Last Epiphany/Transfiguration Sunday
Feb 14, 2021
2 Kings 2:1-12, Psalm 50:1-6, 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, Mark 9:2-9
We are marking a turning point on the lectionary calendar again….I wonder if you feel like you hear me say that every week! It sure feels like that at times, for me…And I know you’ve heard me say often, that my whole experience of time, since the pandemic began last year, has been marked in ways that I can’t really explain…the days, and weeks and months seem to unfold in slow motion, yet at the same time, when I look again… the days, and weeks, and months have flown by…I continue to ponder this mystery often….
So, it is, once again, that we come to the ending of the season of Epiphany…and begin to turn with all of our being towards the season of Lent which begins in just a few days….
IN this season of Epiphany, we journeyed with Jesus and the disciples, and covered so much terrain in this season of light…a season of shining light on Jesus….revealing who he is, showing us who God is….through his teachings, through his healings, through his love that shone so brightly in all that he was doing….
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. 2 Corinthians 4: 6
In this season of Epiphany alone, in the midst of our travels with Jesus, in the scriptures we’ve listened to, in the music we have heard and sung, in the prayers, and in our time gathered here for worship on zoom….we have most likely navigated some personal lows and extreme highs in our personal lives…
We have journeyed with Jesus and with each other through the valleys of grief and loss, only to find ourselves climbing once again to find some joy, some peace, to find something to focus on, that will guide us forward with hope…
And every time we find ourselves at the top of that steep climb…that’s where we have the opportunity and invitation to find our focus once again…by the glorious light of God, in the face of Jesus….
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. 2 Corinthians 4: 6
We have endured a lot of twists and turns in our lives, in this short season of Epiphany…being led by Jesus and with others, into valleys, into never-ending plains, and walking slowly and deliberately up mountains with him to catch glimpses of who he is, who God is….and what a comfort it has been, to look back on this season…and see that in all of these travels, we were never left to walk alone…Jesus revealed that to us….that God has always been with us, God will always be with us…God will be with us, in all of our days to come….in the valleys, and as we climb the steep mountains of life, to see God, in all God’s glory….revealed in Jesus – on the mountaintop….
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. 2 Corinthians 4: 6
I simply ask of us this morning….that we just remain here for a few extra moments…with this vision of Jesus on the mountaintop….we will descend the mountain soon enough…and Jesus will walk back down with us…Emmanuel…God is with us…
But for this moment…let us ponder this glorious mystery, that invites us to the mountaintop, where we will hear the word of God, who once again invites us to behold Jesus…as the center of the sacred circle through which all of creation is related…God’s Son, God’s beloved…and to listen…
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. 2 Corinthians 4: 6
Let me close with a short reflection on Sacred mountains…as we pause in this moment upon the mountaintop with Jesus…
Sacred Mountains (written by William Loader)
We are surrounded by mountains, sacred mountains, which watch over us, beckon us, call us to approach and begin the journey.
Mountaineering is a risky venture and exhausting, but our mountains are accessible. Every day we meet them and their magic tells us: just stop, just turn aside here for a few moments, let me lift you to the sacred place.
There are no gates or barriers. These mountains don’t close after sunset. They just lie in wait, offering a quiet space, inviting us to a new view. Even with the greatest disabilities, the frailest limbs, the faintest heart, there is a place for us. No one is too big or small. No one is unworthy.
Touch the mountain and we touch the earth, we touch the universe, we touch God. Just to say we are coming is more than half the journey. It is to say we belong, to enter the wide embrace of the mountainside, and to say, yes, to love.
There is a mountain stream for the thirsty and its waters are there for cleansing. There is peace and forgiveness and renewal. The wind of the Spirit sometimes blows strongly, challenging us to stand firm, or gently touches us with memories of God’s goodness.
Climb the mountain and you see a long way. People you have not noticed. Distant needs which want to say also: “I am here”. And in the silence of the sacred space are voices of hope, of joy, of pain, of possibility. Climb the mountain and you will see Jesus.
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. 2 Corinthians 4: 6
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska
Hymn after sermon: Christ Upon the Mountain Peak (H) 129
Christ upon the mountain peak
stands alone in glory blazing;
let us, if we dare to speak,
with the saints and angels praise him.
Alleluia!
Trembling at his feet we saw
Moses and Elijah speaking.
All the prophets and the Law
shout through them their joyful greeting.
Alleluia!
Swift the cloud of glory came.
God proclaiming in its thunder
Jesus as his Son by name!
Nations cry aloud in wonder!
Alleluia!
This is God’s belovèd Son!
Law and prophets fade before him;
first and last and only One,
let creation now adore him!
Alleluia!