For Sunday,
February 26, 2017, 8th/Last Sunday after Epiphany, Year A, Readings: Exodus
24:12-18, Psalm 2, 2 Peter 1:16-21, Matthew 17:1-9
The Lord said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain... and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction...The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days... [Exodus 24: 12, 16a]
For [Jesus] received honor and glory from God...We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven...So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the morning star rises in your hearts...no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
[2 Peter 1:17a, 18a, 19, 21]
Six days later, Jesus...led them up a high mountain...and he was transfigured before them and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white...While [Peter] was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" ...they fell to the ground...overcome by fear. But Jesus...touched them saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." [Matthew 17:1a, 2, 5, 6b, 7]
For [Jesus] received honor and glory from God...We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven...So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the morning star rises in your hearts...no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
[2 Peter 1:17a, 18a, 19, 21]
Six days later, Jesus...led them up a high mountain...and he was transfigured before them and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white...While [Peter] was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" ...they fell to the ground...overcome by fear. But Jesus...touched them saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." [Matthew 17:1a, 2, 5, 6b, 7]
The first reading and the Gospel for this Sunday make
significant references to the cloud, first covering and settling on
Mt. Sinai when Moses went up to receive The Law, and next, the cloud that
overshadows those assembled on the Mount of Transfiguration and from which God
spoke. These particular kinds of clouds, in which God is present, are
known in Judaism as the Shekinah - a feminine Hebrew word
for a name of God. It also translates to "settling or dwelling of the
Divine Presence."
In the Second Letter of Peter, we have an eyewitness account of Christ in the moment of Transfiguration, which has been called a foreshadowing of the Second Coming. Peter seeks to lay to rest all false teaching saying We did not follow cleverly devised myths in verse 16, and later implores us to be attentive...until the morning star rises in your hearts.
On Mt. Tabor (the traditional site of the Transfiguration), God speaks from the cloud that envelopes Jesus saying again, as at his Baptism, This is my Son, my Beloved, in whom I am well pleased; and adds in the Gospel account for the benefit and the chosen disciples - and us - listen to him!
In the Second Letter of Peter, we have an eyewitness account of Christ in the moment of Transfiguration, which has been called a foreshadowing of the Second Coming. Peter seeks to lay to rest all false teaching saying We did not follow cleverly devised myths in verse 16, and later implores us to be attentive...until the morning star rises in your hearts.
On Mt. Tabor (the traditional site of the Transfiguration), God speaks from the cloud that envelopes Jesus saying again, as at his Baptism, This is my Son, my Beloved, in whom I am well pleased; and adds in the Gospel account for the benefit and the chosen disciples - and us - listen to him!
The 13th century Italian
theologian Thomas Aquinas considered this miraculous moment as the greatest of
the miracles of Jesus as it corresponds to the 5 most significant events in his
life, the other 4 being: Baptism, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and
Ascension. It was at this moment, the Transfiguration of
Christ, at the top of the mountain, that Human and Divine meet,
when Jesus is the connector between heaven and earth, when the temporal and
eternal spark a dazzling display of transcendent Majestic Glory, all in the
sight of the chosen disciples who then bear witness to the prophecy confirmed.
Here, then, from upon those Big, Bright, Cloudy Mountains, is a simple yet complex formula for our human experience: Read and Listen. God wrote the Law on the stone tablets for our instruction and, given all the shining and dazzling glory, it is clear that we are urged to listen to Jesus until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts. How perplexing for Moses, Peter, James, and John in their moments, and not always easy in our own. But Jesus tells us, do not be afraid. Let us go forward together in the Divine Presence of God in Christ.
Here, then, from upon those Big, Bright, Cloudy Mountains, is a simple yet complex formula for our human experience: Read and Listen. God wrote the Law on the stone tablets for our instruction and, given all the shining and dazzling glory, it is clear that we are urged to listen to Jesus until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts. How perplexing for Moses, Peter, James, and John in their moments, and not always easy in our own. But Jesus tells us, do not be afraid. Let us go forward together in the Divine Presence of God in Christ.
LET US, GOD’S
PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O God of Light and Glory,
upon
Your Sacred Mountains you gave Moses the Law for our instruction and
transfigured Your Beloved Son, Jesus, as our model for life. Rise in our hearts
as the morning star, and enfold us in Your Holy Cloud of All-Knowing.
Most
Holy Lord
RESPONSE: Let our prayers ascend to You
~
O
God of Light and Glory, uncloud the minds and transform the hearts of the
leaders of this Planet, this Nation, and this Community, that they will enable legislation
with justice tempered with mercy for all. We pray
especially for: add your own petitions
Most
Holy Lord
Let our prayers ascend to You
~ O God of Light and Glory, embrace all who are seriously
ill, weary, or anxious, and bless those give them strength of body and heart
with their care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…
Most
Holy Lord
Let our prayers ascend to You
~
O
God of Light and Glory, our Beacon of Hope in the dark times of
mourning, give us comfort in knowing that the souls of those who have gone
before us are now bathed in the dazzling glory of the Transfigured Christ. We pray
especially for: add your own petitions
Most
Holy Lord
Let our prayers ascend to You
~
O
God of Light and Glory, we pause
in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud
or silently…
Most
Holy Lord
Let our prayers ascend to You
~
O
God of Light and Glory, rejuvenate and sustain those You have
given to us as the leaders of Your Church, and help them remember that
they may also follow and take refuge in Your wisdom and counsel. We pray especially for:
Most
Holy Lord
Let our prayers ascend to You
The Celebrant
adds: O Lord our God, You enjoin us to “listen”
to the Transfigured Christ who himself told us “do not be afraid.” Disperse
the clouds of our own making that we may hear the Radiant Christ in our hearts,
and strive to follow Your Law with courage and conviction in community with one another. We ask
this in the name of Jesus Your Beloved Son, who lives and reigns with You and
the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.
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