Seeing God from the VIP Seats
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For March 2, 2025:
Seeing God from the VIP Seats
by Mary Austin
Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a)
Pain and suffering are optional this week.
Each year, the Transfiguration Sunday readings offer us a splurge of glory before Lent begins. We get the spiritual version of pancakes, paczkis, and doughnuts before we move into Lent’s persistent call to deeper discipleship. There’s Jesus, appearing with full-on glory, and we see the fullness of the divine being that he is. Seeing Jesus shining with the presence of God builds up our faith for the hard road ahead. To immerse us in this version of Jesus, the lectionary selection for this week offers us only the mountaintop scene. The other verses are in parentheses. You get to choose, the verses say, and you can leave out the pain at the bottom of the mountain.
If only that were true.
In the News
Deportations of immigrants are in the news, although the new president has deported fewer people this month than the previous administration did each month. “Cracking down on illegal border crossings, Biden-era policies, and transnational criminal gangs were key elements of President Donald Trump’s 2024 election campaign, with his promise of mass deportations of over 11 million illegal immigrants seeing widespread support among voters polled before and after the election.” Even if raids on people haven’t increased, fear has.
Even for longtime, legal US citizens, the mood of the country feels precarious. Columnist David Brooks observes, “people don’t like chaos…And, second, people do rely on government, like the Postal Service, SNAP benefits, visiting the National Park Service, and trying to get a passport renewed. Like, if there’s nobody in the office, you’re going to be upset. Finally, I think the big thing is the inflation, that inflation has begun to tick up again. If we have tariffs, it’ll tick up more. If we pass a $4 trillion unpaid-for tax cut, we will overstimulate the economy. Inflation will tick up more.”
More than 200,000 federal workers have been fired without apparent cause, other than cost-cutting or ending DEI programs, across a dozen federal agencies. “Many of those fired have been classified as probationary employees, a status unrelated to job performance. While probationary employees can be recent hires — typically having served in their roles for under one or two years — the status can also apply to long-serving government employees who’ve changed roles or agencies.”
Inflation is on people’s minds, as are tariffs. People are stocking up on household items to prepare, including coffee, maple syrup (best saved in glass jars and can be frozen for a longer shelf life), olive oil, and…dried beans? “In a move that is as practical as it is economical, dozens of readers listed beans (kidney, garbanzo, pinto, navy, and Lima varietals) and lentils among their tariff-related purchases. (It’s worth noting, though, that the United States is among the world’s top dry bean producers, exporting 20% to international markets, according to the US Dry Bean Council.)”
In the Scripture
In one of the most poignant phrases in all of the gospels, Jesus has set his face to go to Jerusalem.
This might be a time for the disciples to hunker down, and yet they’re still on the road with him. At the top of the mountain, Jesus is with Peter, James, and John as his inner being is revealed to them. The brightness of his divine nature, the presence of Moses and Elijah, and the divine voice all make this moment unmistakable. Frederick Buechner says it best: “It is as strange a scene as there is in the gospels. Even without the voice from the cloud to explain it, [the disciples] had no doubt what they were witnessing. It was Jesus of Nazareth all right, the man they’d tramped many a dusty mile with, whose mother and brothers they knew, the one they’d seen as hungry, tired, and footsore as the rest of them. But it was also the Messiah, the Christ, in his glory. It was the holiness of the man shining through his humanness, his face so afire with it they were almost blinded...” [from Whistling in the Dark]
We know what this moment does for the disciples — they’re overwhelmed, and still, they receive something to hold onto through the condemnation and death of Jesus. I wonder if it did the same thing for Jesus? Before the march toward the cross, God reminds Jesus again who he is and where he belongs. Just as the disciples are reminded of who he is, so is Jesus.
The story in the parentheses, the part of the story that we’re allowed to skip, is the part that feels more resonant than ever this Transfiguration Sunday. The disciples at the bottom of the mountain try to apply what they’ve learned from Jesus, and it doesn’t go well. Just one day later, Jesus comes back down from the mountain, and a man calls out to him, asking for healing for his son. The glory fades away as Jesus wades back into the real world of pain and fear. Worse, the disciples tried to help the man and couldn’t.
In his answer, Jesus says, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” Does he mean the disciples? The crowd? The father asking for help? Maybe the transition from mountaintop back to reality isn’t going well for him, either. Is he experiencing a kind of spiritual jet lag?
In the Sermon
The scene at the bottom of the mountain matches our current reality in the United States as we move toward Lent. Uncertainty, sadness, and fear are regular features of our lives now. The anguish of the father mirrors the pain of so many people right now — farmers, laid-off workers, immigrants who are afraid to leave home to go to work, researchers uncertain about future funding, people waiting for news about drug prices, and so much more. In some particular way, each one of us is like the father at the bottom of the mountain. We each need something to ease our pain.
The sermon might explore this sense of despair and our longing for something different. The people at the bottom of the mountain didn’t get the big blast of glory; they’re left with their everyday worries and no boost of hope. The sermon could consider how we live at the bottom of the mountain. What do we, like the father of the boy, need to ask for? How do we sustain our faith?
Or the sermon might talk about what Jesus and the three disciples carried down from the mountain. In Exodus, we hear that Moses’ face shone with the glory of God, even after he left God’s presence. Did Jesus’ face shine a little more brightly? Did the disciples feel like their faith was re-energized? What did they do with the feeling of terror at the top of the mountain? After that, were their expectations ramped up or tamped down after this time in God’s presence? What did they bring back, and what do we carry from our peak spiritual experiences? How do our unusual experiences of God carry us through the ordinary?
After Jesus heals the boy, the story says that “all were astounded at the greatness of God.” The experience at the bottom is a match for the experience at the top and is available to many more people than the select few at the top. The sermon could talk about how incandescent glory is a gift, and so is God’s healing, familiar presence in our routine challenges. We don’t have to be in the VIP seats to see God at work.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Keeping It Real
by Dean Feldmeyer
2 Corinthians 3:12--4:1
Christmas afternoon. My 6-year-old grandson, Caleb, approaches me holding a box with his new checkers in it.
Caleb: Pop, do you want to play checkers with me?
Me: Sure, but we’ll have to sit at the table.
Caleb: Why do we have to sit at the table?
Me: Because if I sit on the floor with you, it’s really hard for me to get back up again.
Caleb: (nodding knowingly) That’s because you’re so old, right?
Me: Uh, yeah. That’s why.
Caleb’s a teenager now, and he still tends to speak frankly, saying what’s on his mind. Only now he has a name for it. He calls it “keeping it real” or being “straight up.” I’m not so old that those are unfamiliar phrases to me. However, I recently learned that “keeping it 100” and “no cap” also refer to speaking frankly and honestly. “Lowkey” can mean speaking honestly, too, but in a subtle, gentler way.
