• Revised Common Lectionary Readings
• Worship Notes
• Resources in The United Methodist Book of Worship

Transfigurazione. Painting by Il Pordonone di Milano,
1515-1516.  Public Domain.

 

 

2 Kings 2:1-12.
A story of discipleship and transition of leadership. Elisha dutifully stays with and follows his master, Elijah, knowing that Elijah is about to die. He seeks one final blessing from his master — a double portion of his spirit. A chariot of fire receives Elijah into the sky.

Psalm 50:1-6 (UMH 783).
God calls the covenant people to assemble for judgment and redemption.

2 Corinthians 4:3-6.
Paul reminds the Christians at Corinth that his message was never about its eloquent delivery, but always about "Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake." Just as the "god of this world" blinds those who do not receive the gospel, the true God of all opens the eyes of those who do.

Mark 9:2-9.
Six days after explaining he would be executed in Jerusalem, Jesus leads three of his disciples up a mountain where "he was transfigured before them." These disciples saw Jesus speaking with Moses and Elijah and did not know how to respond. A voice from the cloud instructed them to listen to Jesus.

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Calendar

Today is the last Sunday after Epiphany, celebrated as Transfiguration Sunday. Today and all the readings correspond to each other, centered around the gospel account of Jesus being transfigured in the sight of three of his disciples.

This Sunday is the transition, par excellence, between the Season after Epiphany and the beginning of Lent. Whichever of the two series you chose for the “meat” of this season (OT/Gospel or Epistle) your task as worship planners today is to weave insights from that series, the story for today, and the purposes of the season of Lent about to begin so that today functions as the “bridge” it is intended to be.

While you would not want to distract from the purposes of this service, you can certainly include in this Sunday nearest Valentine’s Day (yesterday, February 14) resources that bless couples. Consider a service of reaffirmation of marriage vows (BOW 135 ff) as one of the possible responses to the Word this morning. Consider also a blessing for engaged couples (BOW 537) or modifying it slightly to create a blessing for couples, generally.

Ash Wednesday is this coming Wednesday, February 18. For a more contemporary celebration of Ash Wednesday, click here. For a raft of other resources for Ash Wednesday, see our Ash Wednesday and Lent collection.And see "Planning Lent and Easter Season for Worship and Discipleship" for guides for planning the two seasons to come.

February
All Month:     Black History Month (USA)
February 8   Scouting Ministries Sunday (USA)
February 15  Transfiguration of the Lord
February 18  Ash Wednesday

March
All Month:     Women's History Month
March 6       World Day of Prayer
March 8       Daylight Saving Time Begins 2 a.m. (USA)
March 15      One Great Hour of Sharing (Special Sunday with Offering)
March 29      Palm/Passion Sunday/Holy Week Begins

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Atmospherics

The season ends as it began, with a revelation of Jesus Christ and a voice from the sky.

On Baptism of the Lord Sunday, the revelation was to John and perhaps to onlookers. The sky split open, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove, and a voice declared “This is my beloved son. In him I am well pleased.”

Today, on Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday, the revelation was to three disciples who accompanied Jesus to the top of a mountain. There, Jesus becomes dazzlingly bright, Moses and Elijah appear for a time, and a voice from a cloud declares, “This is my son, the beloved. Listen to him.”

Through the intervening four weeks, we have seen what it was about Jesus and his body, the church, that pleases God. We have also been invited to join him in calling disciples and engaging in ministries of deliverance, prophecy, healing, and evangelism.

Starting this coming Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, we enter the season of Lent, where our chief task is to walk alongside others and learn to listen deeply to Jesus.

For the past four weeks, we have primarily seen Jesus in action and have sought to learn from his deeds what we are to be as his disciples.

For the next six weeks, we will be hearing Jesus teach and seeking to take his words into our thoughts, words, and deeds. 

Today marks the bright line between where we have been and where we are going from here.

Today, we are invited to make the transition from observing to deep listening.

And so today’s readings offer dazzling sights all around. Elijah is taken up in a chariot of fire as his faithful disciple, Elijah, watches. The psalm is filled with powerful images of earth shaking, storms raging, and fires consuming all. Paul reminds the people in Corinth what he had declared to them all along: “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” And we see Jesus transfigured, with clothes becoming more brilliantly bright than anyone one earth could have made them. Glory after glory we see. All we have seen in these past weeks of Jesus and his ministry and all we have seen of the body of Christ and what it looks like when it functions well, all of this is such glory.

