Call to Worship
L: Let the radiance
of Christ be evident among us:
P: in our songs and our words;
L: in our deepest
thoughts and desires;
P: in the youthful and the experienced, the
exhausted and the energetic;
L: in the hungry and
the scared.
All: We are here
together. We join our voices and our hearts in praise.
Prayer
God of the mountaintop and of the valley, we
remember today the Transfiguration of Jesus. Glorious, mysterious, and
shimmering with light, you know our hearts, our triumphs, and our disappointments.
As we walk with you, help us to see the light of eternity. In the name of the
light of the world, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Exodus 24:12-18
The OT lesson
is from Exodus 24:12-18. This scripture
has been chosen for this day because it reminds us of when Jesus went up the mountain
and was transfigured before his disciples.
In this scripture reading, we read how Moses went up the mountain and
also entered into the cloud of the glory of the Lord.
12 The Lord said
to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you
the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written
for their instruction.’ 13So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up
into the mountain of God. 14To the elders he had said, ‘Wait here for us, until we come to
you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to
them.’
15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered
the mountain. 16The glory of the Lord
settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh
day he called to Moses out of the cloud. 17Now the appearance of the
glory of the Lord was like a
devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.
18Moses entered the cloud,
and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty
nights.
Our Gospel reading from Matthew 17:1-9 is the story of
when Jesus went up a mountain with some of his disciples and was transfigured
before them. Matthew is showing us that
Jesus is like Moses from the OT because he too, experienced the bright light of
God's glory on a mountain. PLEASE STAND
FOR THE READING OF THE GOSPEL.
Matthew
17:1-9
The
Transfiguration
17Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his
brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2And he was
transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes
became dazzling white. 3Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah,
talking with him. 4Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here;
if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you,
one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ 5While he was still speaking, suddenly a
bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my
Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’
6When the disciples
heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7But Jesus came and
touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ 8And when they looked
up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
9 As they were coming
down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until
after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’ THIS IS THE WORD OF GOD FOR THE PEOPLE OF
GOD. THANKS BE TO GOD.
Morning Prayer
Let's join
our hearts in prayer. Thank you Lord,
for, indeed, the light of your love is shining in the midst of our darkness. We
rejoice this day in the hope and power of the transfigured one as we are about
to embark on Lent, a season in which we will actively seek transformation in
our hearts and lives. We shine brightly
when we offer a shoulder on which to lean, an arm to steady someone who is
hurting, a ride to the store or Dr.'s
office, or simply by being present in someone's life. All too often, however, we are caught off
guard and our weaknesses are exposed. We
prefer the spotlight, while you call us to explore the shadows and brighten the
darkness. We seek the spectacular, while
you bind the broken with countless acts
of mercy. We desire to stay on the mountain
top or in the security of a comfortable
pew, while you call us to walk into the valley of need. Lord Jesus, let us remember that after you
were transfigured and blessed by God as his chosen son, you came down from the
mountain to heal and to be with your people. It is only by your grace that any
of us are able to get up and do anything. We all have times when we feel terrified and
out of control, when it takes everything we have to find the strength and
courage to face our worst tragedies and fears.
Our fear of inadequacy, our fear of saying or doing the wrong thing, our
fear of failing our families and friends.
Or ourselves. Breathe your power and grace into us so that we are
transformed from feeling frightened and helpless into strong, able disciples
who are able to get up and serve in the name of Jesus. We
pray for those who are overwhelmed by snow, cold, storms, drought, and
flooding. We remember those still
struggling to have clean drinking water.
We ask your healing for those who are dealing with the flu and colds, as
well as those coping with long term illness.
We pray for the violence in our world to end. We pray for the countries torn by civil
war. We pray for those taken into slave
trade and trafficking. We pray that your
light will shine brightly and transform our world. These things we ask, along with the unspoken
prayers in our hearts, as we pray the prayer you taught your disciples living
lives that reflect the light of your story, Our Father... Because Christ leads us down from the
mountain, we are able to see opportunities to extend love and grace to those in
need of hope and help. May we rejoice in sharing our gifts this and every day. And as the ushers come forward, please note
that the March Coins for Christ offering is designated for Sharing Hope, one of
the ministries served at our CR facility.
Blessing
May the light of the transfigured Christ shine upon you, guide your journey, and bless you with God's warmth, joy, and peace as you proclaim the hove of Jesus Christ by word and deed. Amen.
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