Is this what Paul is talking about in 2 Corinthians 3:12--4:2 when he speaks of acting “with complete frankness?” Does he mean just saying whatever occurs to you, blurting out whatever comes to mind without a thought to how heavily and upon whom the words fall? We excuse that when children do it because they haven’t learned to weigh and measure what they say and how it affects those around them. When they become teenagers, we expect them to practice a little more discretion in their speech. And as adults, we hope they will take full responsibility for the things that come out of their mouths.
But what does all this have to do with being disciples of Jesus Christ?
In the News/Culture
How do we say what’s on our minds and needs to be said?
Some people can’t bring themselves to speak up until they’re angry or upset about something. Then they explode into a whirlwind of toxic rhetoric and vindictiveness, plunging the room into a dark silence.
Passive-aggressive people couch what they say in seemingly polite or positive language that is actually negative and critical: “Oh, don’t worry about it; I’ll just do it myself. I always do. No, really, I don’t mind.” Or “Just do whatever you want; you always do, and it usually turns out okay. Usually.”
Some disingenuous souls speak so softly and quietly that they must be asked to repeat themselves over and over, and we hesitate to disagree with them for fear of hurting their feelings.
Bullies flood the room with a torrent of oratory, bombast, and hyperbole intended to intimidate anyone from bringing a different point of view.
Others use words, especially obscenities, as weapons — cudgels and clubs used to pound others into submission.
Of course, politicians seem to have raised the use of rhetorical manipulations like half-truths, broad generalities, and plain old misleading statements to near art forms. Straw man misrepresentations are common. Ad mominem attacks have become normal. False dilemmas and slippery slopes abound. Red herrings and bandwagons are commonplace. Circular reasoning is offered as self-evident, and appeals to ignorance are presented as common sense.
In the church, we have learned to duck and cover when we hear someone announce that they are going to “speak the truth in love,” because we know that what follows is often brutal honesty that might have been spoken in a kinder, more empathetic way or, better yet, not at all.
So, what does Paul’s advice to the Corinthians have to say to us about how we use the gift of speech to spread the good news of Jesus Christ?
In the Scripture
What we refer to as Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth (scholars believe that there were probably several others) shows a church in turmoil. There are bitter arguments going on and disagreements about polity, practice, and theology that have the community, it is not an exaggeration to say, on the verge of collapse.
Many biblical scholars agree that the Corinthian church was made up of a majority of Gentiles, and it is possible that Paul’s authority there is being challenged by Jewish Christians who have recently arrived and insist that, in order to be Christians, Gentiles must first become Jews. Paul’s instructions about Jewish/Gentile relations in the church, they say, are sadly out of touch with the present reality.
Word of this troubling challenge to his ministry has come to Paul, and this letter is, at least in part, his response. In it, he defends himself, his ministry, his authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ, and his teaching since the church in Corinth was founded.
In this passage we read this morning (2 Corinthians 3:12--4:2), Paul compares Moses and Jesus as bringers of God’s word.
Moses brought the Law, chiseled in stone and promising death to those who didn’t heed it, as the people found out soon enough with the whole calf of God incident. His experience with the burning bush on the mountaintop was so compelling that it changed his face so that it glowed like a beacon of light.
Moses put a veil over his face so the people could approach him and look upon him without being blinded by the light that was coming from his face; later, that same veil hid the fact that the light was beginning to fade.
Jesus brings not law chiseled in stone but grace written on the hearts of those who hear him and follow him. The light that Jesus brings is not the kind that needs to be hidden behind a veil. It is out in the open. It illuminates all of life and casts away darkness and shadows, fantasies, fallacies, and illusions. It is good news!
In fact, Paul says to the Corinthian Christians that nothing about us — the things we say and do — must be veiled. We can live and speak boldly, openly, and honestly about the Lord who brings us grace, peace, love, and hope. A timid response to the troublemakers who have come into the church is not appropriate. The truth of God’s grace and acceptance must be spoken and demonstrated with courage and clarity.
Is this a license to speak frankly about anything and everything that crosses our mind? Of course not. Paul is addressing how we talk about and live out our faith in God and God’s Son, Jesus, who is the Christ, the prince of peace, and the author of grace. This we do with confidence and courage. This we do with purpose and passion — not as a condemnation of those who disagree with us, but as a witness of how grace has transformed us and reshaped our lives.
In the Sermon
Most human groups have initiation rituals, some formal and some casual — swearing an oath, drinking a toast, learning and reciting a story or a behavioral code. In some contexts, however, initiation rituals go to extremes in the form of ragging or hazing, a ritualized form of abuse and humiliation used to initiate newcomers into a group. Hazing is initiation rites run amok.
Ancient records show that hazing was practiced in Roman and Greek societies and has continued into modern times, especially but not exclusively, among young men in fraternal and military organizations. Anthropologists and psychologists theorize that hazing may have evolved to test the commitment and loyalty of newcomers, ensuring they are dedicated to the group. Others believe it serves to create a sense of belonging and identity among group members; the more difficult the initiation, the more elite the organization.
Despite efforts to curb hazing through laws and anti-hazing policies and programs, it remains a widespread practice in many parts of the world, and people continue to be injured — some seriously, some even killed — in hazing incidents.
Cases of hazing gone unchecked occasionally appear in the news. Last August, Danny Santulli, a former University of Missouri student, was left blind, paralyzed, and wheelchair-bound after a hazing ritual. Danny, a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, ingested such large volumes of alcohol that he was rendered permanently blind and unable to speak or walk. Another fraternity member who was assigned to accompany Danny and see to it that he wasn’t hurt was sentenced to six months in jail and six months of probation for failing to stop the hazing when it went too far.
The Christian church has had, from its inception, initiation rituals. Baptism comes to mind. In the book of Acts, we are told that members of the earliest church sold all their possessions and lived together in a common community. In other accounts, one of the main divisions in the church was about whether Gentile men should be required to undergo circumcision and convert to Judaism before they could become Christians.
One wonders if a contemporary college fraternity that required circumcision as an initiation rite would be considered abusive. Paul simply called it unnecessary. He spoke of “circumcision of the heart” as the only circumcision that was necessary for authentic conversion to Christianity, yet those who didn’t undergo the painful initiation rite were often considered by Jewish Christians to be second-class members of the Christian community.
Paul calls us to speak and act unapologetically, boldly, and honestly, regardless of what initiation rite we have or have not gone through — circumcision or not, adult baptism or infant baptism, baptism by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling. And he calls us to speak not just about ourselves, our opinions, our ideas. The boldness to which he calls us refers to our witness: how we speak about and live out the unconditional love and acceptance that God offers to us and its effect upon our lives.
We are speakers and doers of God’s love as it comes to us in Jesus Christ. We share our story in both words and actions as vessels of grace at work, at school, at home, and in the community, sharing our witness with our families, our friends, our neighbors, and our co-workers.
