Last Sunday after the Epiphany/Transfiguration Sunday/ Year B
February 11, 2024
2 Kings 2:1-12; Psalm 50:1-6; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9
Opening Prayer: God of glory, you gave the vision of your Son to those who watched on the mountain; grant that by our glimpses of him we may be changed into his glorious likeness. Amen (A New Zealand Prayer Book)
Today is the last Sunday after the Epiphany, also called Transfiguration Sunday. The season of Epiphany, as you may recall, began with light: the light of a star that led the magi to the Christ child; the light of the glory of God that was revealed in the face of Jesus Christ.
This week, as we mark the conclusion of this season of Epiphany, we will end, as we began - with light: the light of Jesus' radiant countenance, his transfiguration upon the mountaintop...when his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them…
It is worth noting another similarity between the beginning of the Epiphany season and today, our last Sunday of Epiphany: Both included stories in which we hear the voice of God being proclaimed from the heavens…and descending upon the earth to reach the eyes and ears of those who were watching and listening…
On the first Sunday in Epiphany, we heard the story of the baptism of Jesus, with its climax in the Voice of God speaking to Jesus, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
Today’s gospel reading takes place at Jesus’ baptism, too… and sets the scene right before Jesus’ 40 day journey in the wilderness, and his journey to the cross, his death on the cross…and once again we hear the Voice of God speaking…
This time it is the disciples who hear the Voice of God. The Voice of God says this time, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!"
Religious scholar Marcus Borg comments on this verse: The disciples, in a way, represent us in that passage. "Listen to him." Listen to Jesus.
How hard it is for us to just listen….
How hard it is for us to just stop whatever we are thinking or doing to just look, to notice, and to listen to all that this moment with Jesus has to offer us…
In today’s gospel story…Peter just couldn’t hold his tongue…The other-worldly experience of the moment, either excited Peter or frightened him…or both all interwoven as one…Whatever he was feeling, he had the urge to blurt something out, because he just didn’t know how to react to this vision of seeing Jesus transfigured before him…he didn’t know how to respond to the dazzling, bright white light before him…He didn’t know how to make sense of having just witnessed Elijah and Moses talking with Jesus on the mountaintop……
Thankfully, God steps in, and says to the disciples…“This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to Him!”
He doesn’t say to the disciples, take care of him, find a place for him to stay, he doesn’t give any instructions right then. He tells them plainly, This is my Son, the Beloved; Listen to him!
How hard it is for us to just stop whatever we are thinking or doing to just look, to notice, and to listen to all that this present moment has to offer us…
It is human nature for us to want to figure something out, to get to the “why” of something right away…we want to find the words to explain what is happening…and we want to do it now…so we can get on to the next thing, and the next thing…
And as much as some of us may say we love to be surprised and find no shortage of experiencing an awe-inspiring sense of wonder in the many unexplainable everyday mysteries around us…If we were to be honest with ourselves, this is easy to do when we look up at the vast sky, consider the starry heavens, notice the tall mountains that surround us, and contemplate the depth and breadth of all that lives in the great-wide waters of the world…
But when we are faced with uncertainties, and unexplainable happenings in our lives that make us fearful or anxious…such as health issues, end of life transitions, insurmountable world-wide human rights issues…we just want to fix it all now, we want to make sense of it all right now…so we can move beyond the pain, the worry, and the weariness of not knowing what to do.
It is in these days that we most need to practice stopping whatever we are thinking or doing to just look, to notice, and to listen to all that this moment has to offer us…in the light of the glory of God that is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ… in the light of the glory of God that is revealed in the voice of God… “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to Him!”
When we can take time to practice pausing, to look, to notice, and to listen to all that this moment has to offer us…we are reminded, that we are never alone, that we need not be fearful of what troubles us now or makes us anxious about the future…the truth of God’s light and love that shines all around us, in all ways, is revealed to us in the face of Jesus Christ…
In just a few days, we will begin a new season in the church year...The Season of Lent…a 40-day journey through the scriptures giving us yet another look into the life of Jesus…It’s a season of the church year that we are invited once again, to consider taking on a new spiritual discipline or practice to help us draw closer to God and each other…
It’s a perfect time for us to consider taking on a spiritual practice that can encourage us to make sure we make room to pause and pray and listen… to stop whatever we are thinking or doing to just look, to notice, and to listen to all that this moment, all that this upcoming season of Lent has to offer us…in the light of the glory of God that is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ… in the light of the glory of God that is revealed in the voice of God… “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to Him!”
Closing prayer/hymn: Turn your eyes upon Jesus (#97 – Praise Chorus Book)
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. Amen
Rev. Julie Platson, Rector
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, AK