A Prayer upon Entering Church. Almighty, ever-lasting God, grant that I may gladly hear Thy Word and that all my worship may be acceptable unto Thee; through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.
"O Word of God Incarnate"
by William W. How, 1823-1897
Tune: http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/online/tlh-294.mid
1. O Word of God Incarnate,
O Wisdom from on high,
O Truth unchanged, unchanging,
O Light of our dark sky,
We praise Thee for the radiance
That from the hallowed page,
A lantern to our footsteps
Shines on from age to age.
2. The Church from her dear Master
Received the gift divine,
And still that light she lifteth
O'er all the earth to shine.
It is the golden casket
Where gems of truth are stored;
It is the heaven-drawn picture
Of Christ, the living Word.
3. And when our earthly race is run,
Death's bitter hour impending,
Then may Thy work in us begun
Continue till life's ending,
Until we gladly may commend
Our souls into our Savior's hand
To rest in peace eternal.
The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #294
Text: Ps. 119:105
Author: William W. How, 1867
Tune: "Munich"
1st Published in: Neuvermehrtes Gesangbuch
Town: Meiningen, 1693
Prayer of the Day. O God, in the glorious Transfiguration of Your beloved Son You confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of Moses and Elijah, and in the voice that came from the bright cloud You wonderfully foreshowed our adoption by grace. Mercifully make us co-heirs with the King of His glory and bring us to the fullness of our inheritance in heaven; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
FIRST LESSON Exodus 34:29-35 The Shining Face of Moses
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the LORD's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.
PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon: You are the most excellent of men
and Your lips have been anointed with grace. (Psalm 45:2)
Psalm: Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Praise the LORD.
O LORD my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
He wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works--
he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD.
But may sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Praise the LORD. (Psalm 104,1-2, 31-35)
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Antiphon: You are the most excellent of men
and Your lips have been anointed with grace. (Psalm 45:2)
SECOND LESSON 2 Peter 1:16-21 Christ’s Glory and the Prophetic Word
We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. 19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Verse of the Day. Alleluia. Alleluia. Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. Alleluia.
GOSPEL Matthew 17:1-9 The Transfiguration of our Lord
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. 4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters-- one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
"'Tis Good, Lord, to Be Here"
by Joseph A. Robinson, 1858-(?)
Tune: http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/online/tlh-135.mid
1. 'Tis good, Lord, to be here,
Thy glory fills the night;
Thy face and garments, like the sun,
Shine with unborrowed light.
2. 'Tis good, Lord, to be here,
Thy beauty to behold
Where Moses and Elijah stand,
Thy messengers of old.
3. Fulfiller of the past,
Promise of things to be,
We hail Thy body glorified
And our redemption see.
4. Before we taste of death,
We see Thy kingdom come;
We fain would hold the vision bright
And make this hill our home.
5. 'Tis good, Lord, to be here.
Yet we may not remain;
But since Thou bidst us leave the mount,
Come with us to the plain.
The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #135
Text: Matt. 17:4
Author: Joseph A. Robinson, 1888
Composer: Johann S. Bach, 1750, ad.
Tune: "Potsdam"
1st Published in: _Church Psalter_, 1854
SERVICE NOTES
"The Transfiguration, celebrated on the last Sunday in the Epiphany season, is a significant and uniquely Lutheran contribution to the Christian calendar. This festival commemorates the moment on the Mount of Transfiguration when three of Jesus’ disciples glimpsed their Lord in divine splendor, seeing Him as the center of the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). Jesus proclaimed to His disciples, then and now, that He was the long awaited one who had come to die for the sins of the world and be raised again in glory." Treasury of Daily Prayer, page 10
Moses’ Shining Face. The first lesson from Exodus foreshadows the Gospel appointed for today. As Moses’ face shone with radiance when he came down from Mt. Sinai and the people were afraid, so Jesus’ face shone like the sun and the three Apostles were terrified on the Mt. of Transfiguration.
From the Lutheran Study Bible, page 156: “Moses veils himself because the Israelites, in their sinfulness, are terrified to see a manifestation of God’s glory. Today, our sin also separates us from God’s glory and presence, but St. Paul reminds us that “when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed...and we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image” (2Co 3:16,18). Because of Christ, we see the Lord and live in His glorious grace. O Lord my God, let me see You in Christ under the veil of the incarnation. Amen.”