And when someone comes among us who insists that our salvation is inauthentic because it wasn’t purchased with some ritual or some act, some behavior of human invention, we can stand and boldly say them nay. Our salvation has already been purchased on the cross by no less a person than the Son of God himself, Jesus the Christ.
It is by our faith in God’s grace as it comes to us in his life, death, and resurrection that we keep it real.
Amen.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Tom Willadsen:
Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a)
Mountaintop Experiences
I grew up in Central Illinois — a very flat place. Still, I was very fortunate in terms of topography because the Illinois River flows right past my hometown, and the bluffs overlooking Upper Peoria Lake and Lower Peoria Lake — extremely wide spots in the river — offered a beautiful view of the valley. The bluffs were hardly mountains, but it didn’t take much elevation to create a panorama.
Teddy Roosevelt toured Grandview Drive and called it “The World’s Most Beautiful Drive.” Peoria’s oldest radio station’s call letters are WMBD. We’re proud of our relative mountaintop.
It is said that Dan Fogelberg composed the song “Illinois,” which appears on his 1974 album Souvenirs, one evening while watching night fall on Grandview Drive.
When Japanese automaker Mitsubishi opened a plant in Bloomington, about 40 miles east of Peoria, there were rumors that the Japanese executives would drive to Peoria because at least we had hills. Take that, Bloomington!
All this is to say that one does not need to climb a high mountain to see a long way. Just being off, away from people, and what is familiar and ordinary can help a person see and imagine new things.
* * *
Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)
Don’t talk
Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not realizing what he was saying.
Mark Twain said, “Never miss an opportunity to shut up.”
Sylvan Engel said, “It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.”
In today’s gospel reading, Peter spoke, “not realizing what he was saying.”
The wisdom of silence appears in popular songs of my salad days also.
The chorus of “Don’t Speak,” by No Doubt, written by Gwen and Eric Stefani, goes
Don’t speak
I know just what you’re sayin’
So please stop explainin’
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts
Don’t speak
I know what you’re thinkin’
I don’t need your reasons
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts
A lover trying to avoid the pain of a breakup is captured in that desire for silence.
In the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” David Byrne sings
You start a conversation
You can’t even finish it
You’re talking a lot
But you’re not saying anything
When I have nothing to say
My lips are sealed
Say something once, why say it again?
Finally, there’s “Don’t Talk,” by 10,000 Maniacs, where the survivor of a relationship with domestic abuse sings
Don’t talk, you keep your distance
For I’d rather hear some truth tonight than entertain your lies
So take your poison silently.
Let me be. Let me close my eyes.
Don’t talk, I’ll believe it.
* * *
Exodus 34:29-35
Moses had horns???
The Hebrew term קרן, which is the verb in Exodus 34:29 rendered as “shone” in the NRSV (and “was radiant” in other translations), is related to the noun with the same Hebrew consonants for “horn.” The Latin translation of the Hebrew, which Michelangelo used, rendered the term as “horned,” giving rise to this famous sculpture.
Upon looking at the sculpture, I cannot picture how the artist could have conveyed “was radiant” in stone, but it is a lastingly unfortunate misreading of the text.
* * *
Exodus 34:29-35
A veil
The Hebrew word for “veil” in 34:35, הממוח, appears only here. The divine glory is dangerous to look upon, even when reflected. Still, Moses wore the veil to protect the people but removed it when speaking to the Lord.
Different Hebrew terms are used for the veil a bride wears, as well as for the one Leah wore when she was substituted for Rachel in Genesis 29. The curtain that separates the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple is also referred to by another term.
* * * * * *
From team member Chris Keating:
Exodus 34:29-35
Moses’ alarming transformation
As Moses descends from the mountain, the change in his appearance scares Aaron and others. Apparently, he forgot to tuck a mirror into his daypack, because the writer of Exodus notes that Moses did not even know his face was shining.
These days, the crowd would have guessed he’d been visiting a celebrity glamour doctor to have a little work done. Last month, for example, fans of actor Kathy Bates were so shocked by her Ozempic-enhanced weight loss that some assumed she was seriously ill. When Bates appeared at the Golden Globe Awards, she seemed gaunt and shaky. “Is Kathy Bates ill?” some asked. Others commented that she looked “radiant” and pointed to her 100-pound weight loss, some of which was the result of taking Ozempic for her type 2 diabetes.
Meanwhile, glamour writers note that certain aesthetic trends in plastic surgery are changing the way people approach aging. One writer says much of this is being propelled by Ozempic, which, she says, “has arguably shoved ‘skinny’ back into our national conscience,” despite a prominent focus on body positivity in recent years. Gen Xers in particular, writes Elizabeth Siegel, are seeking out treatments to avoid looking matronly, including breast lifts, implant removals, liposuction, and a determined quest for sharper jawlines and sculpted cheekbones.
So, spill the tea, Moses. Did your holy-face radiance and glimmer really come from meeting God, or did you stop by a Hollywood plastic surgeon while you were up on the mountain?
* * *
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2
Transformed from one degree of glory to the next
A few days before her 61st birthday, writer Anne Lamott started making a list of everything she knew for sure. She was prompted by the awareness that while she thinks of herself as still being in her 40s, the paperwork points out the truth that she was born in 1954. “I’m every age I’ve ever been,” Lamott writes, “and so are you, although I can’t help mentioning as an aside that it might have been helpful if I hadn’t followed the skin care rules of the ’60s, which involved getting as much sun as possible while slathered in baby oil and basking in the glow of a tinfoil reflector shield.”
Liberated by this truth, she began a candid conversation with herself. Her list of twelve truths she learned from life and writing was the subject of a TED Talk she gave in 2019. It reads like an application of Paul’s exhortation that we are transformed from one degree of glory to the next, including this particularly pithy explanation of grace (number ten on her list):
Grace is spiritual WD-40, or water wings. The mystery of grace is that God loves Henry Kissinger and Vladimir Putin and me exactly as much as he or she loves your new grandchild. Go figure.
The movement of grace is what changes us, heals us, and heals our world. To summon grace, say, “Help,” and then buckle up. Grace finds you exactly where you are, but it doesn’t leave you where it found you. And grace won’t look like Casper the Friendly Ghost, regrettably. But the phone will ring or the mail will come, and then against all odds, you’ll get your sense of humor about yourself back. Laughter really is carbonated holiness. It helps us breathe again and again and gives us back to ourselves, and this gives us faith in life and each other. And remember — grace always bats last.
* * *
Luke 9:28-36
Listen here!
Jesus’ transfiguration is completed by God’s voice booming out yet another declaration of Christ’s sonship. In the terror of the holy cloud, God’s voice overwhelms the disciples, declaring, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him.”
