples going up and later coming down the mountain, the Kingdom is just as
present as it was when Jesus was seen in snow-bright light conversing with the
Law-giver and the Prophet of prophets. It is just as present with Jesus
walking, talking, and eating with his disciples as it was when the voice came
out of the cloud to call him Son and Beloved. What is missing is the fear and
the revealed mystery. The mystery is there, but it is unrecognized because of ordinary-ness
of Jesus as an ordinary person in an ordinary relationship with ordinary
people.
·
For our part, we hear of the Transfiguration just
before we enter the observance of Lent. However we choose to observe Lent for
ourselves, the Transfiguration of Jesus gives us something to use as traction
to propel us toward Easter, the ultimate breaking-in of the Kingdom of God.
Lent would remind us that we are dust and to dust we shall return, but that
dust is the stuff of creation and is blessed in the light of what takes place
on the mountaintop. The Transfiguration is a prelude to what is to come in the
great mystery of the Resurrection. Hearing the Word of God and taking the body
and blood of Christ are signs of this Kingdom among us.
·
When we think about it, we are not simply witnesses
to this Transfiguration and to the Resurrection; we are part of the great
mystery that is Jesus, Son of God, Saviour.
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and
James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he
was transfigured before them
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