Christ’s Glory and the Prophetic Word. From the Lutheran Study Bible, page 2163, on 2 Peter 1:16-21, the Second Lesson for the Transfiguration of our Lord.
1:19 the prophetic Word. OT Scriptures, which confirm the entire apostolic witness of Christ. Thus, Peter’s personal eyewitness account of the transfiguration is trustworthy because it rests on this authority.
a lamp. Until the Lord returns, the prophetic Word guides and directs God’s people like a light shining in the darkness. [PK: This imagery is brought out and developed in our first hymn.]
the day dawns. Day of Christ’s return.
Morning Star. Cf. Revelation 22:16 ["I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."]
Luther: “We must have the light [of the Word] and cling to it until the Last Day. Then we shall no longer need the Word, just as artificial light is extinguished when the day dawns” (AE 30:166).
Luther: “He bids us fix our eyes and keenness of mind on the Word alone, on Baptism, on the Lord’s Supper, and on absolution, and to regard everything else as darkness. I do not understand, or care about, what is done in this world by the sons of this age; for they crucify me. I cannot escape or draw away that horrible mask which hides the face of God, but I must stay in darkness and in exceedingly dark mist until a new light shines forth” (AE 8:33).
The Purpose of the Word of God, that Light Shining in this Dark World.
“The coming of God’s kingdom to us happens in two ways: (a) here in time through the Word and faith and (b) in eternity forever through revelation. Now we pray for both these things. We pray that the kingdom may come to those who are not yet in it, and, by daily growth that it may come to us who have received it, both now and hereafter in eternal life. All this is nothing other than saying, “Dear Father, we pray, give us first Your Word, so that the Gospel may be preached properly throughout the world. Second, may the Gospel be received in faith and work and live in us, so that through the Word and the Holy Spirit’s power, Your kingdom may triumph among us. And we pray that the devil’s kingdom be put down, so that he may have no right nor power over us, until at last his power may be utterly destroyed. So sin, death, and hell shall be exterminated. Then we may live forever in perfect righteousness and blessedness” (Concordia Large Catechism, III, 53-54).
SERMON
Today we remember the Transfiguration of our Lord. As we do so, it helps to keep in mind two important things that happened six days before.
First, Peter gave his great confession of faith. After Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say I am,” Peter answered, Matthew 16:16: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Second, Jesus gave the first direct announcement of his coming death and resurrection – he promised that glory would follow suffering. Matthew 16:21 Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. The Transfiguration of our Lord reinforces these two truths: Jesus is the Son of God (as Peter confessed) and glory follows suffering (as Jesus predicted and promised).
The Transfiguration reinforces the truth that Jesus is the Son of God in three ways. The Appearance of Christ, the Appearance of Moses and Elijah, and the Appearance of the Father in the cloud and the proclamation: This is my Son. First, Jesus’ divinity is proven by his own glorious appearance on the Mountain. There he was transfigured before them, which means his appearance changed to a completely different form than what it was before. Christ’s human appearance became brilliantly bright. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.
Here Jesus’ gives a glimpse of his divine glory, the glory he had with the Father before the world began. Most of the time, he hid his glory. But here on the Mountain, there was no doubt about the glory that was rightfully his. The transfiguration was definite proof that Jesus was truly the Son of God as Peter confessed and as we confess in our Creeds.
The appearance of Moses and Elijah also reinforced the truth of Jesus divine Nature. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. They saw Moses - the Old Testament prophet, through whom God gave the Law on Mt. Sinai and whose grave was only known to the Lord. And they saw Elijah – the Old Testament prophet whom the Almighty took up into heaven in a whirl wind, accompanied by a chariot of fire.
Both of these men represented the Old Testament, sometimes called the Law and the Prophets. Moses represented the Law; Elijah the prophets. Jesus is the center of the Law and the Prophets. All the Old Testament Scriptures testify to him. Paul writes in Romans 3:21-24 a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law [represented by Moses] and the Prophets [represented by Elijah] testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. The Appearance of Moses and Elijah on the Mount prove that Christ is the long awaited Son of God who had come to die for the sins of the world and be raised in glory.