Luke is reiterating a pattern set forth from the early moments of the gospel: God speaks and calls us to listen. It’s also a pattern we saw repeated this week as Republican congressional members were pelted with questions from angry constituents during town hall meetings. The voters were angry and loud, but the question remains: were their elected representatives listening?
It’s possible. Rep. Rich McCormick, a Republican from Georgia, for example, was confronted by an angry crowd in his deeply conservative district. McCormick said that based on the reaction he experienced, he’ll be reaching out to Elon Musk to urge him “to show more compassion” as Musk enacts Draconian budget cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency. The Congressman also told NBC News that he intends to “bend” President Trump’s ear a bit on those issues.
NBC reported that the heat generated by testy town hall crowds has encouraged them to speak out more about the layoffs proposed by DOGE and supported by President Donald Trump. Others, however, say they are remaining supportive of Musk’s work, even though they faced hostile crowds in their previously friendly districts. Rep. Kevin Hern from Oklahoma noted he plans to continue supporting DOGE, though he’s willing to keep listening to his constituents.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship
One: Our God reigns! Let all people tremble in awe.
All: God sits enthroned upon the cherubim.
One: Mighty sovereign, lover of justice, you have established equity.
All: You have executed justice and righteousness for your people.
One: Extol our holy God and worship at God’s footstool
All: Praise our God and offer worship for God is holy.
OR
One: Come and hear what God has to say to us today.
All: We open our ears and our hearts to the voice of God.
One: It may come in a song, a scripture, a sermon, or a face.
All: We anticipate that God will speak and we will listen.
One: As we seek the God who seeks us we will not be disappointed.
All: In joy we come to meet with our God and Savior.
Hymns and Songs
O Wondrous Sight! O Vision Fair
UMH: 258
H82: 136/137
PH: 75
GTG: 189
NCH: 184
LBW: 80
ELW: 316
Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above
UMH: 126
H82: 408
PH: 483
GTG: 645
NCH: 6
CH: 6
W&P: 56
Renew: 52
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
UMH: 154/155
H82: 450/451
PH: 142/143
GTG: 263
AAHH: 292/293/394
NNBH: 3/5
NCH: 304
CH: 91/92
LBW: 328/329
ELW: 634
W&P: 100/106
AMEC: 4/5/6
Renew: 45
Jesus Shall Reign
UMH: 157
H82: 544
PH: 423
GTG: 265
NNBH: 10
NCH: 300
CH: 95
LBW: 530
ELW: 434
W&P: 341
AMEC: 96
Renew: 296
Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies
UMH: 173
H82: 6/7
PH: 462/463
GTG: 662
LBW: 265
ELW: 553
W&P: 91
When Morning Gilds the Skies
UMH: 185
H82: 427
PH: 487
GTG: 667
AAHH: 186
NCH: 86
CH: 100
LBW: 545/546
ELW: 853
W&P: 111
AMEC: 29
Fairest Lord Jesus
UMH: 189
H82: 383/384
PH: 306
GTG: 630
NNBH: 75
NCH: 44
CH: 97
W&P: 123
AMEC: 95
Renew: 156
Open My Eyes, That I May See
UMH: 454
PH: 324
GTG: 451
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
Holy Spirit, Truth Divine
UMH: 465
PH: 321
NCH: 63
CH: 241
LBW: 257
Trust and Obey
UMH: 467
AAHH: 380
NNBH: 322
CH: 556
W&P: 443
AMEC: 377
Shine, Jesus, Shine
CCB: 81
Renew: 247
More Precious than Silver
CCB: 25
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God whose glory shines through all creation:
Grant us the faith to see your glory in Jesus the Christ
so that we might see it in all your children;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God whose glory shines through all creation. All that you have called into being reflects your majesty. Help us to see your glory in Jesus the Christ so that we might also see it in all your children. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially when we fail to see the glory you are showing us.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have closed our eyes to your glory. All creation sings of your presence and rejoices in you but do not see it. You sent the Christ to reveal yourself to us and we choose to listen to others and ignore his teachings. Our behavior is based more on our politics than on our faith. Forgive us and open our eyes that we might clearly see your glory in Jesus Christ and live as his true disciples. Amen.
One: God is ever ready to show us the glory of God’s presence in our world. As we open our eyes and our hearts God will be seen all around us.
Prayers of the People
We bring to you, O God, our songs of praise and adoration. You are the center of all that is and yet beyond it. Your glory is more than we can perceive.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have closed our eyes to your glory. All creation sings of your presence and rejoices in you but do not see it. You sent the Christ to reveal yourself to us and we choose to listen to others and ignore his teachings. Our behavior is based more on our politics than on our faith. Forgive us and open our eyes that we might clearly see your glory in Jesus Christ and live as his true disciples.
We give you thanks for all the blessings of this life and, especially, for those times when we are open to your glory all around us. We thank you for the light of scripture and the faithful one who have reflected you both through the ages and in our own lives. Your blessings are rich and deep, and we are grateful.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for your children in their need. We lift up those who are put down because others cannot see your glory in them. We pray for the poor, the hungry, those without housing, and those in want. We pray for those who are victims of hatred and violence. We pray for those who cannot see your glory in the faces of others. We pray that the glory of your love might shine through us more clearly.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
Hear us as we pray for others: (Time for silent or spoken prayer.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the blessed and holy Trinity. Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Transfiguration
by Katy Stenta
Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a)
In this story, the fullness of Jesus as God is seen by Peter, James, and John.
It was super overwhelming,
like seeing an angel
or talking to God’s very self.
This often happens in the Bible.
Isaiah is overwhelmed when he glimpses God in the Holy of Holies,
and Moses, when he sees God, his face becomes so holy that he has to wear a veil for a while because it reflects God so much!
Here, Peter, James, and John see Jesus as fully God.
Peter is one who talks when he is overwhelmed; I’m sure you know some people are quiet when they are scared, and some people talk.
They all see Jesus and the two greatest prophets and leaders from history: Elijah and Moses,
and Peter blurts out,
“Should we stay and build places to live here and worship?”
And what happens next? God comes
as a cloud and shields them from Jesus’ light.
But that scares the disciples, too.
Then God says, similar to what God says during the baptism: “This is my Son, my chosen; listen to him!”
This is called transfiguration because understanding who Jesus really is changed who Jesus was for Peter, James, and John, and changed the disciples themselves. That change is called transfiguration.
The more you get to know God, the more you change, bit by bit, toward God.
Let’s pray:
Dear God,
Thank you
for letting us
get to know
you
and Jesus
and for
shielding us
when we need it.
Help us
when we
are
overwhelmed.
We pray,
Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, March 2, 2025 issue.
Copyright 2025 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
- Seeing God from the VIP Seats by Mary Austin based on Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a).
- Second Thoughts: Keeping It Real by Dean Feldmeyer. Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom… to speak frankly.
