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The Transfiguration |
Today we celebrate the occasion on which Christ, as He was beginning to
teach His disciples that He must die and rise again, revealed Himself in
shining splendor to Peter, James, and John. Moses and Elijah were present,
and are taken to signify that the Law and the Prophets testify that Jesus is
the promised Messiah. God the Father also proclaimed him as such, saying,
"This is my Beloved Son. Listen to him." For a moment the veil is drawn
aside, and men still on earth are permitted a glimpse of the heavenly
reality, the glory of the Eternal Triune God.
In the East, the Festival of the Transfiguration has been celebrated since
the late fourth century, and is one of the twelve great festivals of the
East Orthodox calendar. In the West it was observed after the ninth century
by some monastic orders, and in 1457 Pope Callistus III ordered its general
observance. At the time of the Reformation, it was still felt in some
countries to be a "recent innovation," and so was not immediately taken over
into most Reformation calendars, but is now found on most calendars that
have been revised in the twentieth century. A recent tendency in the West is
to commemorate the Transfiguration on the Sunday just before Lent, in
accordance with the pattern found in the Synoptics, where Jesus is
represented as beginning to speak of his forthcoming death just about the
time of the Transfiguration, so that it forms a fitting transition between
the Epiphany season, in which Christ makes himself known, and the Lenten
season, in which he prepares the disciples for what lies ahead. Whether
observing the Transfiguration then will affect the observation of it on 6
August remains to be seen. |
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Lesson |
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Exodus 34:29-35 |
The Shining Face of Moses
29: When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tables of the
testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know
that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.
30: And when Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin
of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.
31: But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the
congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them.
32: And afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he gave them in
commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in Mount Sinai.
33: And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his
face;
34: but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took
the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the people
of Israel what he was commanded,
35: the people of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face
shone; and Moses would put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to
speak with him. |
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Epistle |
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2 Peter 1:13-21 |
Eyewitnesses of Christ's Glory
13: I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to arouse you by way of
reminder,
14: since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord
Jesus Christ showed me.
15: And I will see to it that after my departure you may be able at any time
to recall these things.
16: For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of
his majesty.
17: For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice
was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I
am well pleased,"
18: we heard this voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy
mountain.
19: And we have the prophetic word made more sure. You will do well to pay
attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns
and the morning star rises in your hearts.
20: First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is
a matter of one's own interpretation,
21: because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by
the Holy Spirit spoke from God. |
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Gospel |
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Luke 9:28-36 |
The Transfiguration
28: Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John
and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
29: And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered,
and his raiment became dazzling white.
30: And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Eli'jah,
31: who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to
accomplish at Jerusalem.
32: Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when
they wakened they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.
33: And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it
is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for
Moses and one for Eli'jah" -- not knowing what he said.
34: As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were
afraid as they entered the cloud.
35: And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen;
listen to him!"
36: And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept
silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. |
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