Most clearly, the appearance of the Father in the cloud reinforced the truth that Jesus is God’s Son, our Savior. While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
A few days earlier, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do you say I am?” On the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father gave his own answer, speaking almost the same words as he spoke at Jesus’ Baptism. This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased. Listen to him. By the Father’s own testimony Jesus is the Son of God whose sacrifice for the sins of the world pleases the Father and is enough to pay for your sins and mine.
To him we are to listen: We Lutherans confess: “All who want to be saved must listen to Christ in the Word. For the preaching and the hearing of God’s Word are the Holy Spirit’s instruments. By, with, and through these instruments the Spirit desires to work effectively, to covert people to God, and to work in them both to will and to do.” FC SD II 52. This is God’s Son. This is His Word. The Transfiguration proves it. Listen to Him.
The Transfiguration also reinforces the truth that glory follows suffering. At the Father’s command, listen again to what Christ said [Matthew 16:21] Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. The transfiguration is a foretaste of Christ’s coming glory when after his death he would on the third day be raised to life. First the suffering, then the glory. First the cross then the crown. First the death then the life!
What is true of Christ, is true of every Christian. First the suffering, then the glory. First the cross then the crown. First the death, then the life! Romans 8 Now if we are children [of God], then we are heirs-- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
But that’s not what the sinful flesh wants. The flesh wants glory now. Look at Peter. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters-- one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." Peter probably thought it was better to stay there in glory than go down the mountain and face the suffering that awaited all of them (Kretzmann).
That is the way of the flesh. We always want the easy road or, as one popular false teacher put it, the “best life now”. But Christ teaches, that while, yes, some day we will have glory and bliss and release from evil, trouble, and trial, we too must first pass through much suffering. Paul and Barnabas reflected that truth in the book of Acts (14:22): "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God." Suffering will happen – you can count it. It is, however, followed by glory everlasting, as it was for Christ. That too, you can count on. “Though we are still troubled by the cares and ills of earthly life, every believer shares in the vision of what is to come” (TLSB).
1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
The Transfiguration proves and reinforces both Jesus’ divine Son-ship and the eternal glory that follows suffering. Because of that, we can heed Christ’s word in our text to get up and not be afraid. Though, by nature we have every reason to be afraid. Through the law and commands of God, the Divine Majesty envelopes us with these words: “Be holy as I the Lord your God am holy. Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. The soul who sins is the one who will die. There is no one who is good, not even one.” Such words send our hearts to the ground with the disciples, for we know we have sinned. We can’t stand on our own in the presence of God and live.
But Christ, always kind and gentle, steps forward, and touches us with the Gospel - with Baptism, with Absolution, with his true Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper and says, “Get up. Don’t be afraid. My blood washes away your guilt. I am the atoning sacrifice for your sins. My given Body and shed Blood are for your forgiveness, life, and salvation. Don’t be afraid. Get up. Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Get up, take up your cross and follow me. Don’t be afraid."
Dear friends, look up. See only Jesus. The Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and Christ will raise him up at the last day. Amen.
"Beautiful Savior"
by Author Unknown, 1677
Translated by Joseph A. Seiss, 1823-1904
Tune: http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/online/tlh-657.mid
1. Beautiful Savior,
King of Creation,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I'd love Thee,
Truly I'd serve Thee,
Light of my soul, my Joy, my Crown.
2. Fair are the meadows,
Fair are the woodlands,
Robed in flowers of blooming spring;
Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer;
He makes our sorrowing spirit sing.
3. Fair is the sunshine,
Fair is the moonlight,
Bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer,
Than all the angels in the sky.
4. Beautiful Savior,
Lord of the nations,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor,
Praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be Thine!
Hymn #657
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Ps. 45: 2
Author: unknown, 1677
Translated by: Joseph A. Seiss, 1873
Titled: "Schoenster Herr Jesu"
Tune: "Schoenster Herr Jesu"
1st Published in: "Schlesische Volkslieder"
Town: Leipzig, 1842