- Sermon illustrations by Tom Willadsen and Chris Keating.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children’s sermon: Transfiguration by Katy Stenta based on Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a).
Seeing God from the VIP Seatsby Mary Austin
Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a)
Pain and suffering are optional this week.
Each year, the Transfiguration Sunday readings offer us a splurge of glory before Lent begins. We get the spiritual version of pancakes, paczkis, and doughnuts before we move into Lent’s persistent call to deeper discipleship. There’s Jesus, appearing with full-on glory, and we see the fullness of the divine being that he is. Seeing Jesus shining with the presence of God builds up our faith for the hard road ahead. To immerse us in this version of Jesus, the lectionary selection for this week offers us only the mountaintop scene. The other verses are in parentheses. You get to choose, the verses say, and you can leave out the pain at the bottom of the mountain.
If only that were true.
In the News
Deportations of immigrants are in the news, although the new president has deported fewer people this month than the previous administration did each month. “Cracking down on illegal border crossings, Biden-era policies, and transnational criminal gangs were key elements of President Donald Trump’s 2024 election campaign, with his promise of mass deportations of over 11 million illegal immigrants seeing widespread support among voters polled before and after the election.” Even if raids on people haven’t increased, fear has.
Even for longtime, legal US citizens, the mood of the country feels precarious. Columnist David Brooks observes, “people don’t like chaos…And, second, people do rely on government, like the Postal Service, SNAP benefits, visiting the National Park Service, and trying to get a passport renewed. Like, if there’s nobody in the office, you’re going to be upset. Finally, I think the big thing is the inflation, that inflation has begun to tick up again. If we have tariffs, it’ll tick up more. If we pass a $4 trillion unpaid-for tax cut, we will overstimulate the economy. Inflation will tick up more.”
More than 200,000 federal workers have been fired without apparent cause, other than cost-cutting or ending DEI programs, across a dozen federal agencies. “Many of those fired have been classified as probationary employees, a status unrelated to job performance. While probationary employees can be recent hires — typically having served in their roles for under one or two years — the status can also apply to long-serving government employees who’ve changed roles or agencies.”
Inflation is on people’s minds, as are tariffs. People are stocking up on household items to prepare, including coffee, maple syrup (best saved in glass jars and can be frozen for a longer shelf life), olive oil, and…dried beans? “In a move that is as practical as it is economical, dozens of readers listed beans (kidney, garbanzo, pinto, navy, and Lima varietals) and lentils among their tariff-related purchases. (It’s worth noting, though, that the United States is among the world’s top dry bean producers, exporting 20% to international markets, according to the US Dry Bean Council.)”
In the Scripture
In one of the most poignant phrases in all of the gospels, Jesus has set his face to go to Jerusalem.
This might be a time for the disciples to hunker down, and yet they’re still on the road with him. At the top of the mountain, Jesus is with Peter, James, and John as his inner being is revealed to them. The brightness of his divine nature, the presence of Moses and Elijah, and the divine voice all make this moment unmistakable. Frederick Buechner says it best: “It is as strange a scene as there is in the gospels. Even without the voice from the cloud to explain it, [the disciples] had no doubt what they were witnessing. It was Jesus of Nazareth all right, the man they’d tramped many a dusty mile with, whose mother and brothers they knew, the one they’d seen as hungry, tired, and footsore as the rest of them. But it was also the Messiah, the Christ, in his glory. It was the holiness of the man shining through his humanness, his face so afire with it they were almost blinded...” [from Whistling in the Dark]
We know what this moment does for the disciples — they’re overwhelmed, and still, they receive something to hold onto through the condemnation and death of Jesus. I wonder if it did the same thing for Jesus? Before the march toward the cross, God reminds Jesus again who he is and where he belongs. Just as the disciples are reminded of who he is, so is Jesus.
The story in the parentheses, the part of the story that we’re allowed to skip, is the part that feels more resonant than ever this Transfiguration Sunday. The disciples at the bottom of the mountain try to apply what they’ve learned from Jesus, and it doesn’t go well. Just one day later, Jesus comes back down from the mountain, and a man calls out to him, asking for healing for his son. The glory fades away as Jesus wades back into the real world of pain and fear. Worse, the disciples tried to help the man and couldn’t.
In his answer, Jesus says, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” Does he mean the disciples? The crowd? The father asking for help? Maybe the transition from mountaintop back to reality isn’t going well for him, either. Is he experiencing a kind of spiritual jet lag?
In the Sermon
The scene at the bottom of the mountain matches our current reality in the United States as we move toward Lent. Uncertainty, sadness, and fear are regular features of our lives now. The anguish of the father mirrors the pain of so many people right now — farmers, laid-off workers, immigrants who are afraid to leave home to go to work, researchers uncertain about future funding, people waiting for news about drug prices, and so much more. In some particular way, each one of us is like the father at the bottom of the mountain. We each need something to ease our pain.
The sermon might explore this sense of despair and our longing for something different. The people at the bottom of the mountain didn’t get the big blast of glory; they’re left with their everyday worries and no boost of hope. The sermon could consider how we live at the bottom of the mountain. What do we, like the father of the boy, need to ask for? How do we sustain our faith?
Or the sermon might talk about what Jesus and the three disciples carried down from the mountain. In Exodus, we hear that Moses’ face shone with the glory of God, even after he left God’s presence. Did Jesus’ face shine a little more brightly? Did the disciples feel like their faith was re-energized? What did they do with the feeling of terror at the top of the mountain? After that, were their expectations ramped up or tamped down after this time in God’s presence? What did they bring back, and what do we carry from our peak spiritual experiences? How do our unusual experiences of God carry us through the ordinary?
After Jesus heals the boy, the story says that “all were astounded at the greatness of God.” The experience at the bottom is a match for the experience at the top and is available to many more people than the select few at the top. The sermon could talk about how incandescent glory is a gift, and so is God’s healing, familiar presence in our routine challenges. We don’t have to be in the VIP seats to see God at work.
SECOND THOUGHTSKeeping It Real
by Dean Feldmeyer
2 Corinthians 3:12--4:1
Christmas afternoon. My 6-year-old grandson, Caleb, approaches me holding a box with his new checkers in it.
Caleb: Pop, do you want to play checkers with me?
Me: Sure, but we’ll have to sit at the table.
Caleb: Why do we have to sit at the table?
Me: Because if I sit on the floor with you, it’s really hard for me to get back up again.
Caleb: (nodding knowingly) That’s because you’re so old, right?
Me: Uh, yeah. That’s why.
Caleb’s a teenager now, and he still tends to speak frankly, saying what’s on his mind. Only now he has a name for it. He calls it “keeping it real” or being “straight up.” I’m not so old that those are unfamiliar phrases to me. However, I recently learned that “keeping it 100” and “no cap” also refer to speaking frankly and honestly. “Lowkey” can mean speaking honestly, too, but in a subtle, gentler way.