But the pinnacle of this glory, today, and for the season to come, is no longer to see, but to listen.

Listen.

Listen to the one who, six days earlier, had reminded these very disciples that his mission would inevitably lead him to execution in Jerusalem, and in three days, resurrection.

Listen to the one who tells them, just after this powerful encounter on the mountain, to tell no one what they saw until after the resurrection.

Just listen.

Listen.

And so we enter Lent, preparing ourselves to do just that. We will listen to Jesus. We will listen for the voice of the Spirit in one another as we walk these weeks until the celebration of the Resurrection. We may say very little. But we will listen.

This is the shape of worship this day. Begin it with glory. Sing powerfully. Celebrate lavishly. Then move toward a listening silence in prayer and an attentive celebration at the Lord’s Table that honors the Transfigured One whose death, rising, and return transfigure all things.

You have seen his glory. Now go forth to listen for his teaching.  

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In Your Planning Team

The notes above offer guidance for making the transition from After Epiphany to Lent in words and song. Part of the work of your planning team for this Sunday is to discover ways you can help make that transition from glory to simplicity, from seeing to listening in non-verbal ways. How you handle lighting might be part of this. You might start with the congregation dark and the “stage” or chancel ablaze. You might segue the light throughout the service to conclude with just natural light everywhere. Similarly with instrumentation and singing, you might move from all stops out on the organ or a full “band blast” to simple piano or acoustic guitar accompaniment, or even a capella singing at the end.

Remember the other significant shift you make today: You move from a season of invitation to a season of preparation. The invited are now with you. Starting this Wednesday, you make a journey with them that will prepare them for the transformation of their lives in Jesus Christ. Part of the sending movement of this service might involve this year’s “pilgrims” processing with the clergy and choir to be greeted by the congregation as you go as a pledge to walk with them through these forty days of Lent that lie ahead toward baptism, confirmation, reaffirmation, or reconciliation and return to the community of the faithful.

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Choral or sung call to worship: UMBOW

• UMBOW, 205, "Shine on Me" (2 Kings, Mark)
• UMBOW, 216, "Arise, Shine" (2 Kings, Mark)

Greeting:

• UMBOW, 306 (2 Corinthians)
• UMBOW, 318 (2 Kings, Mark)

Canticle: United Methodist Hymnal, 652, "Canticle of Remembrance" (2 Kings)

Opening Prayer:

• UMBOW, 308 (1st item, Mark)
• UMBOW, 310 (3rd item, Mark)
• United Methodist Hymnal, 259, "Transfiguration" (1 Corinthians, Mark)
• Worship&Song, 13

Concerns and Prayers:

• Call to Prayer: United Methodist Hymnal, 168 (stanza 1), "At the Name of Jesus" (Mark)
• United Methodist Hymnal, 489, "For God's Gifts" (2 Corinthians)
• UMBOW, 319 (Mark)
• UMBOW, 500, "For Blessing, Mercy, and Courage" (2 Kings, Mark)
• UMBOW, 525, "For Wisdom" (2 Corinthians)
• UMBOW, 529, "A Prayer of Saint Patrick" (Mark)
• Ecumenical Prayer Cycle:  Portugal, Spain, Italy, Malta

Confession and Pardon:

• UMBOW, 478 (Mark)
• UMBOW, 476 (2 Corinthians), Words of Assurance

The Great Thanksgiving:

• Word and Table I (UMH) OR
• A Great Thanksgiving for Transfiguration Sunday

Prayer of Thanksgiving if there is no Communion: UMBOW, 556 (Transfiguration).

