Sermon Illustrations For Transfiguration Sunday (2023)
Illustration
Exodus 24:12-18
One of my favorite places to vacation is in Smoky Mountain National Park outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I’ve been there several times, but never grow tired of it. I can remember being there early in the morning, standing at a lookout point, and seeing the fog roll through the valley. It is truly a testament to the Creator. One cannot help but be overcome by the glory of creation.
I can’t read this passage and not think of those days in eastern Tennessee. As glorious as the scene was in the Smokey Mountains, it does not compare to the glory that Moses experienced on Mt. Sinai. The glory of the Lord settled there like a devouring fire. It had to be a breath-taking time for Moses. Whenever we are in the presence of his glory, things never look the same. Experience the glory of God.
Bill T.
* * *
Exodus 24:12-18
Linking Christ to the Old Testament and the law of God makes good sense in this lesson, especially on Transfiguration Sunday. Martin Luther once made this point crystal clear. He wrote:
Thus we see that the law and prophets, too, cannot be preached or recognized properly, unless we see Christ wrapped up in the scriptures... for Christ must first be heard in the gospel and then one sees how beautifully the entire Old Testament is attuned solely to him. (Luther’s Works, Vol. 52, p. 22)
John Calvin made a similar point, claiming that “for the law is in itself bright, but it is only when Christ appears to us in it, that we enjoy its splendor.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XX/2, p. 183). Further elaborating on Christ’s work in connection with this he observes, “Christ, however, by regenerating us, gives life the law, and shows h imself to be the fountain of life, as all vital functions proceed from man’s soul.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XX/2, p.185)
Mark E.
* * *
Exodus 24:12-18
On this visit to the mountain, God declares to Moses that he will be given stone tablets inscribed with the words God has spoken. This act of inscribing in stone reflects the permanence of the gift of God’s law. In the same way we expect, or at least hope, that the permanence of our love is reflected in words inscribed on tombstones.
A few years ago, I heard about this epitaph from Egypt, written 1,700 years ago. It’s a small limestone block that tells an interesting story.
(Here lies) Ama Helene, a Jew, in peace and blessing She loves the orphans. Her path for around sixty years was one of mercy and blessing. In this she prospered. (Author’s translation)
There are some questions surrounding this inscription. Helene was neither a Christian nor Jewish name. It was associated with Helen of Troy, whose face launched a thousand ships and whose abduction ignited the Trojan War, causing the deaths of thousands and a civilization’s ruin...
The Helene of the inscription presents a stark contrast. She’s identified as “a Jew” but though there had been a thriving Jewish population in Egypt a century earlier, it had largely been wiped out after the Jewish Revolt of 115-117 AD. So, was she Jewish, or Judean (it’s the same word in Greek) which could mean a person of any nationality from Judea, who later moved to Egypt?
“Ama” was a Christian term of honor for women who served in God’s ministries. Whether Jew or Christian she was admired enough to be given the title.
There are other questions. Was she married? Widowed? Rich or impoverished? Was she an orphan who therefore cared especially for orphans? Had she been a mother who lost her children in childbirth, or to disease, or the many other dangers of that era? Was that what fueled her passion for orphans?
Whoever this woman was, she seems to have been extraordinary. For one thing, she lived a long time, around 60 years, during an era when life expectancy was around twenty-five to thirty years. More important, in “mercy and blessing” she served orphans during much of those six decades. In that era people died of disease and accidents with great frequency. There was no safety net for orphans beyond what a person like Helene might do.
The only thing we can be sure of is she made care for orphans her life’s work. Her efforts were so extraordinary that when she died the population of a small town along the Nile created a memorial to her.
True fame isn’t necessarily found on the covers of glossy magazines sold near the checkout lines at grocery stores. We are living through very difficult times and we have had to make difficult choices, but as you take stock of what’s happened, try to think of what legacy you are leaving behind, and what people might say in your epitaph!
Frank R.
* * *
2 Peter 1:16-21
Martin Luther was expositing on the meaning of the Transfiguration light emanating from Christ, and he proclaimed:
If a person were imprisoned in a house in the dead of night, when it is pitch-dark, it would be necessary to kindle a light to enable him to see until the break of day. In this way, the gospel truly shines in the dead of night and in darkness, for all human reason is mere error blindness...
Thus, this text is also strongly opposed to all human doctrine, for since the Word of God is the light in a dark and gloomy place, it follows that all else is darkness. (What Luther Says, p.1492)
Famed modern theologian Karl Barth elaborates on the lordship of Christ revealed in this festival. On that matter he wrote:
Of course, this basis of Christ’s lordship leads us into mystery. Here is something objective, an order which is set high above us and apart from us, an order to which man must subject himself, which he must acknowledge, of which he can only hear, and must be obedient to it... In this one man, God sees every man, all of us are known and seen by God. (Dogmatic in Outline, pp.90-91)
Elsewhere Barth elaborates on the mystery of this miracle:
When the Word of God meets us, we are laden with the images, ideas, and certainties which we ourselves have formed about God, the world, and ourselves. In the fog of this intellectual life of ours the Word of God, which is clear in itself, always becomes obscure. It can become clear to us only when this fog breaks and dissolves. ... If the Word of God is to become clear to us, we cannot ascribe to them the same worth as we do to it. (Church Dogmatics, Vol.I/2, p.716)
The Transfiguration reminds us we need to stop making God and Christ in our own image.