Is this what Paul is talking about in 2 Corinthians 3:12--4:2 when he speaks of acting “with complete frankness?” Does he mean just saying whatever occurs to you, blurting out whatever comes to mind without a thought to how heavily and upon whom the words fall? We excuse that when children do it because they haven’t learned to weigh and measure what they say and how it affects those around them. When they become teenagers, we expect them to practice a little more discretion in their speech. And as adults, we hope they will take full responsibility for the things that come out of their mouths.
But what does all this have to do with being disciples of Jesus Christ?
In the News/Culture
How do we say what’s on our minds and needs to be said?
Some people can’t bring themselves to speak up until they’re angry or upset about something. Then they explode into a whirlwind of toxic rhetoric and vindictiveness, plunging the room into a dark silence.
Passive-aggressive people couch what they say in seemingly polite or positive language that is actually negative and critical: “Oh, don’t worry about it; I’ll just do it myself. I always do. No, really, I don’t mind.” Or “Just do whatever you want; you always do, and it usually turns out okay. Usually.”
Some disingenuous souls speak so softly and quietly that they must be asked to repeat themselves over and over, and we hesitate to disagree with them for fear of hurting their feelings.
Bullies flood the room with a torrent of oratory, bombast, and hyperbole intended to intimidate anyone from bringing a different point of view.
Others use words, especially obscenities, as weapons — cudgels and clubs used to pound others into submission.
Of course, politicians seem to have raised the use of rhetorical manipulations like half-truths, broad generalities, and plain old misleading statements to near art forms. Straw man misrepresentations are common. Ad mominem attacks have become normal. False dilemmas and slippery slopes abound. Red herrings and bandwagons are commonplace. Circular reasoning is offered as self-evident, and appeals to ignorance are presented as common sense.
In the church, we have learned to duck and cover when we hear someone announce that they are going to “speak the truth in love,” because we know that what follows is often brutal honesty that might have been spoken in a kinder, more empathetic way or, better yet, not at all.
So, what does Paul’s advice to the Corinthians have to say to us about how we use the gift of speech to spread the good news of Jesus Christ?
In the Scripture
What we refer to as Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth (scholars believe that there were probably several others) shows a church in turmoil. There are bitter arguments going on and disagreements about polity, practice, and theology that have the community, it is not an exaggeration to say, on the verge of collapse.
Many biblical scholars agree that the Corinthian church was made up of a majority of Gentiles, and it is possible that Paul’s authority there is being challenged by Jewish Christians who have recently arrived and insist that, in order to be Christians, Gentiles must first become Jews. Paul’s instructions about Jewish/Gentile relations in the church, they say, are sadly out of touch with the present reality.
Word of this troubling challenge to his ministry has come to Paul, and this letter is, at least in part, his response. In it, he defends himself, his ministry, his authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ, and his teaching since the church in Corinth was founded.
In this passage we read this morning (2 Corinthians 3:12--4:2), Paul compares Moses and Jesus as bringers of God’s word.
Moses brought the Law, chiseled in stone and promising death to those who didn’t heed it, as the people found out soon enough with the whole calf of God incident. His experience with the burning bush on the mountaintop was so compelling that it changed his face so that it glowed like a beacon of light.
Moses put a veil over his face so the people could approach him and look upon him without being blinded by the light that was coming from his face; later, that same veil hid the fact that the light was beginning to fade.
Jesus brings not law chiseled in stone but grace written on the hearts of those who hear him and follow him. The light that Jesus brings is not the kind that needs to be hidden behind a veil. It is out in the open. It illuminates all of life and casts away darkness and shadows, fantasies, fallacies, and illusions. It is good news!
In fact, Paul says to the Corinthian Christians that nothing about us — the things we say and do — must be veiled. We can live and speak boldly, openly, and honestly about the Lord who brings us grace, peace, love, and hope. A timid response to the troublemakers who have come into the church is not appropriate. The truth of God’s grace and acceptance must be spoken and demonstrated with courage and clarity.
Is this a license to speak frankly about anything and everything that crosses our mind? Of course not. Paul is addressing how we talk about and live out our faith in God and God’s Son, Jesus, who is the Christ, the prince of peace, and the author of grace. This we do with confidence and courage. This we do with purpose and passion — not as a condemnation of those who disagree with us, but as a witness of how grace has transformed us and reshaped our lives.
In the Sermon
Most human groups have initiation rituals, some formal and some casual — swearing an oath, drinking a toast, learning and reciting a story or a behavioral code. In some contexts, however, initiation rituals go to extremes in the form of ragging or hazing, a ritualized form of abuse and humiliation used to initiate newcomers into a group. Hazing is initiation rites run amok.
Ancient records show that hazing was practiced in Roman and Greek societies and has continued into modern times, especially but not exclusively, among young men in fraternal and military organizations. Anthropologists and psychologists theorize that hazing may have evolved to test the commitment and loyalty of newcomers, ensuring they are dedicated to the group. Others believe it serves to create a sense of belonging and identity among group members; the more difficult the initiation, the more elite the organization.
Despite efforts to curb hazing through laws and anti-hazing policies and programs, it remains a widespread practice in many parts of the world, and people continue to be injured — some seriously, some even killed — in hazing incidents.
Cases of hazing gone unchecked occasionally appear in the news. Last August, Danny Santulli, a former University of Missouri student, was left blind, paralyzed, and wheelchair-bound after a hazing ritual. Danny, a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, ingested such large volumes of alcohol that he was rendered permanently blind and unable to speak or walk. Another fraternity member who was assigned to accompany Danny and see to it that he wasn’t hurt was sentenced to six months in jail and six months of probation for failing to stop the hazing when it went too far.
The Christian church has had, from its inception, initiation rituals. Baptism comes to mind. In the book of Acts, we are told that members of the earliest church sold all their possessions and lived together in a common community. In other accounts, one of the main divisions in the church was about whether Gentile men should be required to undergo circumcision and convert to Judaism before they could become Christians.
One wonders if a contemporary college fraternity that required circumcision as an initiation rite would be considered abusive. Paul simply called it unnecessary. He spoke of “circumcision of the heart” as the only circumcision that was necessary for authentic conversion to Christianity, yet those who didn’t undergo the painful initiation rite were often considered by Jewish Christians to be second-class members of the Christian community.
Paul calls us to speak and act unapologetically, boldly, and honestly, regardless of what initiation rite we have or have not gone through — circumcision or not, adult baptism or infant baptism, baptism by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling. And he calls us to speak not just about ourselves, our opinions, our ideas. The boldness to which he calls us refers to our witness: how we speak about and live out the unconditional love and acceptance that God offers to us and its effect upon our lives.