Dismissal with Blessing:

• A deacon or assisting minister/lay person could dismiss the people using UMBOW 559. The pastor could then speak the blessing, using UMBOW 561 (second item) or The United Methodist Hymnal, 669.
• UMBOW, 560 (Transfiguration)

Sung response: United Methodist Hymnal, 168 (stanza 4), "At the Name of Jesus" (Mark)

• Guest Author: The Rev. Dr. Gennifer Benjamin Brooks
• February and Black History Month
• Notes for 2 Kings 2:1-12
• Notes for 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
• Notes for Mark 9:2-9

During the month of February, the United Methodist Church calls upon its congregations to remember and celebrate Black History. Rather than picking one Sunday to focus on the rich resources brought to the church by our Black brothers and sisters, or offering a sermon series as an alternative to the lectionary, my goal this year, especially in light of the nationwide struggle for equality, representation, and protection under the law that has tragically come under the national spotlight over the last few years (and especially 2014) is to encourage you to speak to this issue and invite conversation in your congregation and community all through the month of February. Toward that end, I have invited a guest contributor to write the Lectionary preaching helps for the entire month of February. I hope that you will find this author’s perspective insightful and stimulating as you preach a bold and prophetic word over these four weeks.

Gennifer Benjamin Brooks is the Director of the Styberg Preaching Institute and is the Ernest and Bernice Styberg Professor of Preaching at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. She is an ordained elder and full clergy member of the New York Conference of the United Methodist Church.  She has served local churches in the New York Conference in rural, suburban, urban and cross-racial settings. She was the Assistant Dean of New Brunswick Theological Seminary from 1996-2000 and an adjunct professor in the area of Preaching and Worship at New Brunswick Seminary from 2001-2003.

Dr. Brooks holds a Bachelor of Business, cum laude, and a Master of Business Administration from Pace University, a Master of Divinity, summa cum laude, and a Doctor of Ministry from New Brunswick Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Liturgical Studies from Drew University.

She is the author of Good News Preaching: Offering Good News in Every Sermon (Pilgrim Press, 2009) and Praise the Lord: Litanies, Prayers and Occasional Services (CSS Publications, 1996). She has been a contributor to the following texts: Companion to The Africana Worship Book (Discipleship Resources 2007), Zion Still Sings: For Every Generation (Abingdon Press, 2007), The Africana Worship Book for Year C (Discipleship Resources, 2008), Those Preaching Women: A Multicultural Collection (Judson Press, 2008), Handbook of Methodist Studies (Oxford Press, 2009). Dr. Brooks has also contributed to several publications including Homily Service (The Liturgical Conference), and The African American Pulpit (Generis).  She is a member of the cademy of Homiletics, the North American Academy of Liturgy, and the American Academy of Religion.

I hope that you will find Dr. Brook’s perspective and candor inspiring as you prepare to preach a bold and prophetic word over these next four weeks. If you have questions or comments about these notes or other content on preaching, please direct them to me, Dr. Dawn Chesser, Director of Preaching Ministries at Discipleship Ministries, dchesser@UMCdiscipleship.org

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February, the shortest month of the year, has been designated as appropriate to the celebration of the historical contributions of Black people or African Americans in these United States. The very fact that it is necessary to single out a particular people speaks of the hegemonic reality within which those so identified live out their lives in societal systems that have yet to recognize their equality as full persons, made in the image of God, as is every human person.

We come to this year's celebration with evidence of that hegemony still visibly present in the continued protest of the recent and continued killings of young Black people that go unrecognized by many in authority as worthy of a response that evidences justice for the victims.  Additionally, the complicity of the Christian church with the many injustices that prevail in both the U.S. and global societies is a reality that should not be dismissed if the church intends to be truly the people of God and claim its prophetic voice.

This is part of the backdrop that must be included in the context to which the preacher responds as he or she engages the preaching texts that have been selected for inclusion in the Lectionary for this month, and perhaps for every month, every Sunday, every experience of worship in the name of Jesus Christ. Every sermon should be developed to offer transformative good news within a particular congregational context.  During February, consideration of Black History Month, and especially the challenges of Black people in the United States should be an important element of the preaching context regardless of the physical, cultural, or social location of the congregation.

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Change is always difficult; and pastoral change, especially when the one leaving has had a long and successful tenure, is particularly hard. Everyone is challenged by the situation, those who have experienced the leadership of the one who is leaving, and the one who follows in what are generally large footsteps. That is the situation of the text. The questions of what is to come and how they will continue the work of God in productive ways are foundational to all the issues and challenges that are presented to the newcomer. But what of the one who becomes the replacement for what has been in operation? How does the new leader of God’s people continue the work of God in effective ways?

