Jesus is God's beloved son. In our worship today, let us listen to him.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, take away any fears and terrors which prevent you reaching us.
Lord, have mercy.Jesus, enable us to hear you even when clouds overshadow us.
Christ, have mercy.Jesus, transfigure our lives.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Mark 9:2-9
Six days later, Jesus took with
him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by
themselves. And he was transfigured before them, [3] and his clothes became
dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. [4] And there
appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. [5] Then Peter
said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three
dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." [6] He did not know
what to say, for they were terrified. [7] Then a cloud overshadowed them, and
from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to
him!" [8] Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more,
but only Jesus. [9] As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to
tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from
the dead.
Story:
Simon Peter has a complex mix of emotions on this incredible occasion of the Transfiguration of Jesus. He was terrified yet awed, unable to think coherently but wanting to hang onto the moment. He didn't know what to say and blurted out something ridiculous. This is a very human reaction, and one which is illustrated in today's story.
Jilly's Evening
Jilly was incredibly excited, but also bewildered. It was her first visit to the circus, and she was the only person from the whole school to be there. What's more, she was the guest of honour. Jilly wasn't quite sure what that meant, but it sounded very important. Some famous person had drawn Jilly's name out of a hat, and that meant she was a competition winner. Jilly wasn't sure what competition it was, but she didn't mind. She was just thrilled to be there.
Jilly settled down in her front row seat, watching open-mouthed as the trapeze artistes swung high above her head on the roof of the Big Top, and laughing out loud at the clowns. She loved the bareback riding and the acrobatics and all the fun and colour and music. And she was particularly impressed by the ring master in his scarlet coat and his black top hat and boots. He carried a whip which he cracked, making Jilly jump.
When the show was nearly over, the ring master came over to Jilly and held out his hand. Jilly didn't know what he wanted. She blushed deep red and hung her head, but the ring master caught her hand and pulled her to her feet. He led her to the centre of the sawdust circus ring, where Jilly wished the floor would open up and swallow her. She lifted her gaze just enough to see thousands of faces staring at her, and suddenly she felt sick.
Then she realised that the ring master was talking to her, and holding a microphone in front of her mouth, waiting for her answer. The ringmaster repeated his question, "What's your name? Will you tell the people why you're here?" and looked at her expectantly. Jilly couldn't speak. It was if her brain wouldn't make any sense at all of the questions. She began to panic and blurted out the answer she always used if she was in trouble, "Don't know!"
The audience tittered. Jilly felt very foolish, but the ring master winked at her and answered the questions himself. "This is Jilly, ladies and gentlemen," he said, "and she's a very important person today because she won a competition to be here this evening. Let's have a round of applause for Jilly."
Everybody clapped loudly and Jilly began to feel much better. As the ringmaster led her back to her seat, she wished the moment could go on forever, she felt so proud.
When she got home, her parents wanted to know all about her special day. But Jilly couldn't answer. It had all been so special and so overwhelming that for the moment, she needed to keep it deep inside herself. One day she'd tell her parents all about her special day, but not just now. For the time being she needed to keep it all to herself, and enjoy it inside herself, all over again.
Activity:
You need:
A flip chart or whiteboard
Felt tip pens
A
large sheet of paper
Talk to the children about the story of the transfiguration. Ask them if anyone knows what the word "transfiguration" means. Brainstorm the answers, and put them on the flipchart or whiteboard. Ask the children for any other words they think describe any part of the scene (they might come up with radiance, shining, white, but also uncertainty, cloud etc.) Put all the words on the flipchart or whiteboard. Then ask the children whether people's lives today can be transfigured by God/Jesus? Can their own lives be transfigured? Help them to compose a prayer using some of the words on the flipchart.
Write the prayer in beautiful writing in the middle of the large sheet of paper, and get the children to illustrate it from their own imaginations, all around the prayer. If the sheet of paper is big enough, they should all be able to work on this together. Finally, if you can, display the finished paper in church.
Diary Time: For details, click here.
The children could draw a special treat that has meant a lot to them. Talk with them about any times when they've felt foolish or embarrassed, and invite them to write about those feelings if they wish to do so. Point out that even Peter said something silly when he wasn't sure what to do.
Intercession:
Transforming God, may your Holy Spirit pour into the Church so that the Church is transformed. Help all of us in the Church to be so open to your Holy Spirit that everyone can see that we belong to you.
Transforming God, we ask you to look with compassion on our world. May the violence cease, may wars stop, and may the hungry be fed. Show each one of us what parts you would have us play in these processes.
Transforming God, we pray for our own community. May there be many experiences which are so wonderful that we hold them deep within ourselves. And may those experiences transform our lives.
Transforming God, we pray that those of our friends and families who are sick might have their health transformed. Please pour your healing power into them as we name them....
Blessing:
May each of us see
our risen transformed Lord
for ourselves, and may we
experience his transforming love
in the very depths of our being.
And the blessing of God almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you now,
be in your homes and in your families
and with all those whom you love
and for whom you pray,
now and always.
Amen.