Mark E.
* * *
2 Peter 1:16-21
The proclamation of believers is still met with skepticism. The eyewitnesses proclaim what they have seen and experienced and still some will not believe them. When I was in seminary, I had a vision of Jesus during a guided meditation. I have shared this vision of Jesus with many people as it was a transitional moment for me. I was able, after this experience, to more readily accept that I am a sinner and that my sins are forgiven by God. I am sure some people didn’t believe me. I am sure some doubt my witness. And that’s okay. The message of my vision of Jesus transformed me and I think, has transformed some others. As it is said, “those with eyes will see.” I am thankful for that. I hope all of us will open our eyes to see the wonderful transformation that comes through faith.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Matthew 17:1-9
Henry Drummond, the Scottish theologian once said, “God does not make the mountains in order to be inhabited. God does not make the mountaintops for us to live on the mountaintops. It is not God’s desire that we live on the mountaintops. We only ascend to the heights to catch a broader vision of the earthly surroundings below. But we don’t live there. We don’t tarry there. The streams begin in the uplands, but these streams descend quickly to gladden the valleys below.”
I thought of this quote when thinking about the Transfiguration. When Peter, James and John were with Jesus on the high mountain, they were overcome when he was transfigured. Peter proposed setting up three tents and making it a place of worship. Peter is interrupted by a voice from heaven. They are challenged to obey, then Jesus takes them down the mountain. There is work to be done, not on the heights, but below.
The glory of Jesus is real. There will come a day when all we will do is bask in his glory. Until then, we have work to do in the valley.
Bill T.
* * *
Matthew 17:1-9
Aaron Milovic, in his lengthy book on the slim volume known as the Didache or The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, suggests that the prophets who traveled from church to church in the first Christian century were those who had passed through fire themselves — transfigured by economic misfortune and persecution. These individuals would travel to a house church and stay only a night or two in order to tell their story. That house church was an island, a group of committed individuals engaged in a shared business, a craft that put food on the table and kept body and soul together. They struggled to afford to extend hospitality to transfigured guests in hopes of being transformed themselves. And when we as churches experience transfigured visitors who bring the blast furnace of their experiences in minister, can we say also, “That’s Jesus!” When the sufferings of these traveling prophets breathe new life into our spirits can’t we say, “That’s Jesus!”
(From the author’s book No Room For The Inn, CSS 2022)
Frank R.
One of my favorite places to vacation is in Smoky Mountain National Park outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I’ve been there several times, but never grow tired of it. I can remember being there early in the morning, standing at a lookout point, and seeing the fog roll through the valley. It is truly a testament to the Creator. One cannot help but be overcome by the glory of creation.
I can’t read this passage and not think of those days in eastern Tennessee. As glorious as the scene was in the Smokey Mountains, it does not compare to the glory that Moses experienced on Mt. Sinai. The glory of the Lord settled there like a devouring fire. It had to be a breath-taking time for Moses. Whenever we are in the presence of his glory, things never look the same. Experience the glory of God.
Bill T.
* * *
Exodus 24:12-18
Linking Christ to the Old Testament and the law of God makes good sense in this lesson, especially on Transfiguration Sunday. Martin Luther once made this point crystal clear. He wrote:
Thus we see that the law and prophets, too, cannot be preached or recognized properly, unless we see Christ wrapped up in the scriptures... for Christ must first be heard in the gospel and then one sees how beautifully the entire Old Testament is attuned solely to him. (Luther’s Works, Vol. 52, p. 22)
John Calvin made a similar point, claiming that “for the law is in itself bright, but it is only when Christ appears to us in it, that we enjoy its splendor.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XX/2, p. 183). Further elaborating on Christ’s work in connection with this he observes, “Christ, however, by regenerating us, gives life the law, and shows h imself to be the fountain of life, as all vital functions proceed from man’s soul.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XX/2, p.185)
Mark E.
* * *
Exodus 24:12-18
On this visit to the mountain, God declares to Moses that he will be given stone tablets inscribed with the words God has spoken. This act of inscribing in stone reflects the permanence of the gift of God’s law. In the same way we expect, or at least hope, that the permanence of our love is reflected in words inscribed on tombstones.
A few years ago, I heard about this epitaph from Egypt, written 1,700 years ago. It’s a small limestone block that tells an interesting story.
(Here lies) Ama Helene, a Jew, in peace and blessing She loves the orphans. Her path for around sixty years was one of mercy and blessing. In this she prospered. (Author’s translation)
There are some questions surrounding this inscription. Helene was neither a Christian nor Jewish name. It was associated with Helen of Troy, whose face launched a thousand ships and whose abduction ignited the Trojan War, causing the deaths of thousands and a civilization’s ruin...
The Helene of the inscription presents a stark contrast. She’s identified as “a Jew” but though there had been a thriving Jewish population in Egypt a century earlier, it had largely been wiped out after the Jewish Revolt of 115-117 AD. So, was she Jewish, or Judean (it’s the same word in Greek) which could mean a person of any nationality from Judea, who later moved to Egypt?