In the United Methodist Church, under whose disciplines I hold my ecclesiastical credentials, clergy operate under an annual appointment system. That means that at the end of any year, the appointee may find himself or herself in a new place among a new people. Certainly, the episcopal authority and the appointive cabinet, who are responsible for determining where clergy are placed, believe that they are doing so under divine guidance, but often the appointed clergy finding everything except a welcome from the people and the leadership position to which they are sent are left to ponder the will or even the presence of God in their particular situation.

Elisha is agonizingly aware of the responsibility that will pass to him upon the death of his teacher and mentor Elijah. That God has been actively present in Elijah’s ministry is unquestioned, and Elisha understands the expectations of the people that are placed on the prophet of God. His response to the company of prophets and to Elijah himself testifies to his recognition of the challenge that he will face once Elijah is gone. Unlike many United Methodist clergy, Elisha knows that he will succeed Elijah because of Elijah’s action of throwing his mantel on Elisha while he was busy at the task that he believed was his calling in life, namely plowing the field. And in order to be ready to do the work of prophecy, he requests a double share of Elijah’s spirit in accordance with the prevailing cultural practice regarding inheritance of the first-born son in the household.

But the wisdom of Elijah prevails even in this final moment as he is being taken up by divine action. He directs his student beyond himself to the source of all power. God had ordained that Elisha succeed Elijah; God has chosen the time and method by which Elijah’s ministry will come to an end; and it is God and God alone who can give Elisha the empowerment of spirit he needs to do the work of God among the people of God. It is an important message that the preacher of this text must give to the congregation. God ordains us for whatever task God has called us to do. And that is true within, outside of, and beyond any ecclesial tasks. Whatever job we do, whether as employee or employer, it is unlikely that it is truly original. In a real sense, we follow in the paths that others have walked or may even have set, and we are called not simply to fill their footsteps, but also to tread new ground. That is the task that Elisha faces. Further, Elisha’s action of tearing his clothes was a sign of his humility before God, and it provides a model for all who stand in the gap as purveyors of the gospel message. All preachers must approach the task of preaching the gospel with humble zeal and with the understanding that the message is not ours alone, that God speaks to all God’s people, and that only with God’s direction can the message be effectively transported and find root in the hearts of the hearers.

A student in one of my early preaching classes interpreted Elisha’s unwillingness to heed the words of the prophets he encountered at every junction along the way to the place where Elijah was taken up by charging the prophet with laziness. He concluded that Elisha was really unwilling to do the work that awaited him. My immediate response was utter amazement and speechlessness. However, although untrue of the prophet Elisha, it is too often true of many who are faced with the magnitude of the task of being the mouthpiece of God and who judge themselves inadequate to the task of congregational leadership vacated by a predecessor. But when God has called and commissioned us, whether as replacement or not, know that God prepares us for the work to be done.  And in order to do the work, we must stay focused and keep watching for God’s anointing presence in the places to which we are called to go.

As women and persons of color are appointed to places where white males have consistently held the pastoral leadership, it becomes an imperative that they look to God as their guide and be less concerned or committed to trying to fill the shoes of their predecessor. They cannot and will not fit. On the other hand, those who must receive the newcomers must also be willing to recognize the hand of God that has placed those new and often different persons with a spirit of acceptance and hospitality that comes by acknowledging the grace of God as the free gift to all people, regardless of origin or location. The idea of being a mentor to people who are younger or newer in ministry is one that those who are more seasoned or have a longer tenure of effective ministry should take seriously. But perhaps as or more important is the necessity to seek divine direction as one puts on the mantle of pastoral leadership and takes on the task of proclamation of God’s word to the people of God.

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The message of this text continues the focus that I have addressed in the Old Testament Scripture; namely, the need for divine direction in pastoral leadership and the proclamation of the gospel. Undoubtedly, on this Transfiguration Sunday, the focus on light and the transformative nature of the gospel is one that captures the attention, and it should. Undoubtedly, this text has been partnered with the gospel account of Jesus' transfiguration because of the comparison of the veiling of the gospel that Paul names, and the overshadowing of the cloud that hid Moses, the representative of the Law, Elijah, the representation of the prophets, and Jesus, the gospel. There is also the presentation in some form of light that shines into the situation wherever “the glory of God is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ.” But there is beneath both the call to God to reveal to the preacher/prophet the message of the gospel that must be presented to the people.

