The Sunday of the Transfiguration (Ps) March 2nd

Psalm 145:1-9

¹  I will extol you, my God and King,

and bless your name forever and ever.

²    Every day I will bless you

and praise your name forever and ever.

³    Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,

and his greatness is unsearchable.

⁴    One generation shall commend your works to another,

and shall declare your mighty acts.

⁵    On the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

⁶    They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,

and I will declare your greatness.

⁷    They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness

and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

⁸    The Lord is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

⁹    The Lord is good to all,

and his mercy is over all that he has made.

The Sixth [Commandment]

You are not to commit adultery.

What is this? Answer:

We are to fear and love God, so that we lead pure and decent lives in word and deed, and each of us loves and honors his or her spouse.

The Seventh [Commandment]

You are not to steal.

What is this? Answer:

We are to fear and love God, so that we neither take our neighbors’ money or property nor acquire them by using shoddy merchandise or crooked deals, but instead help them to improve and protect their property and income.

The Eighth [Commandment]

You are not to bear false witness against your neighbor.

What is this? Answer:

We are to fear and love God, so that we do not tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them, or destroy their reputations. Instead we are to come to their defense, speak well of them, and interpret everything they do in the best possible light.

O God, in the glorious transfiguration of Your beloved Son You confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of Moses and Elijah.  In the voice that came from the bright cloud You wonderfully foreshowed our adoption by grace.  Mercifully make us co-heirs with the King in His glory and bring us to the fullness of our inheritance in heaven; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Sunday of the Transfiguration GA)

Mark 9:2-8

² And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, ³ and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵ And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶ For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷ And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” ⁸ And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

It seems strange to me to do another blog, or devotion, about the transfiguration. But this is an event that St Peter himself has mentioned in his second epistle. Even St John recalls the great importance of this event. This is God fully made manifest.

It is difficult for us to remember what was said in devotions in the past. It is difficult to remember what we have written where. The Epiphany season begins with the manifestation of God's light to the nations with the coming of the Magi. This continues with the voice from Heaven and the Baptism of our Lord. Then the Epiphany season generally focuses on Jesus early ministry, as he makes known to the  people of Israel that he is God in the flesh.

Now, Jesus allows himself to be revealed to a special group. He is fully manifesting the glory of The Lord in the flesh to St Peter, St John, St James, Moses, and Elijah. It is on this mountain top experience that we conclude the season of Epiphany because there is no greater way God is made manifest in Christ Jesus.

Some may argue with that last statement, because they will argue for the crucifixion or the resurrection of our Lord. It is true that Jesus on the road to Emmaus is made manifest in the flesh, and even in the breaking of bread. But these are not in the glory of The Lord with the cloud and the voice, or bluntly the Entire Trinity. The Transfiguration with Moses and Elijah is truly a foretaste of the feast to come.

The Sunday of the Transfiguration (OTA)

2 Kings 2:1-14

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 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please 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 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”

⁴ Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please 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 sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”

⁶ Then Elijah said to him, “Please 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 sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. ⁸ Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.

⁹ When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” ¹⁰ And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” ¹¹ And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. ¹² And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more.

Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. ¹³ And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

Don't worry your leader, master, will be taken away from you this day. He will be taken up into Heaven and hid behind a cloud. He will later come in like fashion. Jesus is our master, and leader, he has ascended into Heaven behind the cloud. Elijah was taken by a whirlwind, and fire separated Elisha from his master.

I really want to tell you that you probably do not read enough of your bible. There are so many little things going on in this passage which can compare to Acts lection, or the Deuteronomy lection, or even the transfiguration of our Lord. It is amazing to me how many people will read these passages and not make multiple connections. It is all about how much we read and understand.

Jesus, St Paul, Moses, and Elijah would all instruct their followers to read holy scripture. Granted Elijah and Moses would have emphasized hearing and learning the word of God, to live it out in your life. St Paul would urge you to investigate and search for what is truth. Jesus would stand before us and say He is the way the truth and the life.

Read your bible, and better understand why Elisha cross the river on dry ground, and why he won't leave his master's side. Elisha recalls the entering into the Promised land. Elijah knows where Moses died and was taken up. The word of God opens to you the gates of Heaven and Jesus is the only way to your salvation.

The Sunday of the Transfiguration (NT)

Acts 20:17-38

¹⁷ Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. ¹⁸ And when they came to him, he said to them:

“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, ¹⁹ serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; ²⁰ how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, ²¹ testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. ²² And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³ except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. ²⁴ But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. ²⁵ And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. ²⁶ Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, ²⁷ for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. ²⁸ Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. ²⁹ I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. ³¹ Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. ³² And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³ I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. ³⁴ You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. ³⁵ In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

³⁶ And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. ³⁷ And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, ³⁸ being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

This is St Paul's transfiguration event. No, he is not transfigured. He does not become dazzling white. St Paul rather is saying goodbye. He is giving his final face to face greeting to these people. He is assuring them that he has not withheld any information. He has proclaimed the full counsel of God. He has taught it to anyone who would listen. He now goes to suffer and to be imprisoned, and eventually die.

St Paul does not give any passion predictions. He does not say he will be beheaded by the sword in Rome, nor does he want to bring glory to his own suffering. He wants the people to know that they will suffer as he has suffered. He takes this time to prepare the people of Ephesus for what is about to come. There will be wolves and those who will distort and pervert the Gospel.

These people are still around today. People that want to join false teaching with right teaching. People who want to join Christ with idolatry and false worship. People who combine the table of demons and the table of The Lord. This is nothing new! 

Christ was actually transformed before their eyes. They saw Christ change and reveal the full glory of God. That is simply because Jesus is God. St Paul is not God. St Paul does point us to Jesus and the eternal sacrifice Christ made for the forgiveness of our sin. Christ has died for our release. Christ did not die so we would never suffer, but so that we would have hope in times of Suffering. So we like St Paul can press on toward the goal, knowing the victory has already been won.

The Sunday of the Transfiguration (OT)

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, ² all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, ³ the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. ⁴ And the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” ⁵ So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, ⁶ and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day. ⁷ Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated. ⁸ And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

⁹ And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. ¹⁰ And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, ¹¹ none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, ¹² and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

The laying on of Moses hands confirms Joshua son of Nun as his successor. Moses is dead and the people are in need of a leader so they must turn to Joshua. They turn to him for answers. Joshua can inquire of The Lord, but none has been like Moses who knew God face to face. Joshua was not allowed to go all the way up the mountain.

Many people think that this text is placed on transfiguration Sunday because Moses and Elijah are standing there with Jesus. Some even look at the fact the Moses is being shown the promised land. Moses and Elijah stand with the one who will gather his people in the real promise land of the new creation.

But I would open your eyes to something different. "there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,"  These three disciples do know God face to face. They walked and talked with Jesus, and even knew him to be God in the flesh. Moses knew God face to face, Elijah knew God in a whisper. The Apostles knew God in the flesh. We today know God not in clouds or pillars of fire, or even in tabernacle vessels. We know God in his Word, and even in water, bread, and wine.

Inquire of The Lord, and boldly call upon him as dear children call upon their Heavenly Father.