Janice Kreider spoke on the last Sunday of epiphany, a midpoint in the tale told by the gospels, of the “between” of the transfiguration. This process was not something Jesus did to himself, but something that was done to him, we are told, by God. His white clothes, the companions Moses and Elijah, all bear enormous significance for Jewish listeners. Both Moses and Elijah may not have experienced death, were associated with mountains and clouds (in which this event took place), both were associated with rebellion and rejection, yet both upheld both the law of God. The tent of meeting, the feast of booths, and the internal dwelling of the righteous in heaven are all possible interpretations of the booths Peter sought to construct on that mountain in celebration of that event. He so obviously wanted to prolong the beautiful experience of the visit of these prophets in concord with his beloved Teacher, but it was not to be. Why was this passage included? It’s important to remember that this as part of the gospels, written so long after Jesus’ death, was written to emphasize the godhead of Jesus, as well as that previously-important Jewish law was to be superceded with God’s blessing, not on the whim of a teacher, no matter how divine. There are many parallels to the Gospel of John in this story, although John does not talk about this Transfiguration, and as an apocalyptic account, we are best served to look at how our Orthodox brothers and sisters look at this event. The unmitigated light of God, unrevealed to the intellect, but rather to the whole person, is a miracle never before and never since performed. We owe it our whole attention and worship. [AP]

Passage: Mt. 17:1-9; Ex 24:12-18; 2Pe1:16-21
Communion: No
Ecumenical or Event: Transfiguration Sunday
Potluck Lunch: No
Congregational Meeting: No

Speaker: Janice Kreider
Worship Leader: Rosie Perera
Song Leader: Andrea Siemens
Pianist: Ruth Enns
Usher: Erika Hannan
Zoom Coordinator:
Children's Feature Leader:

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