Transfiguration is transformation plus. It is transformation that engages and is represented in part by light. It is the light of God that must shine through the darkness that clouds the mind of those who have not yet received or accepted the light of God that is present in the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are expected to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. And Paul reminds us that our knowledge of God’s glory comes through Jesus Christ. As true followers of Christ, we are directed to ways of compassion and mercy that will enable us to see God in each and every person regardless of color or other societal definitions. The racism that exists in the church unchecked calls to the preacher for a word of justice, so that the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ can be fully unveiled. Thus its light will be allowed to shine into the dark places of our individual, societal, and ecclesial lives.

African Americans often live in the cloudiness or darkness of prejudices that deny the benefit of the opportunities that come with allowing all persons to flourish in the light that represents the acknowledgement of their full humanity. The preacher’s proclamation from this text must be a call to the transfiguration of societal and ecclesial systems that are veiled or shrouded in the darkness of inequality so that all may benefit fully in the light of God’s love as it becomes present and available in the world. 

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The story of Jesus’ transfiguration appears midway in the gospel of Mark as a point of confirmation of Jesus’ identity as Son of God. In Mark 1:11, the heavenly voice that identifies Jesus is the culminating point of his baptism by John. Here in Mark 9, following Jesus’ questioning of the disciples as to the scuttlebutt regarding his identity among the people (Mark 8), the heavenly voice also speaks. Not only does the voice confirm Jesus' identity, but it also calls and commissions the disciples to their task as apostles. They see him changed before their eyes; they see the witnesses to his place in the divine order, and they receive the divine command to follow his teaching.

It is a moment of such magnitude that quite naturally the disciples, or at least Peter, are loth to let go of it. But as with any high moment, it is fleeting. They cannot contain it, but it changes their vision in a lasting way. In the gospel of Mark, the disciples seem unable to recognize the divinity of Jesus. But here, they are told not to make public the incontrovertible proof that Jesus is Son of God. How can they not be impacted and changed, perhaps even transfigured in a much lesser way (experienced the light of God shining in them) because of this experience? Our baptism is also a moment of transfiguration, as the light of Christ shines in us as we are symbolically washed clean from our sins. The Holy Spirit is also present and speaks on our behalf, claiming us as children of God and members of the body of Christ. In that awe-inspiring moment, we are changed and enlightened by the grace of God that empowers our witness as to the presence of God in us. But like Peter, we must also be present to the moment, yet we cannot misread the event; and we must be fully aware of the majesty of God with us through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

And what are our moments of transfiguration? When has the light of Christ shined in us in a way that makes us see Christ in others and enables us to bring light into the lives of those who sit in darkness because of the societal systems that order or impact their lives? Further, is there danger in being so enlightened that we can no longer continue with equanimity to live our own lives while so many others sit in darkness? The preacher needs to present these life-changing questions to the congregation, but must also present the assurance of the Holy Spirit’s presence and action in bringing light out of the darkness that often overshadows the work that we do. This overshadowing is present because too often we want to hold on to the past and not bask fully in the newness of Christ’s light in and around us. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. testified to this own mountain- top experience and was killed soon afterwars. Jesus knew that his journey would lead to death, but he also knew that there would be resurrection to follow. Perhaps as preachers we need to seek or claim our own experience of transfiguration so that we, too, can be empowered as we are commissioned to proclaim Christ, the salvation of the world, in every place. And when we have claimed the light of Christ in our work, we must offer the same light to those to whom we are called to preach.

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God of Transformation, we come together as those who have met you on the mountaintop. We have each had our holy encounters with you; and in those moments, we have wanted to stay on the mountain and retreat from the world. We know that is our longing, not yours. So as we offer our gifts this morning in response to your blessings in our life, remind us that our mission begins as we leave this place, and help us hold our memories of those mountaintop encounters with you in our hearts. We pray boldly in Jesus’ name. Amen. (Mark 9:2-9)

See all February Offertory Prayers