Sermon for March 2, 2025: Radiant Love based upon Luke 9:28-36

Luke 9:28-36 The TransfigurationNow about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

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     Today is a special Sunday called Transfiguration Sunday. It is the last Sunday before the season of Lent and kind of a final hurrah for a season of epiphanies that follow Christmas. Can anyone remind me what an “epiphany” is?... That’s right! All good answers! Epiphanies are sudden realizations. They can feel like you see something clearly for the first time or, after a long of time of trying, you finally figure something out. From January 6th, which is a church celebration called Epiphany, until today, which is called Transfiguration Sunday, we read stories that helped us learn something about Jesus or allow us to watch the people in the story learn something new about Jesus. Revelation is another good word for what is happening in these stories. The stories reveal something to us and to the people in the stories. As we go into the season of Lent, if we’re gonna follow Jesus, we better know something about who he is.

     These last several weeks have revealed to us a vision of Jesus who loves people, who receives support to understand his mission and to accomplish it, who helps the vulnerable, who tells people who have more than they need to share it, and who is not afraid to tell powerful people that they are doing something wrong. That is that kind of Epiphanies I need to want to go to someone for help if I was sick or to follow them into dangerous and important work. And, these are the kinds of Epiphanies Peter, James, and John had gotten that made it easy for them to say yes when Jesus asked them to go up a mountain and pray. They are going to have another epiphany up on the mountain. They just don’t know it yet.

     I have a list of words I want to show you. Can you tell me what these words have in common:  Transmit, transfer, transpose, transcontinental, translate, transatlantic, transform. Yes. They all have the pre-fix “trans” in them. Sometimes, when we say “trans,” we’re using it as a shortened form of a longer word. Sometimes people who are transgender will say “I’m trans.” When “trans” is a part of another word, it is there to tell us something about that word. Trans, when it is a prefix can tell us that a word has something to do with going across, going over, or going beyond. One definition I read said that when we see the pre-fix trans, we can understand that the word we’re looking at has something to do with movement or change. If something is transcontinental, it goes across a content, like the transcontinental railroad. If a song is transposed, that means that a musician has changed the notation of a song so that they might sound higher or lower than the original version. This makes the music easier for different instruments to play and for people with different voices to sing. 

     Today is Transfiguration Sunday. What do you think the word “transfigure” means? ... Yeah! To change shape or change form! Today’s reading is about Jesus’ body and clothes changing form. Does anyone remember how Jesus looked different when he changed? It sounds like he glowed! His clothes got all shiny and so did his face! That’s why I shared so many shiny, glowy, and sparkly things with you today, so you can remember this story of Jesus on the mountain, glowing and confusing his friends.

     He wasn’t just glowing all by himself though. Peter, John, and James saw him glowing and talking to two other people. Does anyone remember who? Moses and Elijah. Who was Moses? Yes! God helped him and his brother lead their people out of slavery in Egypt. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments to share with the people.  Do you remember that his body changed in his story, too? His face shone like the sun when he talked with God. People got kind of scared of it though, and he ended up covering his face so they would be less afraid. Sometimes people are afraid of changes, even if they represent something very important in your life.

     Elijah was a prophet. God sent him to tell two different kings that they had to change how they were being kings and how they were worshiping God. He got in a big fight with a bunch of other prophets and won. He also argued with a queen named Jezebel and helped three more prophets begin their work returning the nation to right worship. He wasn’t afraid to tell the truth to powerful people and he worked hard to teach people how to follow God. It makes sense that Jesus would want to talk to him and Moses has continued in his mission. It is good to ask people who have done things before you have for advice.

     James, John, and Peter were so amazed at what they saw, but also confused. Who here would be confused if you saw your friend and teacher glowing and talking to people who might ghosts. They are excited, though, and want to do the right thing. They offer to build a special little house that would serve as a memorial to the important thing that they were seeing in the moment. But, this wasn’t the time for building monuments. The story shares that a big cloud settled over them. That happened a lot in Moses’ story, too. Then, a God’s voice says, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When else have we heard something like that? That’s right! Jesus’ baptism. It was the beginning of the first part of his mission. And, now, we have a story that begins the next part. It is clear that in everything that comes next, it will be important to make sure to do one thing first. What is that? Listen to Jesus.

     As we shift into Lent, I hope you’ll keep this instruction from God in mind: Listen to Jesus. How do we treat our neighbors? Listen to Jesus. Who is our neighbor? Listen to Jesus. What do we do with our wealth? Listen to Jesus. Who deserves healing? Listen to Jesus. How shall I treat my enemies? Listen to Jesus. What happens if I make a mistake? Listen to Jesus. There are many voices competing for our attention today. And, we may not be totally sure of the next best step. But, we know that we can start with this one: Listen to Jesus. May we follow him up the mountain, into the cloud, and towards the crowds of people who need him most.

Resources consulted while writing this sermon:

Carolyn C. Brown: https://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2016/01/year-c-transfiguration-of-lord-february.html?m=1
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A whole long list of words with the prefix "trans": https://word-lists.com/word-lists/list-of-words-with-the-prefix-trans/