Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God and worship him upon his holy hill; for the Lord our God, is the Holy One. [Psalm 99:9]
And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit…we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. [2 Corinthians 3:18, 4:2b]
We have arrived at the Last Sunday after the Epiphany and we end
nearly as we began. All the way back on January 6th, in the
readings for the day of the Feast of the Epiphany, not on a Sunday, Isaiah told
us to Arise, shine; for your light has come and the glory of the Lord
has risen upon you. [Isaiah 60:1] and the Gospel reminded us of
the Wise men from the East following a shining star leading
them to newly born king of the Jews [Matthew 2:2]. This
Sunday Moses has talked with God and comes down from the Mountain with the two
tablets and the skin of this face was shining. [Exodus 34:29] And
a parallel is in the Gospel of Luke telling us of the Transfiguration of Jesus
as his face changed and his clothes became dazzling white.
The season of Epiphany can last anywhere from 4-9 weeks
depending on how Easter falls on the lunar calendar guided by the timing of
Vernal Equinox (Autumnal in the Southern Hemisphere). This year, Easter is
April 20, almost as late as it can be. We are finishing this season on the 8th Sunday
after the Epiphany, with Ash Wednesday following immediately. Whatever the
number of Sundays, the final one is always known as The Last Sunday
after the Epiphany and includes one of the three Gospel accounts of
the Transfiguration.
As we hear this week, Moses brought the tablets down to
those waiting at the base of the Mountain in the time of the Exodus. As you
will recall, the Israelites are in the desert after fleeing slavery in Egypt.
Having spoken with God, his face is shining so brightly it frightens everyone.
So, after revealing the Commandments that God had spoken to him, Moses veiled
his face to hide the brilliance but removed the veil whenever he went
in before the Lord.
Paul gives us a different perspective, with a seeming
rebuke in saying about those who when they hear the reading of
the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set
aside. In turning to Christ we are as with unveiled faces.
Through the Spirit of Christ there is freedom and, in that freedom with our
unveiled faces we, too, are being transformed.
As Jesus takes Peter, John, and James to another
mountain to pray, he knows his destiny. This was the chance to reveal himself
in such a way to give them the strength to go through what was to come.
In the midst of the stunning
change in his appearance, who appears in the blaze of glory but Moses and
Elijah and they discuss with Jesus his coming departure, his own exodus. The
disciples were too overwhelmed in that moment to consciously understand that
the presence of these others is what connects Jesus to the breadth of the
history of Salvation. In that moment, Jesus completes the teachings of the Law
and the Prophets. As the voice of God appears from a cloud – as through
the pillar of cloud along the trek of the Exodus – the command
is to listen to him, the one who is chosen as
the Son of God.
As we leave the season of Epiphany let us carry the dazzling
glory of the Transfiguration with us so as to not lose our spiritual momentum
during the weeks of Lent ahead. Let us not live as if Lent is dark and dreary
and full of don’ts and severity. To repent simply means to reexamine ourselves
in order to turn toward God. It is a time to reflect on our faith, our
lives, and through our repentance we turn toward and seek the new radiance of
Christ’s Resurrection. As Paul says through Christ, we refuse to
practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the
truth, we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.
Verse 9 of today’s Psalm 99 says: Proclaim
the greatness of the Lord our God and worship him upon his holy hill;
for the Lord our God, is the Holy One. Our whole Earth, this
island home, is God’s holy hill as are the sanctuaries of our
houses of worship that serve the same special purpose to proclaim God’s
greatness.
To paraphrase Julia Ward Howe’s poem that became the Battle
Hymn of the Republic: “In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born
across the sea, with a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and
me. As He died to make us holy, let us live to make all free, with
Christ we’re marching on.” It is time again to remove the veil from the inside
that we use to hide Christ's shining glory within us from ourselves and others, so we can light up the world we live in!
LET
US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ Great and Glorious Lord, unveil our hearts to know
Your Glory within us that we may shine upon all we meet. Transform our faith
from passive to active, reflecting Your mercy and love in all of our thoughts,
words, and actions.
Jesus, our Christ
RESPONSE: We
turn again to You
~ Great and Glorious Lord, inspire and remind
all who govern on this Planet, in this Nation, and in this Community, to
commend themselves in Your sight and in good conscience to renounce all forms
of racism, injustice, and all legislative acts that deprive basic human rights
to our brothers and sisters everywhere. We pray especially for: add
your own petitions
Jesus, our Christ
We
turn again to You
~ Great and Glorious Lord, release all
who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and grant resilience to those who offer
support. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need…add your own
petitions
Jesus, our Christ
We
turn again to You
~ Great and Glorious Lord, brighten the
shadows for all who grieve by the new radiance of those we love, who now share
in the bliss of new and unending life in Christ. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
Jesus, our Christ
We
turn again to You
~
Great and Glorious Lord, we pause in
this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add your own petitions
Jesus, our Christ
We
turn again to You
~ Great and Glorious Lord, uplift and
continually energize all who are chosen and anointed as our earthly
Shepherds of Your Word and Will, the guiding beacons on our sacred path to You.
We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Jesus, our Christ
We
turn again to You
The Celebrant adds: O Christ, Transfigured, draw us by Your Light
and Love to obey God’s command to listen and to heed the words of Your Gospel.
Strengthen our hearts to feel Your constant presence, and to faithfully embrace
the call to Your ministry as our purpose, lighting the way for us all in this
life. We ask this of You, God’s Chosen Son; and the Holy Spirit, our Divine
Source of Wisdom; who together with our Creator of All That Is, live and reign
as one God, in Glory, now and for ever. Amen.
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