“Ama” was a Christian term of honor for women who served in God’s ministries. Whether Jew or Christian she was admired enough to be given the title.
There are other questions. Was she married? Widowed? Rich or impoverished? Was she an orphan who therefore cared especially for orphans? Had she been a mother who lost her children in childbirth, or to disease, or the many other dangers of that era? Was that what fueled her passion for orphans?
Whoever this woman was, she seems to have been extraordinary. For one thing, she lived a long time, around 60 years, during an era when life expectancy was around twenty-five to thirty years. More important, in “mercy and blessing” she served orphans during much of those six decades. In that era people died of disease and accidents with great frequency. There was no safety net for orphans beyond what a person like Helene might do.
The only thing we can be sure of is she made care for orphans her life’s work. Her efforts were so extraordinary that when she died the population of a small town along the Nile created a memorial to her.
True fame isn’t necessarily found on the covers of glossy magazines sold near the checkout lines at grocery stores. We are living through very difficult times and we have had to make difficult choices, but as you take stock of what’s happened, try to think of what legacy you are leaving behind, and what people might say in your epitaph!
Frank R.
* * *
2 Peter 1:16-21
Martin Luther was expositing on the meaning of the Transfiguration light emanating from Christ, and he proclaimed:
If a person were imprisoned in a house in the dead of night, when it is pitch-dark, it would be necessary to kindle a light to enable him to see until the break of day. In this way, the gospel truly shines in the dead of night and in darkness, for all human reason is mere error blindness...
Thus, this text is also strongly opposed to all human doctrine, for since the Word of God is the light in a dark and gloomy place, it follows that all else is darkness. (What Luther Says, p.1492)
Famed modern theologian Karl Barth elaborates on the lordship of Christ revealed in this festival. On that matter he wrote:
Of course, this basis of Christ’s lordship leads us into mystery. Here is something objective, an order which is set high above us and apart from us, an order to which man must subject himself, which he must acknowledge, of which he can only hear, and must be obedient to it... In this one man, God sees every man, all of us are known and seen by God. (Dogmatic in Outline, pp.90-91)
Elsewhere Barth elaborates on the mystery of this miracle:
When the Word of God meets us, we are laden with the images, ideas, and certainties which we ourselves have formed about God, the world, and ourselves. In the fog of this intellectual life of ours the Word of God, which is clear in itself, always becomes obscure. It can become clear to us only when this fog breaks and dissolves. ... If the Word of God is to become clear to us, we cannot ascribe to them the same worth as we do to it. (Church Dogmatics, Vol.I/2, p.716)
The Transfiguration reminds us we need to stop making God and Christ in our own image.
Mark E.
* * *
2 Peter 1:16-21
The proclamation of believers is still met with skepticism. The eyewitnesses proclaim what they have seen and experienced and still some will not believe them. When I was in seminary, I had a vision of Jesus during a guided meditation. I have shared this vision of Jesus with many people as it was a transitional moment for me. I was able, after this experience, to more readily accept that I am a sinner and that my sins are forgiven by God. I am sure some people didn’t believe me. I am sure some doubt my witness. And that’s okay. The message of my vision of Jesus transformed me and I think, has transformed some others. As it is said, “those with eyes will see.” I am thankful for that. I hope all of us will open our eyes to see the wonderful transformation that comes through faith.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Matthew 17:1-9
Henry Drummond, the Scottish theologian once said, “God does not make the mountains in order to be inhabited. God does not make the mountaintops for us to live on the mountaintops. It is not God’s desire that we live on the mountaintops. We only ascend to the heights to catch a broader vision of the earthly surroundings below. But we don’t live there. We don’t tarry there. The streams begin in the uplands, but these streams descend quickly to gladden the valleys below.”
I thought of this quote when thinking about the Transfiguration. When Peter, James and John were with Jesus on the high mountain, they were overcome when he was transfigured. Peter proposed setting up three tents and making it a place of worship. Peter is interrupted by a voice from heaven. They are challenged to obey, then Jesus takes them down the mountain. There is work to be done, not on the heights, but below.
The glory of Jesus is real. There will come a day when all we will do is bask in his glory. Until then, we have work to do in the valley.
Bill T.
* * *
Matthew 17:1-9
Aaron Milovic, in his lengthy book on the slim volume known as the Didache or The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, suggests that the prophets who traveled from church to church in the first Christian century were those who had passed through fire themselves — transfigured by economic misfortune and persecution. These individuals would travel to a house church and stay only a night or two in order to tell their story. That house church was an island, a group of committed individuals engaged in a shared business, a craft that put food on the table and kept body and soul together. They struggled to afford to extend hospitality to transfigured guests in hopes of being transformed themselves. And when we as churches experience transfigured visitors who bring the blast furnace of their experiences in minister, can we say also, “That’s Jesus!” When the sufferings of these traveling prophets breathe new life into our spirits can’t we say, “That’s Jesus!”
(From the author’s book No Room For The Inn, CSS 2022)
Frank R.