We are speakers and doers of God’s love as it comes to us in Jesus Christ. We share our story in both words and actions as vessels of grace at work, at school, at home, and in the community, sharing our witness with our families, our friends, our neighbors, and our co-workers.
And when someone comes among us who insists that our salvation is inauthentic because it wasn’t purchased with some ritual or some act, some behavior of human invention, we can stand and boldly say them nay. Our salvation has already been purchased on the cross by no less a person than the Son of God himself, Jesus the Christ.
It is by our faith in God’s grace as it comes to us in his life, death, and resurrection that we keep it real.
Amen.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Tom Willadsen:Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a)
Mountaintop Experiences
I grew up in Central Illinois — a very flat place. Still, I was very fortunate in terms of topography because the Illinois River flows right past my hometown, and the bluffs overlooking Upper Peoria Lake and Lower Peoria Lake — extremely wide spots in the river — offered a beautiful view of the valley. The bluffs were hardly mountains, but it didn’t take much elevation to create a panorama.
Teddy Roosevelt toured Grandview Drive and called it “The World’s Most Beautiful Drive.” Peoria’s oldest radio station’s call letters are WMBD. We’re proud of our relative mountaintop.
It is said that Dan Fogelberg composed the song “Illinois,” which appears on his 1974 album Souvenirs, one evening while watching night fall on Grandview Drive.
When Japanese automaker Mitsubishi opened a plant in Bloomington, about 40 miles east of Peoria, there were rumors that the Japanese executives would drive to Peoria because at least we had hills. Take that, Bloomington!
All this is to say that one does not need to climb a high mountain to see a long way. Just being off, away from people, and what is familiar and ordinary can help a person see and imagine new things.
* * *
Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)
Don’t talk
Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not realizing what he was saying.
Mark Twain said, “Never miss an opportunity to shut up.”
Sylvan Engel said, “It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.”
In today’s gospel reading, Peter spoke, “not realizing what he was saying.”
The wisdom of silence appears in popular songs of my salad days also.
The chorus of “Don’t Speak,” by No Doubt, written by Gwen and Eric Stefani, goes
Don’t speak
I know just what you’re sayin’
So please stop explainin’
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts
Don’t speak
I know what you’re thinkin’
I don’t need your reasons
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts
A lover trying to avoid the pain of a breakup is captured in that desire for silence.
In the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” David Byrne sings
You start a conversation
You can’t even finish it
You’re talking a lot
But you’re not saying anything
When I have nothing to say
My lips are sealed
Say something once, why say it again?
Finally, there’s “Don’t Talk,” by 10,000 Maniacs, where the survivor of a relationship with domestic abuse sings
Don’t talk, you keep your distance
For I’d rather hear some truth tonight than entertain your lies
So take your poison silently.
Let me be. Let me close my eyes.
Don’t talk, I’ll believe it.
* * *
Exodus 34:29-35
Moses had horns???
The Hebrew term קרן, which is the verb in Exodus 34:29 rendered as “shone” in the NRSV (and “was radiant” in other translations), is related to the noun with the same Hebrew consonants for “horn.” The Latin translation of the Hebrew, which Michelangelo used, rendered the term as “horned,” giving rise to this famous sculpture.
Upon looking at the sculpture, I cannot picture how the artist could have conveyed “was radiant” in stone, but it is a lastingly unfortunate misreading of the text.
* * *
Exodus 34:29-35
A veil
The Hebrew word for “veil” in 34:35, הממוח, appears only here. The divine glory is dangerous to look upon, even when reflected. Still, Moses wore the veil to protect the people but removed it when speaking to the Lord.
Different Hebrew terms are used for the veil a bride wears, as well as for the one Leah wore when she was substituted for Rachel in Genesis 29. The curtain that separates the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple is also referred to by another term.
* * * * * *
From team member Chris Keating:Exodus 34:29-35
Moses’ alarming transformation
As Moses descends from the mountain, the change in his appearance scares Aaron and others. Apparently, he forgot to tuck a mirror into his daypack, because the writer of Exodus notes that Moses did not even know his face was shining.
These days, the crowd would have guessed he’d been visiting a celebrity glamour doctor to have a little work done. Last month, for example, fans of actor Kathy Bates were so shocked by her Ozempic-enhanced weight loss that some assumed she was seriously ill. When Bates appeared at the Golden Globe Awards, she seemed gaunt and shaky. “Is Kathy Bates ill?” some asked. Others commented that she looked “radiant” and pointed to her 100-pound weight loss, some of which was the result of taking Ozempic for her type 2 diabetes.
Meanwhile, glamour writers note that certain aesthetic trends in plastic surgery are changing the way people approach aging. One writer says much of this is being propelled by Ozempic, which, she says, “has arguably shoved ‘skinny’ back into our national conscience,” despite a prominent focus on body positivity in recent years. Gen Xers in particular, writes Elizabeth Siegel, are seeking out treatments to avoid looking matronly, including breast lifts, implant removals, liposuction, and a determined quest for sharper jawlines and sculpted cheekbones.
So, spill the tea, Moses. Did your holy-face radiance and glimmer really come from meeting God, or did you stop by a Hollywood plastic surgeon while you were up on the mountain?
* * *
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2
Transformed from one degree of glory to the next
A few days before her 61st birthday, writer Anne Lamott started making a list of everything she knew for sure. She was prompted by the awareness that while she thinks of herself as still being in her 40s, the paperwork points out the truth that she was born in 1954. “I’m every age I’ve ever been,” Lamott writes, “and so are you, although I can’t help mentioning as an aside that it might have been helpful if I hadn’t followed the skin care rules of the ’60s, which involved getting as much sun as possible while slathered in baby oil and basking in the glow of a tinfoil reflector shield.”
Liberated by this truth, she began a candid conversation with herself. Her list of twelve truths she learned from life and writing was the subject of a TED Talk she gave in 2019. It reads like an application of Paul’s exhortation that we are transformed from one degree of glory to the next, including this particularly pithy explanation of grace (number ten on her list):
Grace is spiritual WD-40, or water wings. The mystery of grace is that God loves Henry Kissinger and Vladimir Putin and me exactly as much as he or she loves your new grandchild. Go figure.
The movement of grace is what changes us, heals us, and heals our world. To summon grace, say, “Help,” and then buckle up. Grace finds you exactly where you are, but it doesn’t leave you where it found you. And grace won’t look like Casper the Friendly Ghost, regrettably. But the phone will ring or the mail will come, and then against all odds, you’ll get your sense of humor about yourself back. Laughter really is carbonated holiness. It helps us breathe again and again and gives us back to ourselves, and this gives us faith in life and each other. And remember — grace always bats last.
* * *
Luke 9:28-36
Listen here!
Jesus’ transfiguration is completed by God’s voice booming out yet another declaration of Christ’s sonship. In the terror of the holy cloud, God’s voice overwhelms the disciples, declaring, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him.”
