Holy God, mighty and immortal,
you are beyond our knowing,
yet we see your glory in the face of Jesus Christ,
whose compassion illumines the world.
Transform us into the likeness of the love of Christ,
who renewed our humanity so that we may share in his
divinity,
the same Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who live and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Readings and prayer found here.
Doesn't it feel like we just finished with Christmas? It certainly does to me, but perhaps that's because I just finished schlepping all the Christmas stuff back up to the attic). But time flies, and here we are at Last Epiphany, which can only mean one thing--it's time for t-fig again. (Actually it means that we are almost to Lent, too, but don't get me started about that!) This year we hear Luke's version of the story of Jesus transformed on the mountain top with Moses and Elijah, as Peter, James, and John watch in wonder. And the composers of the RCL have added a little gift: the optional healing story at the end. If you are completely burned out by the transfiguration, perhaps you'll want to focus on that.
So where are you headed this week, preachers? Will you travel to the mountaintop with Jesus, or with Moses? Are you off lectionary, or perhaps following the Narrative Lectionary? Join the discussion and let us know where you are headed.
And welcome back to all the BE6.0 RevGals...hope you've got your land legs back. We missed you!
I've got a pair of Transfig blogposts over at THQ The Hardest Question blog. If you're not familiar with THQ, they are a "midrashic" approach to the text. This is my first time writing for them, so I'd love to know if you find the site helpful.
ReplyDeletehttp://thq.wearesparkhouse.org
I like your blog writing on THQ. It gave me pause to consider the topic of veils this week. I chose the Exodus passage and the gospel. So, I'm on target with that. You have stirred the pot of inspiration for this preacher woman! Thanks
DeleteRemembering that the lectionary is made for humans and not humans for the lectionary, and finding it hard to preach on T-fig every year, and not having preached on call at all this Epiphany season, I am dumping the T-fig readings in favour of the readings for the 5th Sunday after Epiphany.
ReplyDeleteAnd I noted that both Isaiah and Simon are convinced that they are not worthy to have God revealed to them. But God counts their feeling of unworthiness as meaningless and calls them anyway. My early thoughts are here
Kind of sort of preaching T-fig. I am not using the Luke text but using the Exodus and 2 Corinthians text.
ReplyDeleteRDM, I took picked up on the "veil tension" and might wrestle a bit with that in trying to take it from a dualistic viewpoint to a both-and viewpoint.
Thinking of couching both of these texts as prayer...and being changed by God.
We will see where the week leads.
I was avoiding Jesus' transfiguration but ended up fascinated by Moses'. Found an article on ATLA ("The Skin of Moses' Face - Transfigured or Disfigured" by William Propp) that suggests that instead of Moses face shining (or growing horns, as the Vulgate has it), the text may be telling us that his face had been hardened like horns. I was going to explore what it means to encounter God, and how even Jacob couldn't get away without a limp (and he probably got off easy).
ReplyDeleteThen, remembering that Moses fasted for 40 days on the mountain (34:28), I was going to bring up Lent and explore how we do something that helps us encounter God and be transfigured.
I'm bailing on the lectionary but keeping some of the theme of t-fig, and going with something about encountering the holy. we'll be reading the burning bush story and the footwashing story, and then to round out the trinity of holy stories I'll talk about meeting the guests in our homeless shelter who often go without socks or shoes, and how each of these stories moves us to take off our shoes and respond to God in that place.
ReplyDeleteOr something.
The sunday school children are doing a sock-drive, so i'm trying to tie that in to the whole-church experience.
Can you explain what a sock-drive is - I'm intrigued !
DeleteIt's like a food drive, but with socks--they are collecting socks for the guests at the homeless shelter. So everyone brings socks to church and the children collect them in baskets, then we hand them out at the shelter. :-)
DeleteWe're having our annual meeting this week, and I'd like the sermon to tie into that, so I am ditchin T-fig readings, and possible using 5 Epiphany instead--my thoughts so far are along the lines of what Gord said. And I need to get it written soon. So we'll see what actually transpires.
ReplyDeleteI'm not preaching this Sunday, alas, because I actually love T-Fig (and really love calling it T-Fig--oh the things you learn from revgalblogpals!), but for whatever they're worth, I offer some thoughts on this shiny mountaintop epiphany at www.sicutlocutusest.com, "It Is Good for Us to Be Here."
ReplyDeleteI loved your post! Thank you! It's providing inspiration. I have often heard the sermon about leaving the mountaintop and getting to work. I love the idea of celebrating the glimpse of God's glory and allowing it to transform our lives and inspire the world.
DeleteIt's one of those both/ands... but we customarily place a lot of emphasis on only one side of the tension. Every now and then we need to re-balance! Glad you're finding it helpful.
DeleteI'm doing the other gospel text -- at least according to Textweek -- Luke 5:1-11, Jesus tell the disciples to put out into the deep. I am focusing not on call or on mission but on seeking the depths of ourselves and our faith -- some pre-Lenten preparation, I think.
ReplyDelete