Luke is reiterating a pattern set forth from the early moments of the gospel: God speaks and calls us to listen. It’s also a pattern we saw repeated this week as Republican congressional members were pelted with questions from angry constituents during town hall meetings. The voters were angry and loud, but the question remains: were their elected representatives listening?
It’s possible. Rep. Rich McCormick, a Republican from Georgia, for example, was confronted by an angry crowd in his deeply conservative district. McCormick said that based on the reaction he experienced, he’ll be reaching out to Elon Musk to urge him “to show more compassion” as Musk enacts Draconian budget cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency. The Congressman also told NBC News that he intends to “bend” President Trump’s ear a bit on those issues.
NBC reported that the heat generated by testy town hall crowds has encouraged them to speak out more about the layoffs proposed by DOGE and supported by President Donald Trump. Others, however, say they are remaining supportive of Musk’s work, even though they faced hostile crowds in their previously friendly districts. Rep. Kevin Hern from Oklahoma noted he plans to continue supporting DOGE, though he’s willing to keep listening to his constituents.
* * * * * *
WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship
One: Our God reigns! Let all people tremble in awe.
All: God sits enthroned upon the cherubim.
One: Mighty sovereign, lover of justice, you have established equity.
All: You have executed justice and righteousness for your people.
One: Extol our holy God and worship at God’s footstool
All: Praise our God and offer worship for God is holy.
OR
One: Come and hear what God has to say to us today.
All: We open our ears and our hearts to the voice of God.
One: It may come in a song, a scripture, a sermon, or a face.
All: We anticipate that God will speak and we will listen.
One: As we seek the God who seeks us we will not be disappointed.
All: In joy we come to meet with our God and Savior.
Hymns and Songs
O Wondrous Sight! O Vision Fair
UMH: 258
H82: 136/137
PH: 75
GTG: 189
NCH: 184
LBW: 80
ELW: 316
Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above
UMH: 126
H82: 408
PH: 483
GTG: 645
NCH: 6
CH: 6
W&P: 56
Renew: 52
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
UMH: 154/155
H82: 450/451
PH: 142/143
GTG: 263
AAHH: 292/293/394
NNBH: 3/5
NCH: 304
CH: 91/92
LBW: 328/329
ELW: 634
W&P: 100/106
AMEC: 4/5/6
Renew: 45
Jesus Shall Reign
UMH: 157
H82: 544
PH: 423
GTG: 265
NNBH: 10
NCH: 300
CH: 95
LBW: 530
ELW: 434
W&P: 341
AMEC: 96
Renew: 296
Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies
UMH: 173
H82: 6/7
PH: 462/463
GTG: 662
LBW: 265
ELW: 553
W&P: 91
When Morning Gilds the Skies
UMH: 185
H82: 427
PH: 487
GTG: 667
AAHH: 186
NCH: 86
CH: 100
LBW: 545/546
ELW: 853
W&P: 111
AMEC: 29
Fairest Lord Jesus
UMH: 189
H82: 383/384
PH: 306
GTG: 630
NNBH: 75
NCH: 44
CH: 97
W&P: 123
AMEC: 95
Renew: 156
Open My Eyes, That I May See
UMH: 454
PH: 324
GTG: 451
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
Holy Spirit, Truth Divine
UMH: 465
PH: 321
NCH: 63
CH: 241
LBW: 257
Trust and Obey
UMH: 467
AAHH: 380
NNBH: 322
CH: 556
W&P: 443
AMEC: 377
Shine, Jesus, Shine
CCB: 81
Renew: 247
More Precious than Silver
CCB: 25
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God whose glory shines through all creation:
Grant us the faith to see your glory in Jesus the Christ
so that we might see it in all your children;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God whose glory shines through all creation. All that you have called into being reflects your majesty. Help us to see your glory in Jesus the Christ so that we might also see it in all your children. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially when we fail to see the glory you are showing us.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have closed our eyes to your glory. All creation sings of your presence and rejoices in you but do not see it. You sent the Christ to reveal yourself to us and we choose to listen to others and ignore his teachings. Our behavior is based more on our politics than on our faith. Forgive us and open our eyes that we might clearly see your glory in Jesus Christ and live as his true disciples. Amen.
One: God is ever ready to show us the glory of God’s presence in our world. As we open our eyes and our hearts God will be seen all around us.
Prayers of the People
We bring to you, O God, our songs of praise and adoration. You are the center of all that is and yet beyond it. Your glory is more than we can perceive.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have closed our eyes to your glory. All creation sings of your presence and rejoices in you but do not see it. You sent the Christ to reveal yourself to us and we choose to listen to others and ignore his teachings. Our behavior is based more on our politics than on our faith. Forgive us and open our eyes that we might clearly see your glory in Jesus Christ and live as his true disciples.
We give you thanks for all the blessings of this life and, especially, for those times when we are open to your glory all around us. We thank you for the light of scripture and the faithful one who have reflected you both through the ages and in our own lives. Your blessings are rich and deep, and we are grateful.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for your children in their need. We lift up those who are put down because others cannot see your glory in them. We pray for the poor, the hungry, those without housing, and those in want. We pray for those who are victims of hatred and violence. We pray for those who cannot see your glory in the faces of others. We pray that the glory of your love might shine through us more clearly.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
Hear us as we pray for others: (Time for silent or spoken prayer.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the blessed and holy Trinity. Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN’S SERMONTransfiguration
by Katy Stenta
Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a)
In this story, the fullness of Jesus as God is seen by Peter, James, and John.
It was super overwhelming,
like seeing an angel
or talking to God’s very self.
This often happens in the Bible.
Isaiah is overwhelmed when he glimpses God in the Holy of Holies,
and Moses, when he sees God, his face becomes so holy that he has to wear a veil for a while because it reflects God so much!
Here, Peter, James, and John see Jesus as fully God.
Peter is one who talks when he is overwhelmed; I’m sure you know some people are quiet when they are scared, and some people talk.
They all see Jesus and the two greatest prophets and leaders from history: Elijah and Moses,
and Peter blurts out,
“Should we stay and build places to live here and worship?”
And what happens next? God comes
as a cloud and shields them from Jesus’ light.
But that scares the disciples, too.
Then God says, similar to what God says during the baptism: “This is my Son, my chosen; listen to him!”
This is called transfiguration because understanding who Jesus really is changed who Jesus was for Peter, James, and John, and changed the disciples themselves. That change is called transfiguration.
The more you get to know God, the more you change, bit by bit, toward God.
Let’s pray:
Dear God,
Thank you
for letting us
get to know
you
and Jesus
and for
shielding us
when we need it.
Help us
when we
are
overwhelmed.
We pray,
Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, March 2, 2025 issue.
Copyright 2025 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
